A late afternoon snack; Episode 3. This is a poem that speaks about the power of a relationship between a teacher and a child, written by Dr. Hiam Ginott. I’m sharing this solid piece of advice: a teacher must wield their power carefully.
I have come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element in the classroom. It is my personal approach that creates the climate. It is my daily mood that makes the weather. As a teacher, I possess tremendous power to make a child’s life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration. I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or de-escalated, and a child humanized or de-humanized.