The Words I Choose

"Our words have power; they can hurt and they can help!"

Every morning during our elementary-wide assembly, we recite together: "Our words have power; they can hurt and they can help." When my principal began this little mantra with us every morning I didn't think much of it, and just sleepily went along with it between gulps of my coffee and telling wiggly kids to "pick a spot and stick to it" on the bleachers. I assumed she had probably watched a new teaching video or gone to an inspiring conference on the power of words in schools, or something of the like. Anyways, we all (students and teachers) have been saying this phrase every single morning since the beginning of the school year, and it is now thoroughly engrained in our brains. After almost 130 days of school, I have finally stopped to really reflect on words. Words that have power. Words that I use every day. Words that can hurt or that can help.

Many of the words I choose to use with my little ones are academically focused, most are encouraging, and quite a few of them are nonsensical and silly because what sane person can help but be a little bit goofy and ridiculous when surrounded by 2nd graders for most of her waking hours?  No one, that's who.

I am often surprised by the things I find myself saying over the course of a day in my 2nd grade classroom.

Things like:

"Why are you sniffing my phone?" (Student response: "It smells like candy!")

"We do not fart on our friends!" (Student response: "He's not really my friend anyways...")

"No, we are not allowed to feed you alien food." (Student response: "But whyyyyyyy? Please??")

"Even though your finger fits inside your nose does not mean you should put it there," 

which is along the same lines as one my father taught me at a young age: "You can pick your friends and you can pick your nose, but you can't pick your friend's nose." (Thanks dad.)

"Don't lick the table, use the sponge!" 

"Please don't put legos in your bellybutton." (Just, why? Why!?)

These are the words that have caused my reflection.

And because my words do have power, I choose to use words to help my students. And sometimes I don't always know the right ones, but when I don't my kiddos fill in for me.

"Sharing is caring, right teacher?"

"I didn't mean to bump you in gym earlier, I made you a card to say sorry."

"Yeah, that's a good idea too!" (After I suggested we do the math lesson instead of letting everyone pretend to be puppy dogs and I would be their dog trainer...)

"His heart is sad because he misses his mom, but we're all here so it'll be okay!" *hugging ensues* 

Are you crying of sweetness yet? Because I am. <3