Chapter 7 - Wear your good clothes
As Mr. Clark states in his book "I don't think people realize that everything you say or do is always better when you have on sharp attire." This is very true, it is shared from college classrooms to informative blog posts. When you dress in a professional manner, people take you more seriously. This is also true with students in our classroom, when we as teachers dress in a professional manner our students will take us seriously. Not only will other people take us seriously, but we will feel more enabled to do great work. I don't know about you, but when I am wearing a really great outfit, I feel great.
Something I felt was convicting in this chapter was about keeping a clean area. I am not a messy slob, but throughout the day, my desk can get quite messy from teaching manuals to printouts and other randomness that happens to make it to my desk. I am mostly pretty good at making sure I organize at the end of the day, but that always is not true. My messy desk can lead to students leaving their workplace messy as well. There should be a pride that comes with our school, and that means our workplaces too.
Quotes I loved from Chapter 7:
- "If you shake hand with people throughout the day, consider getting a manicure every two weeks"
- "Just because others dress down doesn't mean you should, too. In other words, take pride in your appearance"
- "You want your attire to improve the look and feel of the space."
- "You and your attire should both run, because, if you want to run, you need to look the part. If you want to earn respect, know that i comes from not only how you perform but also how you look while doing it."
- "No one wants to ride on a messy bus!"
Chapter 8 - Say hello
I am a big believer in positivity and its affect on other people. If you are a generally positive person, you will not only enjoy your live more, but the people around you will absorb your positive energy and will feel more positive just by being in your presence. It can be hard as a teacher to continuously stay positive, with all the legislation and politics that come with the job, the co-workers, parents, administrators, students, not everything is wonderful all the time. It is so important, for your health and sanity, to be a positive beacon.
Saying hello, greeting people, being kind are all wonderful ways to help create a positive work environment. People flock to the positive person, no one wants to talk to a negative Nancy all day long. Being that beacon of positivity can help to get your name out there, administrators will notice as well as your coworkers. This can help open doors of possibility for your teaching career.
Quotes I loved from Chapter 8:
- "I explain that if we stand strong as a unit, then everything else will fall into place. And that can start simply with a kind greeting."
- "Whether it's in the hall, on the elevator, or at the start of a meeting, look people straight in the eyes, smile, and say, "Good morning."
- "And if you spread good energy, good energy will come back to you!"
- "You could not only say hello, but also introduce yourself and find out a little bit about the other person."
- "One you start meeting people, always follow up with them, whether it's by asking them out for coffee or connecting with them on LinkedIn."
Chapter 9 - Sit with the Runners
I volunteer a lot with our youth group at church, and something we share with them is "whoever you hang out with will be a good indicator about who you are." Many of you have heard something similar I am sure. We also have an activity where two youths who are of the same size stand up in the front of the class. One student stands on the floor, the other stands on a chair, and both students face each other. We give the student on the chair the instructions to pull the student standing on the floor up, then we give the student on the floor the instructions to pull the student on the chair down. The students realize through this visualization, that it is easier for someone to pull you down than it is for someone to pull you up.
Who we hang out with is very important, like I said earlier, no one likes to talk to the negative Nancys. When you spend time with bad or negative people, you are likely to pick up on their character traits. Surround yourself with positive people. I have a membership to Sheila Jane's teaching website at http://sheilajaneteaching.com. I love this community of positive teachers, I am able to fill my positivity cup through my connection with positive people.
Quotes I loved from Chapter 9:
- "...you're inclined to acquire the characteristics of the people you choose to sit with, eat lunch with, and hang around with..."
- "This is a universal truth in live and in business as well - so you should give careful consideration to who you sit with."
- "Say hello, be engaging, and let people know you are there."
Move your Bus Challenge!
I challenge you to live out what we learned from these chapters this week, so here are your challenges!
- Wear professional clothing, and present yourself in a professional manner this week. See how it affects how you feel about yourself, and how people react to how great and professional you look.
- Spread joy! Say hello to the people you meet in the morning. Spend some time this week to get to know someone from work.
- Surround yourself with positive people. Make friends with some of the positive people in your work place, steer clear of the negative Nancys.
Thank you for stopping by! I hope you enjoyed this weeks post!
