Newsletter Contents
Publisher's Pen: Mining Your Own Gold
“That’s all I ask of you………..”
Phantom of the Opera lyric quote.
Parents, teachers, do you feel like you are the creative genius and magician in your family/students’ lives, teaching, supporting, creating miracles for them, only to be treated like an outcast weirdo?
The idea for this issue was sparked when I was talking to a friend about my life, and the comment was made, “You’ve got to mine your own gold, Elaine.” Like so many of us, haunted by the “wants” from our childhoods, we give our all to our family in an effort to make their lives better. But we end up the worse for wear and burned out, because we don’t take care of ourselves.
It’s time to command respect, learn to say no, let family members/students know what they can do so that we will feel appreciated, and take time out for ourselves. If we don’t, we will be in a state where we are giving at the expense of our “self.”
At that point, we’re in danger of becoming a raving lunatic who may say and do things that we later regret. We may even arrive at the point of no return. Then we are cast as the villain.
May we learn to teach and support our family/students, and then let them create their own miracles, and learn to mine their gold, as we mine ours by example.
Smiles,
Elaine
Empowering Parents and Teachers:
Here are some tips for family members/students to help you relax by taking some of the load:
Teachers:
Make a list of the duties that students can perform to help you prepare for each day of school. Set up a schedule for “student of the day” to perform these duties.
As an award, the “student of the day” gets to have or do something special that you designate (candy, extra library time, special lunch privilege, head of the line privilege, stickers, etc.).
Involve students in creating the list of duties and rewards:
Have students create a poster with the list of duties.
Create a classroom chart and post.
For the first week, demonstrate what constitutes a job well done.
Parents:
Discuss why you need to have family members help perform duties.
Make sure that duties are appropriate for different age levels.
Create a chart to post.
Demonstrate how you want a job done.
Give plenty of encouragement and praise.
Don’t listen to their complaints, for they will naturally abate as time goes on.
Empowering K.I.D.S. (Kids In Daily Situations):
Do you find yourself doing too much for others and not feeling appreciated?
Make a list of what you do for others on a daily basis.
Then make a list of what others do for you on a daily basis.
Is the list lop-sided? Which way?
Determine what you are willing to do and not willing to do.
If you have difficulty saying no, practice what you will say before you go to bed.
Ask for something back if you are asked to do something for someone else.
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