What a Child Believes

I’m sitting outside, watching my child play, and reveling in the simple joy a water table can bring in 90+ degree heat. As I have been watching and interacting with him, something has been reverberating within my spirit and I decided to share.

Children believe what they are told. My son is three and believes what I tell him, and although I know that this belief can dissipate as children age, for the most part it’s true.

Children who are told that they will succeed, or that they are important, will believe it. And the same is, unfortunately, true for the opposite approach: children who are told that they will not amount to anything will believe it.

What kind of voice are you giving to the children in your life? If you speak negatively of a child in front of him, he will internalize what you say. When you think they can’t hear, or don’t understand, they can at least recognize the tone.

I’ve heard teachers gossip about students–about children–as they stand in the hallway or as they eat lunch. What are they teaching the children who overhear? What are the children believing because of those words?

There is life and death in the tongue.  I’ve seen the power of words. Think about how often the mere 140 characters on Twitter has encouraged you, inspired you, or incensed you. How can we, as teachers, underestimate words, having experienced their power? How can we deny that we have the power to speak life and death to a child, to make a difference, whether positive or negative?

We shouldn’t deny it. We should reflect upon this power. Take it seriously and use it in a positive way. Whether we realize it or not, we are influencing children with our words.

We say a lot of words in the course of a school day and school year. What words do we want them to remember?