My personal 10 commandments
Hey there teacher friends. I saw a post recently on social media where someone posted their personal 10 commandments. I thought it was a good idea for a blog post, so here are mine…just to be completely honest, FULL DISCLOSURE, I used some of the ones from the post I saw (since I agree with them too).
Here is my list below…
1 – I WILL ALWAYS PUT FAMILY BEFORE WORK.
2 – I WILL NOT WEAR MY FEELINGS ON MY SLEEVE.
3 – I WILL WEAR A SMILE.
4 – I WILL BE KIND TO OTHERS AND NOT SEVERE TOWARD MYSELF.
5 – I WILL MIND MY OWN BUSINESS.
6 – I WILL PLAY THE GAME IN A MORAL MANNER.
7 – I WILL HOLD MY TEMPER.
8 – I WILL FACE THE WORLD EACH MORNING WITH CONFIDENCE (and coffee).
9 – I WILL BE AN ADVOCATE FOR CHILDREN.
10 – I WILL NOT BE TOO PROUD TO PRAY.
DETAILS FOR MY PERSONAL 10 COMMANDMENTS
I have always been a positive person. I believe that is half the reason I became a teacher. I always loved school. Although I was a tiny bit shy, I loved the classroom environment and knew from the time I was twelve that I wanted to be a teacher. Being that positive person, I always (most of the time) start my day with confidence. And, I FOR SURE start my day with coffee. Now that I’m toward the end of my career, I can honestly say that I have always been an advocate for children. I understand that they are helpless and dependant on adults. Many are neglected and/or abused and they all need an advocate.
So, knowing this about me, it is easy to see why I can honestly say that I “wear a smile” and that I am “kind to others and not too severe toward myself.” The “not too severe toward myself” has actually improved as I’ve aged. We are always so critical of ourselves in our 20’s and 30’s. We expect to be perfect in every way to everyone we love, to be perfect in our teaching and toward our students. Then as we age, we understand that all we can do is our best.
I had quite a temper as a small girl. I learned to “hold my temper” in my teens. My father was in the military so we moved around a little. If I was always losing my temper with my new friends in our new location, I wouldn’t have friends very long….and I learned this quickly.
Learning things as I entered the work environment
Entering the work environment, after finishing college brought around new insights into these ideas. In the work world, I learned to mind my own business (well, most of the time). And for sure how to “play the game.” One disadvantage I have is that I often do “wear my feelings on my sleeve.” But maybe that can also be an advantage. This is one that is still a work in progress…even though I am now on the downhill part of my life story.
For those of you who are searching for some tips to improve your teaching skills…I know I was always searching for information. Here is a list of 101 Teaching Tips. Just complete the form below and I will zip it right over to your email.
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I really am a fairly sensitive person. The time when I needed to “thicken my skin” the most was when I moved into administration. There were a couple of times when I had to hide my tears of frustration or exhaustion. I know I had a few of those times as a teacher as well, but I made it through them.
Currently I am telling my school-age grandkids the old saying; “sticks and stones can break your bones, but words will never hurt you.” This old-fashioned saying can seem outdated when we are trying to understand that there is an abuse called “verbal abuse.” But, I think the gist is to try to hold yourself together and not let the bully get you down. And of course, another aspect of this is that “tomorrow is another day.” I want my kids and grandkids to believe that there is no reason to believe that life is not worth living. This leads to the next concept of putting family first.
The Importance of #1…Put Your Family before work.
When you first start your career after working very hard in college you are often tempted to place it in the #1 spot for importance. But after a few years, you should (hopefully) come to the realization that family is much more important than work. There are so many sayings and quotes out there about this now. One that comes to mind for me right now is…”if you dropped dead of a heart attack, your work would have you replaced in a week…but your family would never be able to replace you” (Or something like that). And THIS IS SO TRUE!
Never put your work before your loved ones. I believe in this concept so strongly; it was one of the first things I would tell my new staff. I let the teachers and support staff know that I put my family first. And I would support them if they do so as well. I told them that the main thing I asked of them is to be honest wiith me and allow me to advocate for them if they needed time for their family concerns.
Now for My Personal 10 Commendments – #10.
While I consider myself fairly religious, I didn’t grow up attending church regularly. My father was the son of a minister and was pretty much done with churches once grown. My mom did take us on Christmas Eve and Easter so that we would have a bit of religion. When I was in college (we had moved across country by then) I actually joined the church choir with my grandmother and really enjoyed it.
Anyway, that background information was to let you know that I do believe in GOD and do pray to him. I have begun praying more the older I get. Is that normal? I’m not sure…but I think probably. The longer you live, the more you realize that people and family mean so much to you and that life is often out of your control. So, YES, I am not too proud to pray.
Before I end this article, I want to be sure to link another article I wrote that you might also like to read. Here it the link: 17 Golden Rules of Teaching.
Until Next Time,
