Wisdom for Wednesday - Response

Happy Wednesday!

How are you holding up? I'll admit I'm having a rough week! 

It makes me so sad because last week we really focused on behavior and expectations. I thought we had made a lot of progress, but…well…now, I'm not so sure. This right here could lead me on a tangent, so maybe I should just save that for Friday's random post about my week! Ha!

Moving on to our wisdom for today…

Response vs. Reaction

I don't know about you, but there are a lot of things "flying at me" this time of year. From my students. My administrators. My coworkers. It's just a busy time of year, and that causes an elevated level of stress in the workplace.

I've also noticed this with my students lately. I don't know if it is because we are such a small school or if this happens everywhere at the end of the year, but the kids have less patience for their classmates. Lose their tempers more easily. Or just say or do mean things.

It got me to thinking about this quote from my study, There's a Fly in my Tea! I actually even tried to "teach" this today in an effort to get my kiddos back on track.

To briefly summarize what I discuss in the study (and what I attempted to teach my kids):

When we react to something, we do or say the first thing that comes to mind…like an impulse, something that has not been thought through. 

A response is different from a reaction in that we take time to think and consider the results of our actions or words.

I know that I needed the reminder as I respond to the demands the end of the year can bring for a teacher. I'm hoping my students can grasp the concept as well to help us finish strong.

Finish this week strong! You can do it!

P.S. When is your last day? I go until May 24th…seems like FOREVER since we got out so early last year (13th).