My Mission: Be curious. Be kind. Be patient. Be positive. Be a problem-solver.
Last year, when I created my personal mission statement, I seriously pondered what I am about. What words describe me and what is important to me? What do I want people to know me for? Who am I? These 5 statements that I chose, I feel, reflect what I remind myself to be each day.
* Be curious: Ask questions. Make observations and wonder about things. About people. About what is going on around me. Notice events, smells, sounds, feelings. You will learn a lot more by being open-minded and looking for things and wondering. You'll learn more about life, about other people, about yourself, and about everything around you (any maybe far away from you, too). I love learning, which is probably what brought me to be a teacher in the first place. You don't need school to learn things, though. Be curious, ask questions, and investigate. You'd be amazed what you can learn!
* Be Kind: This is important for everyone! I've seen statements that say, "Above all else, be kind." The best way to make a friend, encourage others to be kind, or bring out a smile in yourself and others is to show kindness. This doesn't mean giving things to people. This means saying something thoughtful, doing something helpful, being considerate, or simply sharing a smile with someone. Start small and you'll find the kindness grows. Pass it on.
* Be Patient: This is an extremely important life-skill always. Right now, the events going on in the world are creating situations when we ALL need to be more patient than usual. I had to be patient waiting for flour to be available in the grocery store so I could bake. We have to be patient while we wait to see what we can use to teach. We need to be patient with other people because we're all feeling some extra stress or pressure, and everyone reacts to stress in different ways. Our routines have changed completely, and that is stressful. I need to remember to be more patient with my family as we spend a lot more time together than usual. Remember to be patient with yourself, too.
* Be Positive: I will definitely talk a lot more about this later. I feel this is what I need to focus on right now during this time of physically distancing from everyone. A training I recently attended used a great way to illustrate having a positive, optimistic mindset versus being negative and pessimistic: Are you a colander person or a coffee filter person? In your mind, when you experience something, do you hold onto the good things that happen and let the bad feelings drain away, the way a spaghetti colander does? Or do you hold onto the bad emotions and let the good feelings drain away the way a coffee filter holds onto the coffee grounds and lets the coffee drain away? Look for the good things, and you will most likely find something positive. If you expect the worst, you'll find it. Try to find the good things, even when the world feels heavy. They're there if you choose to see them.
* Be a Problem-Solver: Being able to find a problem is half the battle. Most of us can find fault with other people. We can find the mistakes in a page full of correct answers. We can point out when someone does something wrong. However, it's a much more important skill to be able to figure out ways to solve the problems. Mr. Knott once told us that if we brought complaints and problems to him, he would also be asking us how we thought we could solve those problems. If you just point out problems, you're complaining. If you notice something that could work better and contribute to finding a way to improve that thing, then you're a problem-solver. People look to problem-solvers for help. Be a problem-solver.
These are the reasons I chose these statements to describe my personal mission. These 5 statements clarify what is important to me, and they help guide my behaviors and feelings every day. Hopefully, when you interact with me, you can tell that these are my mission as I live my life at home and at school every day. What is your mission? How and why did you choose your mission statement?
Last year, when I created my personal mission statement, I seriously pondered what I am about. What words describe me and what is important to me? What do I want people to know me for? Who am I? These 5 statements that I chose, I feel, reflect what I remind myself to be each day.
* Be curious: Ask questions. Make observations and wonder about things. About people. About what is going on around me. Notice events, smells, sounds, feelings. You will learn a lot more by being open-minded and looking for things and wondering. You'll learn more about life, about other people, about yourself, and about everything around you (any maybe far away from you, too). I love learning, which is probably what brought me to be a teacher in the first place. You don't need school to learn things, though. Be curious, ask questions, and investigate. You'd be amazed what you can learn!
* Be Kind: This is important for everyone! I've seen statements that say, "Above all else, be kind." The best way to make a friend, encourage others to be kind, or bring out a smile in yourself and others is to show kindness. This doesn't mean giving things to people. This means saying something thoughtful, doing something helpful, being considerate, or simply sharing a smile with someone. Start small and you'll find the kindness grows. Pass it on.
* Be Patient: This is an extremely important life-skill always. Right now, the events going on in the world are creating situations when we ALL need to be more patient than usual. I had to be patient waiting for flour to be available in the grocery store so I could bake. We have to be patient while we wait to see what we can use to teach. We need to be patient with other people because we're all feeling some extra stress or pressure, and everyone reacts to stress in different ways. Our routines have changed completely, and that is stressful. I need to remember to be more patient with my family as we spend a lot more time together than usual. Remember to be patient with yourself, too.
* Be Positive: I will definitely talk a lot more about this later. I feel this is what I need to focus on right now during this time of physically distancing from everyone. A training I recently attended used a great way to illustrate having a positive, optimistic mindset versus being negative and pessimistic: Are you a colander person or a coffee filter person? In your mind, when you experience something, do you hold onto the good things that happen and let the bad feelings drain away, the way a spaghetti colander does? Or do you hold onto the bad emotions and let the good feelings drain away the way a coffee filter holds onto the coffee grounds and lets the coffee drain away? Look for the good things, and you will most likely find something positive. If you expect the worst, you'll find it. Try to find the good things, even when the world feels heavy. They're there if you choose to see them.
* Be a Problem-Solver: Being able to find a problem is half the battle. Most of us can find fault with other people. We can find the mistakes in a page full of correct answers. We can point out when someone does something wrong. However, it's a much more important skill to be able to figure out ways to solve the problems. Mr. Knott once told us that if we brought complaints and problems to him, he would also be asking us how we thought we could solve those problems. If you just point out problems, you're complaining. If you notice something that could work better and contribute to finding a way to improve that thing, then you're a problem-solver. People look to problem-solvers for help. Be a problem-solver.These are the reasons I chose these statements to describe my personal mission. These 5 statements clarify what is important to me, and they help guide my behaviors and feelings every day. Hopefully, when you interact with me, you can tell that these are my mission as I live my life at home and at school every day. What is your mission? How and why did you choose your mission statement?
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