I love family game nights. Family and friends gathered around, usually after a great meal, all coming together to play a game with fun, spirit, humor, and more.
They seem to happen less and less these days with people’s busy schedules and such, but we try to make them happen when we can.
Recently, we played Family Feud. A question popped on the board, “something about your teacher that you remember from grade school.”
My daughter Claire won the buzzer, and her first answer to win the challenge was “what they taught”. She got a big red X with the horn sound that followed.
That wasn’t even on the board. My mouth dropped open with a stunned look, and there was a surprise around the room as well. If you’re not familiar with Family Feud, they survey 100 people to gather the top answers. “What they taught” was not even on the board as one of the answers. So what is it that people remember about their teachers?
The top answer was “if the teacher nice/kind.” The second answer was “were they mean or did they yell a lot.”
These two answers combined bring me to the point of today’s blog: it all goes back to relationships and how we make people feel. Teachers are wonderful people who have an incredible job. I am blessed to watch them teach grades K through 12 in my amazing school district of Port Jervis, New York. We’ve come a long way in our school community and are bringing so many parts of our culture together in a positive way. It’s all about the experiences we can create for the kids and the opportunities that go along with those experiences. It’s how we can make them feel. We can bring confidence, curiosity, inclusivity, spirit, pride, and more. There are so many emotions and feelings that kids go through these days, and we’re such a big part of it.
The other answers included “what they looked like, “how they dressed”, and other inconsequential points. The main point was how the teacher made the student feel. Think about your interactions as you go about your day-to-day. How can you uplift others? How can you raise their spirits and make them feel special? It’s all about others, and it’s all about the relationships.
Keep surviving and thriving, friends!
If I can help you in this area, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Thank you to all the teachers out there doing amazing work daily for their schools and communities. We thank you, we support you!
