My
blog entry for this week is inspired by Dr. Seuss. We know that many life lessons come from his
books, however this lesson comes directly from his thoughts and ideology about listening
and learning from people. Dr. Seuss
suggests,
“Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.” I really love this! I teach my students that when they struggle for their answers and thoughts, this is an important part of the process. They will often hear me say, “fight for it.” I am simply trying to allow them the opportunity to talk though their thoughts in order to arrive at the answer. I think this “think time” is so important in class. Through their struggles to articulate their answer, many amazing ideas are found. I don’t ever want to answer their questions for them, I want to give them the opportunity to finish. When a student tries to answer a question and then says, “never mind”, I am always so discouraged for them. Their frustration in not being able to articulate their thoughts coerces them into silence or defeat.
“Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.” I really love this! I teach my students that when they struggle for their answers and thoughts, this is an important part of the process. They will often hear me say, “fight for it.” I am simply trying to allow them the opportunity to talk though their thoughts in order to arrive at the answer. I think this “think time” is so important in class. Through their struggles to articulate their answer, many amazing ideas are found. I don’t ever want to answer their questions for them, I want to give them the opportunity to finish. When a student tries to answer a question and then says, “never mind”, I am always so discouraged for them. Their frustration in not being able to articulate their thoughts coerces them into silence or defeat.
Seuss
suggests that we should say what is on our mind or better yet, what is in our
hearts because if it’s important to us, it
will be deemed important to those that are truly listening to us. I enjoy this idea immensely because we
listen to our students in an effort to help them find their authentic
voice. Through listening, we are
encouraging them to express themselves in a way that creates a sense of
vulnerability that many adults require, but never give. Let’s
encourage our students to share their authentic voices so that we can help them
cultivate their ideas and encourage a sense of authenticity that can never be
diminished.
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