A Day in the Life of a Teacher

My first class today was rather somber.....for the first time in almost nine years, I had a discipline issue in yesterday's class.  Those guys knew they messed up, and they walked in today full of apologies.
I took it as an opportunity to talk about how we see ourselves, our thoughts and how our thoughts become our actions.  I encouraged them to see them selves worthy of a good life, worthy of success.

I asked each of them to stop the chatter in their heads, to no longer see themselves as others saw them.
I told them we all have those "voices" that tell us we are dumb, worthless, stupid, etc.  That each time that voice spoke to ignore it, to replace whatever it was saying with something positive.  I laughed and told them that I wanted a tattoo that said "what do they know" and " who the hell were they" .

Spending time at an addiction center can strip you to the core, guilt is a big commodity there, so is anger.......but guilt and self-doubt and anger cannot help you recover......you do have to take responsibility for your choices, your actions.....but to wallow in guilt, is really quite self-centered, and anger a crutch.  Once you understand the choices you made placed you on your path, that's when it clicks that you can make other choices, better ones....you can choose a better path.

I never know when I teach what falls on deaf ears or what seeds are planted that will grow and blossom.......I teach and speak from my heart, I trust my instincts and I never pass judgement on my students.....they and the rest of the world do that enough.  For me, all I can do is love, and be as honest and as truthful as I know how.......the rest is up to the student.