I've come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element in the classroom. 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 humor, hurt 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 de-humanized.~Dr. Haim Ginott
I am a preschool teacher. And today, once again, the children taught me. While making fried rice, they each became involved in the full process...from cracking eggs to cutting vegetables to stir-frying to eating to cleaning up. And the intense curiousity about and joy in the process was refreshing. And so, I came home. And I made fried rice for my family. And I tried to infuse the same enthusiasm in our process. And it was contagious. And, oh yes, the rice was wonderful. Nothing fancy. I did add drops of soy sauce and sesame oil to the beaten eggs before I puffed them. And I did learn to use precooked cold rice. And I did then remember that even the clean-up can be fun. Well, not so much that part. But I'm getting there.
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