A few years ago, a woman introduced me to positive affirmations and since then I have bought into being positive. I figure that since words have power, I should use the positive words to encourage me so I can feel powerful. What is does power even mean? Power as defined by the dictionary means “the capacity or ability to direct or influence the behavior of others or the course of events.” Well in this case I say, I am directing my behavior based on the words I have spoken within me. I have also introduced this to my students, so they begin affirming themselves in the morning, so that throughout the day they believe it as they repeat the affirmation. Affirmation is filled with power, and we must have a willingness to encourage ourselves and as it were dig ourselves out of sadness. We can and should use even our disappointments to reach for higher. Tell ourselves that we will dig out of the sand and reach for the stars. As a matter of fact, we can in turn be change agents for others when they see how we live our lives. For us to have power we must commit to a few things: –
Believe in yourself
Be persistent
Be you
Be honest
Be intentional
Being an educator, it is my responsibility to be encouraging for my students so they realize that they can learn and that all things are possible, they just need to believe. Simply put there is hope! I must believe as well so that I can keep the learning wheels turning. It’s not always easy especially if there are parents or students who put up resistance. Goodness, there have been resistance! What do I do when faced with the resistance? I evaluate myself and tell myself that I am a good person and who wants good for others and yes, hope for the storm to blow through then, trust the process. Most of all I rely on the power of affirmation and have the courage to use it. I also turn to the good book, the bible verses for example, Luke 20 20 Once, on being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, 21 nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst.”
So even though I don’t teach religious education, I do use it in my daily walk to encourage myself. The rest takes care of itself and flows. As a child I heard the saying, “what the mind can conceive and believe, it will achieve.” This has stayed me over the years, and I am convinced that is where the power lies- in our mind and we must believe it is possible. So, I say, take it one step at a time and find the power in you!
Recently I was feeling overwhelmed as I was thinking about the beginning of a new school year and all the paperwork to be completed. The paperwork has to do with the data received after the new students entered my class and I must diagnose them and group them for various levels as I analyze and predict the growth for the school year. It seems as if the paperwork that must be completed is priority and little room is given for teaching to get the growth. On this day, I told myself I had to have a to “do list” and organize my time strategically since all had to be done. I love gardening and I decided to use gardening to inspire me to move forward to be the best teacher possible. I plant flowers during the springtime and watch them blossom so I will see my new students who are sometimes broken from various traumas and uncertain if they are even ready to learn. I must re-plant the strategies I know have worked in previous years or gather new seeds (strategies) for planting to see how well they will and can grow. I must embrace the newness, the new designs, and the new placings. Some students will need pruning, some will sprout, and others won’t. Some will need watering and tender loving care to grow and for others re-planting is necessary. There will be those students who will bear fruits and simply grow in personality and of course knowledge. Indeed, there will be student growth! Through it all I will also grow.
The newness may be challenging but I am staying positive. As I embrace the beauty of the new things, I can also see the beauty in everything and look at the bright side of life. There is reassurance that there is more in store for my students and more in store for me. I strongly believe that I should take small steps and do them one day at a time. I continue to affirm myself and my students. I also communicate with parents and remind them that it takes a village – we are the Dare to Dream Team!
The older I get, the more I realize the importance and the need to enjoy the little things in life. Maybe I can go further to add not just the little things but the small steps in life. As an educator, I have also seen how necessary small steps are in learning even teaching for that matter. I almost want to pat myself on the back when I see the light in a student’s eyes when he or she has grasped a skill and is so excited that he or she is not at the bottom of the barrel. That for me is big reason to celebrate that my teaching method has worked. For me this happens throughout the school year, and these are things that I don’t take for granted, even if no one in the administrative staff is aware. I do celebrate those small moment and I let the student/s know that I celebrate them.
Summer is a time when I look forward to a break from work and I make every effort to celebrate my hard work. This summer was no exception, and I was able to do so with many friends and family members. For the most part I was in Jamaica where my heart and mind seem to be happiest. It is evident that the most difficult part is to get there as soon as I do, I am surrounded with an itinerary, and all I had to do was to be ready when they say so. And guess what? The moments were spontaneous! We quickly got on road trips in-spite the cost of gas or food, we prepared or bought food and took the parks and sat, laughed, ate, played games, and shared stories of the good ol’ days. The road trips were frequent and fun – some included visits to the theater to see plays, beach trips or church services of thanksgiving for people or for celebration life in general.
The laughter, fun, fellowship, friendship, family relationship embraces the fact that we need and enjoy each other’s company. It also reiterates that it doesn’t take a lot to enjoy the little things. As we gathered, we sometimes cooked, and the cooking included cooking outdoors which helped us to bond. As I reflect on all the times, I am grateful for each day and for the persons that are in my life – for the fact that my life is spared to share those simple things with people who love me, and I love them. We are willing to spend time together to enjoy the little things in life. We were mindful of each other’s feelings, each other’s time and sometimes we woke up early so we were able to make the most of the day.
There were of course some days when we heard sad news and we had to comfort each other and tried our best to cheer each other up and believe me as you can imagine it was no easy task, but it still sent the message that we were there for each other in the good times or bad. We are also aware that we are building memories together. We take nothing for granted and as the saying goes, “Enjoy the little things in life because one day you’ll look back and realize they were the big things.” – Robert Brault.
Reflecting on this break has helped me to realize that this is part of the self-care that we all need, and it has helped me to feel refreshed, renewed and I can now refocus as I return to the classroom to face a new year, new set of students and my mindset has been restored to goodness for being an educator.
“Life is a mysterious mix of beautiful and painful experiences. No one can predict how it will unfold and we don’t always understand why it unfolds the way it does.” The words of Akirah Robinson rang through my head, and I read them repeatedly. The months April, May, and June though the period started off calmly and happily were filled with mixed emotions and yes mysterious happenings. I had decided to visit Jamaica during my Spring Break to do what I called a mini launch, but it turned out to be greater than that. Few hours after I arrived there, I was able to read a portion of my book that I had dedicated to one of the persons, I had written about. So exciting! She was pleasantly surprised and remarked, “This is such a pleasure, and I am getting goosebumps, just knowing that you thought of me.” The joy knowing that I was able to show how she impacted my life was overwhelming. Little did I know that would be the last time I saw her – she died a week and a half after that! I was devasted yet was comforted by the fact that she knew how much she impacted my life. I had read to her – unbelievable of the timing. Another fantastic experience was that I was interviewed by a local (Jamaican) television station and got some more networking regarding my newly published book. I was also interviewed by a local radio station and during the interview I was asked who influenced me into being a teacher and I mentioned the teacher/professor from the first college I attended. Shortly after the interview, a listener called the producer to give her information about the teacher, information included that she was 102. How remarkable is that? I didn’t even know that she was still alive. I immediately made plans to visit her in July. Only that was not to be, a month after I had gotten word that she was alive, I discovered via YouTube, that her funeral was literally the day before I opened my YouTube app! Here we go again, more devastation! I was now questioning everything and wondering what was going on. I decided to watch the YouTube video a few days after and was pleasantly surprised to find out that during the reading the remembrance, the older gentleman (my teacher’s/professor’s cousin) mentioned that he had heard my interview on the radio station, called the radio station to give them the professor’s information. So again, I realized that my “mini launch” was not mini at all! It was ordained! How many of us still marginalize our experiences instead of turning the events into learning experiences and are simply grateful for them. I am learning to do so! With the publication of my book, I have had some interesting experiences, some of them sad but overall, they seemed to have been waiting for the book to be published so the book can be highlighted and exposed. There are lives that have been touched by simply reading it and based on the reviews on the various platforms that it is being sold and the personal ones that I have gotten I feel certain that God made it published in His Perfect Time.
I recently spoke with one of my aunts. I had called her for Mother’s Day and didn’t get to speak to her, then called again and didn’t get her either, so this was her returning my call. I had been taking a nap after a long day at work but was excited to hear from her. I quickly pulled myself up to sit in the bed so I could talk to her. She knew from the sound of my voice that I was sleeping and wanted to call another time so I could go back to bed. I insisted that it was okay and that I could talk. I knew that there was no time like the present and I could miss a great opportunity to talk to her. So glad I did! It was so refreshing and fulfilling. I was reminded of how calm and encouraging she is, and I had to make sure I told her, so she was aware that I noticed. She calmly responded that it didn’t come easily but as she got older, she realized that she had to get closer to God so she can know how to love others and be kind. I am happy for the impact that she made on me just with the words of encouragement and her gentile spirit.
A month ago, I was privileged enough to publish my first book, a memoir and I got the opportunity to launch it in the country of my birth, Jamaica. I shared this amazing experience with many friends and relatives who literally made me feel like a queen. During that same time of the launch celebration, I was interviewed by a TV station and a radio station. As I was interviewed by the radio personality, I was asked who influenced me to be a teacher and I immediately thought of a former professor I had who impacted and impressed me to teach because of her style of teaching and her passion for teaching. I couldn’t remember the professor’s name as I was interviewed when asked and thankfully based on what I said, a listener called give the name of the person and was able to even say that she is still alive at age 102! This information was exciting to hear, and I going to try desperately to get in touch with her when I return to Jamaica.
More intriguing events keep happening another to be mentioned is that a month ago, two new students joined my community of learners. Yes, you might even make comments including, the fact that there are 30 days left of the school year. Of course, that is a fact, however, I saw the joys and the impact I could make on those students’ lives even though they don’t speak English. I saw nothing but more experience for the other students who by now were excited as they welcomed them with beautiful smiles and hugs. I thought about the various countries that were represented in our community. The countries include, Colombia, Ethiopia, Haiti, Honduras, India, Jamaica, Mexico, Nigeria, Philippines, Poland, Ukraine, and U S A. I was ready to celebrate each person by getting the flags of the country they represented. I wanted them to feel connected so learning could also be encouraged. The joy that I felt as they started repeating English words and the new words, they are understanding during the short time span that they have been our community of learners. It really encouraged me that I am making a positive impact on them. I have a passion for learning and teaching and want to pass it on to my learning community.
It is also with pride that I celebrate each student’s academic growth since the start of the school year since September. They have grown academically similarly like trees that are rooted and grounded and I feel certain that I have impacted them positively. I feel that since so many people have made a positive impact on me, I want to make that kind of impact on my students. Each person in her own way assisted in some way or other, my aunt, my former professor, my friend’s mom, (who was also a teacher), who embraced me and told me that I belonged to her family and all the others – they have made me grow deeper in my career and they did so through love! We can empower each other by being loving and kind.
For many of us this period has been very overwhelming and maybe difficult. There are those who are cracking under pressure including financial, loss of jobs, mental health issues, learning loss and for some it can be that we are experiencing all of them. Since as teachers we wear many different hats, we try to fix all of them in the classroom yet, we are suffering silently and at times it seems as if we are all alone because it seems as if no one cares or understands. Of course, we are humans and can crack too. I believe that it is always necessary to stay on the trail but also important to take a break. It seems as if administrators, fellow teachers, parents, and students just don’t get it – even though we try to do the right thing professionally, words are thrown at the educator as if he/she is not human and have no feelings. Yes, it is also easy to say, “Oh she is so sensitive, she gets upset for everything!” But who gives that person the right to say that or even think that that person is not supposed to deal with her feelings? Words affect people differently and we should be mindful of what we say to each other.
Life can be so unkind sometimes and to add to our sadness, there are wars, sickness, meanness, and on and on. The struggles are real, and we are forced to grin and bear things but also stay on the trail and do everything that is considered good. Stay on the trail and pretend that we don’t struggle, or nothing bothers us. We must take time to breathe and even check in with our mental health and do things that make us feel special. For me, it’s the little things that help me to just breathe, things like spending time with family and do things that are on my bucket list. Speaking of bucket list, I had the opportunity to go explore the Grand Canyon in Arizona. For the first time in a long while I was able to forget about teaching and dealing with administrators but to take in nature at that breathtaking place. Truth is the experience was more than words could tell or maybe my words. In one day, I experienced three seasons the temperature went from 60 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit where it even iced (slushy snow) and then it went straight to 70 degrees Fahrenheit.
The day was eventful, and I got a chance to see and reflect on God’s splendor. The experience was enjoyable, yet vibrant. I knew that this was also another learning experience for me. God placed me there for a reason, the friends who accompanied me on this journey I got to know better and learned so much of the things we share. It gave me the opportunity to take a break, reflect, laugh, and enjoy nature. And how could I forget, I also am very grateful for the fact that I was able to have the experience and use all my given senses. I came face to face with the love of life and God’s Grace towards me. It encouraged me to look at my inner core and who I am based on the various rocks and their formation. There were rocks of various sizes, colors, depth among other things. Just simply amazing! One of the big things that this experience also taught was simply how to stay on the right trail or course of action. Set goals and stick to them, don’t get distracted or I could get lost. Don’t focus on the meanness of what others say or do because they could be lost too and unsure who they are or what makes them tick.
On the journey, I was able to stop at the Hoover Dam and watched in awe at how vast the space was and how the people who built the dam suffered during the building of this beautiful place so we could enjoy. The Mike O’ Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial which linked Nevada and Arizona Bridge showed me how beautiful things could happen if we could come together as one and we stayed on the trail to reach the wonderful Grand Canyon. This breath-taking wander of the world arched 1,900 feet bridge was made of concrete and steel and spans over 1,500 feet downstream from the Hoover Dam. What a moment it was for me? I started thinking of the difference I was making in the lives of my students, and I needed to stay on the trail and continue to make a difference even when I feel like giving up or want to stop because of the meanness of others I might meet. My gift to help others should not stop and better yet, I won’t stop at mediocrity. What can you do to stay on the trail?
By Dr. Marci D
