"Thank you, Teacher Erin. I like the game." Imagine this in a four-year-old's voice, and you have what made my morning. We all like positive instant feedback and it makes it even better when it's not coerced or asked for. This wasn't a big deal for my K4 class; they were just telling me what they thought of the class and the game. There weren't (and rarely are!) any filters for my little ones as they try to communicate in their second language. I love them to bits.
Their praise made me think though. How often do we praise each other as adults? How often do we just take a moment and say, "I like the way you did that. Thanks." Unfortunately, we're more likely to remain silent. We don't want to come across insincere, or as if we're sucking up to the person in question. Our motivations seem to always be suspect. We all want the positive reinforcement, but we're more likely to give the negative. Complaining could be an international sport.
Here's the challenge for the week. When I see something pleasant, good, pleasing, I'm going to comment. If it's someone I don't normally compliment, all the better. I'm also going to hold my tongue a lot more often. I won't even comment on it being Monday.
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