“I’ve come to a frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element in the classroom. It’s my personal approach that creates the climate. It’s my daily mood that makes the weather. As a teacher, I possess a tremendous power to make a child’s life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration. I can humiliate or heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or de-escalated and a child humanized or dehumanized.” - Haim G. Ginott
And we thought teachers do not have power. Haim Ginott is so right in his assessment of a teacher. Every day, we have a decision to make. Regardless of our mood when we get to school, we are the "decisive element in the classroom." We have to find ways to reach out to our students and provide an atmosphere that is conducive to learning. We must find ways to inspire our students to reach their full potential. I had an opportunity to visit several campuses in the past several months and one thing that I have found is kids are kids. The determining factor is what they teacher is willing or not willing to do.
