Being a mom, Wyn knew that her attitude and emotional state determined what kind of day she'd have with her family. If she was off, they were all off. What a terrible responsibility it is to be a human barometer. Even with this knowledge, it took Wyn a lot longer to recognize how she affected her students as well.
There were days when, for one reason or another, she just didn't want to be at school. There were days when she never stopped complaining. There were days that she couldn't smile, no matter how she tried. And on those days, her students' behavior mirrored her own. She believed their behavior was out of her control.
One day Wyn was notified that she had received the grant she had worked on all year. It would supplement her classroom in a variety of ways. But most of all, it was an accomplishment that reenergized her attitude toward teaching.
In the weeks that followed, she approached her job with a renewed sense of purpose and joy. Her students seemed to join in her enthusiasm, and they, too, had a renewed sense of purpose. The funny thing is that Wyn had had the power to change her students' behavior all along. But the first step had been to change her own.
Wondering why your class seems a little ho-hum? Try brightening your outlook, and see if it is reflected int hat of your students.
Prompt: How's my perspective and attitude? I feel energized when. . .
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