So, I was thinking, it's all about your mind set. How you get through a day of work, decide what's for dinner, tolerate a 6 year old picking out socks, whatever, it's all about how you approach the situation.
For example: My students at school can drive me nuts on a daily basis. Run over my foot with a tractor, and that will be a better day than some of my days at school. Recently, my students all caught a case of amnesia (it must be wide spread; other collegues complained of the same phenomenon): they all "forgot" to be in their seats and quiet when the bell rang. Now, I'm understanding and patient. It's only the 29th week of school; maybe they haven't gotten the routine yet? I had a decision to make: yell my head off (negative) or approach the situation with humor (positive). So I went for the good stuff: I held up a timer and hit the button. The kids looked at me like I was nuts, which caused them to stop chatting about who was texting what to whom. I announced "Very good, only took 12 seconds to be quiet. But you did not win. First period got quiet in 3.8 seconds. What a pity. We'll try again tomorrow". They were silent; it was victory!
Which brings me to my final statement on positive thinking. In a recent conversation, I referred to my almost-ex-husband's girlfriend as "Homewrecker" (I don't have the advantage of remembering her name every time I check out my shoulder!). My man pointed out to me:" Stop calling her Homewrecker. Her new name is "the best thing that ever happened to you". So true. Point taken.
I love that you count down weeks of school like I count down weeks of pregnancy! It's hard to look at Home Wrecker's behavior and say it was the best thing that happened because it hurt A LOT. And it still hurts. But in the long run, Tim's perspective is right. And his way of looking at it allows you to not end up bitter and resentful(like some women who shall remain nameless). True that! :)
ReplyDeleteTrue that back at ya! Yes, we count down weeks and we only have to go to 36/37, not too much differently than pregnancy! A kid just farted in my room. I had to search for Lysol. When did I sign up for this? I officially teach kindergarten to a bunch of 12 year olds.
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