The Bright Spot Seed Planter

Bright Spots can grow in dark places.


The Bright Spot Report is a place for success stories
as well as a place for tips on how to create Bright Spots.


If you have a Bright Spot Story, please share it with us,
so we can create a world with more Bright Spots.



Thursday, August 29, 2013

Dear Teacher - NO RULES!

I hope your day is filled with heart smiles! I'm glad you're here dear Teacher. I personally believe that you have the most important job on the face of the earth. You are in charge of 100% of the future - our children. As an old head who has taught thousands of children in classrooms and on top of mountains, I thought maybe I could share some wisdom with you. Today's lesson is about rules.

Your first rule for the first day back to school is:
DO NOT START THE YEAR WITH RULES!
     Please start the year by building relationships. Rules will separate you emotionally from the vast majority of young people you are trying to reach.  Relationship building leads to the freedom of motivation. For many years, we engaged students in a process we call: "Relationship Mentoring." We cannot mentor unless we have a relationship. After we have built a relationship, we mentor in the power of the emotional moment where the student currently resides. Let me go a little deeper with the concept of "Power Moment Mentoring.

 Each student usually carries emotional baggage of some kind. Maybe they got kicked out of their home, didn't eat in a few days, has been abused, their family split up, somebody died or worse. The things our children live with today can be emotionally devastating. The average exposure age to porn is 9 yrs old. Statistics show that 1 in 3 girls have been victims of abuse and 1 in 5 boys have also been victims of abuse. The point here is that you as a Teacher will face many students everyday who carry emotional baggage. If you are going through a divorce, is your mind totally focused on the task in front of you? Children need to be given tools for their Emotional Toolbox. If you ignore the emotional baggage in the heart of a child, you might as well tell the child: "I don't really care about you as a person. You are just another student whose head I want to fill with useless stuff!"

Once a child knows that you care, you have planted the seed of possibility. It's a sad fact that your Teacher Evaluation will not keep track of all of the moments that you have truly made a difference in a child's life. Not every apple makes it out of a students heart and on to your desk. Not every student will say thank you. Some student may be sitting in jail someday remembering your words and then they will begin to emerge from their cocoon of struggle. The key to successful Teaching is building relationships.

Did you notice that every time I use the word Teacher it's capitalized? It's a sign of how much I respect you and your efforts to make a difference in a child's life. If you need help building relationships, we are available all year. You can simply email or call with a question. We mentor in schools with Students as well as Teachers. We mentor in assemblies, classrooms and campgrounds. Camping is a great relationship building tool!

Thanks for your time. Go do something nice for somebody!

(The next Bright Spot Report will give "Tips on Building Relationships." 
We will publish that article on Friday August 30, 2013

"Find new ways, 
  in as many ways, 
    in more excellent ways, 
      on all of your days, 
        to show love." 
 
Bob Kuebler
YWAP Director
Youth With A Purpose
In School & After School
In The Mountains & In The Hood
"All Children Are Gifted"
157 Locust Street
Buffalo, New York 14204
716-830-8240 ywapbuffalo@yahoo.com

http://thebrightspotreport.blogspot.com/
A Scholarship for a young person to attend a 3 day Wilderness Adventure in the Adirondack Mountains is valued at $185. We are a 501c3 and your donations are tax deductible. You may give online at: http://www.gofundme.com/73te4
If you are looking for a speaker for parents or youth or both, please call us.  

No comments:

Post a Comment