The Impact our Words May Have on the Children We Serve
The impact our words may have on the children we serve in whatever capacity—as their parents, caregivers, grandparents, teachers, neighbors, business owners, and more—often goes unseen. We know our words make a difference because we remember how the adults in our lives impacted our childhoods, for good or ill.
My fiftieth class reunion was this summer, and many of us who gathered there reminisced about our favorite teachers way back in the 1960s when we were in elementary school.
“Who was your second-grade teacher?” a former classmate asked me.
“Mrs. Eggleston,” I replied.
“I don’t remember much about being in her classroom,” he said, “but I loved being there.”
“Me too,” I agreed. “I don’t know what she did, but she made me feel seen and loved.”
Another classmate caught my eye and said, “Jolene, your mom was my third-grade teacher.”
My mom, known as Mrs. Stratton to her students, had a reputation among adults of holding high standards of behavior. Translate that into kid talk and it comes out, “Mrs. Stratton is mean.”
“Uh-oh,” I thought to myself as he came over. “This could be awkward.”
“Your mom,” he began, “was the first teacher who made me work up to my potential. What I remember most is one day when we lined up after recess. After she brought us in and we were sitting at our desks, she said, ‘I counted how many of you boys took your hats off when you entered the building. Do you know how many of you did that?’
We all shook our heads.
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Photo by Kelli Tungay on Unsplash
By Jolene
Jolene Philo is the author of several books for the caregiving community. She speaks at parenting and special needs conferences around the country. Sharing Love Abundantly with Special Needs Families: The 5 Love Languages® for Parents Raising Children with Disabilities, which she co-authored with Dr. Gary Chapman, was released in August of 2019 and is available at local bookstores, their bookstore website, and Amazon. See Jane Dance!, the third book in the West River cozy mystery series, which features characters affected by disability, was released in October of 2023.
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