Yes, I know, hard to believe that I'm about to write about how education fits into education but believe it or not, it totally does. We as educators are not only setting the example for our students but we are constantly interacting with other adults for many things. As a child I was always taught to treat others the way I wanted to be treated. Growing older I recognized just how important that was to life. Being nice is the best way to be remembered because it draws people back to you... It draws people in. Treating people unkindly or rudely causes you to be remembered in a negative way. Even on a day when you're tired or annoyed it is important to try to be nice.
In education we as teachers are put into grade teams, committees, and other groupings. We have to treat each other with respect and kindness not only for human decency but also because it makes us desirable. Others will want to work with us more, and therefore sing our praises. When you treat others in poor ways it makes them not want to work with you, and inevitably will isolate ourselves from them.
As a side note, this is not about Scott. These are just some thoughts I've had stemming from some all over my life interactions.
While not a surface value I have found more and more that respect has a place in education. Treating people with kindness will bring us more wonderful things and treating others with rudeness will bring negative things into our lives and our classrooms. I may be an intern but I am also a human being, a person and more importantly a person with feelings. I have spent my life trying to be nice and treat others with kindness.I know I'm not perfect at it, but I do try. Sure, I'm loud at times and crazy and have a vibrant personality but that does not give anyone the right to treat me as anything less than human. Intern does not mean slave, or bitch or workhorse. The workplace is somewhere everyone has the right to be an equal. The last year of my life I've spent a lot of the time learning how not to interact, or coach, or whatever with people. As hard as it is, I have to put those lessons in my basket so as to avoid them in the future. Just like my feelings with regret sometimes you have to learn from the hard life lessons so that you can grow and be better than it. But to be totally frank, I'm really sick of it. I'm sick of learning the hard lessons, I'm sick of feeling like I have to defend who I am. Does life ever get any easier?
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