The Way We Treat Others

Treat people as if they were what they ought to be and you help them to become what they are capable of being.

 ~ Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

I have always kept this quote on my desk. I moved it from school to home when I retired because it reminds me to treat people in ways that help them grow. I think it is a really important quote for educators.

As a teacher, I wanted my students to believe they could do anything they set their minds to do. That meant that I needed to treat them like real writers, readers, scientists, historians, mathematicians, artists, singers, and musicians. Our conversations needed to be thoughtful. Their experiences at school needed to be authentic. The workshop model promoted the most authentic experiences for my students.

When we opened a new elementary school, we were determined to treat our students like leaders. We established a student leadership team that helped make decisions about our school and the way we would live and work together each day. We even included a group of students in our summer retreat after our first school year. At the retreat, teachers and students brainstormed what was going well and what we needed to improve. We gave our students a voice in our school because we believed they could be leaders.

This quote has guided me in all aspects of life. When we treat our family, our friends and others we meet along the way like they already are what they ought to be, the world is a better place.

I am participating in the 

March Slice of Life Challenge.
Each day we post our thoughts.
Thank you, Two Writing Teachers!

Day 21 - The Way We Treat Others