Patience and Positivity
Emphasizing the Positive
I was halfway through my parent-teacher conferences when a young mom came in and sat across from me. I knew she was coming, in fact she was early. Before I even began talking, she scrambled her thoughts and immediately said…
“I’m so sorry, I know he’s a lot, I’m sorry.”
I felt my stomach drop. I knew what had happened. This poor mom had gone through year after year of parent-teacher conferences that made her feel defeated. She probably had heard very little positive about her child and felt hopeless. Without a beat, I said, “Yes, your child is a lot sometimes, but he is also so amazing!! I began to tell her about his huge heart of compassion for other people and how he also strived to make sure others felt included. I recognized a gift in his life, and with partnership, we could help him reach his self-control goals.
We can recognize the negatives traits’ in children all we want, but it won’t grow the whole child. Yes, we take measured active steps to reach certain goals, yes we discourage bad behavior, but let’s think of all the good. Acknowledge the child when they do something good- encourage it, let them know how awesome it was!
The incident during a parent-teacher conference was one of the many reasons I felt compelled to start this blog. Are neurodivergent children challenging to handle at times? Yes! But they are also amazing, intelligent, and creative. I choose to recognize the gifts that these children possess and make a concentrated effort to practice patience. It’s all about patience and positivity.
Classroom management is a hot topic in the world of education. There are so many techniques and systems out there, but most classrooms develop management systems of their own. Each class is so different, what works for one teacher doesn’t work for another. Laying that aside for the moment, I want you to look at the individual child. Look for the good.
I challenge you, as we are going through this journey together, choose to see the gifts in your kids’ lives. For a moment, set aside the goals you are worried about them not reaching, and see the child for what they are. See the gift, foster it, encourage it, teach it.
-Sadie
(Next Blog Post: “Executing Functioning: What is it?”)