Thursday, April 22, 2010

Lifting Others

lift In Lift Me Up... from TJ on a Journey by TJ Shay, he says

“Today it struck me completely differently. As a person who is the beneficiary of being lifted up a LOT recently, I started to think of ways to lift others up.....and I don't mean in a 'right a check' sort of way, which I have also done. But really, shouldn't that be my mission now, my life's work?”

This had me thinking about how I can lift others up.

Students:

I can help them believe in themselves by helping them be successful. I can plan lessons that build on their prior knowledge and help them grow. I can help them see the importance of learning and how relevant it is to their future. I can help them up when they struggle and fall down. I can help them find alternatives and options when they hit roadblocks. I can encourage them to follow their dreams.

Colleagues:

I can show support and be there for them. When times get tough for them, I can encourage them to hang in there. When things are going great, I can celebrate in their success. When problems arise, I can be there to help try to find a solution and when no solution can be found, I can be there to listen to their grief. I can stop during my busy day and really take time to listen rather than brushing them off.

Parents:

I can help them not get discouraged when their children are frustrated and having problems. I can show them that I value their children and really care about them. I can show parents that I will not give up on their children. When times are tough, I can let parents know how important their support means to me. I can tell parents that we are part of the same team trying to reach the same goal of having their child succeed.

Friends:

I can be there for them when times are tough as well as during the good times. I will nurture my friendships and not use a busy life as an excuse not to spend time with them. I will be loyal to my friends and not talk behind their backs. I will lean on them when I need to because sometimes leaning can make friends feel trusted. Leaning on others is really hard for me, and not because I don’t trust others, but because my independence is important to me. Others may see this as aloofness which I don’t mean to portray.

Family:

I can be there during good and bad times. I can show unconditional love and loyalty. I need to put my family first above all things and let them know how important they are to me. I not only need to tell them but I need to show them.

Lifting others is as important as lifting ourselves up. Sometimes by lifting others up, I find myself lifting myself up too. How do you lift up others?

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original image: 'Lift Us Up Where We Belong'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/97328945@N00/365877219by: Jeremy Richardson

4 comments:

TJ Shay said...

Pat,

Thanks for referring to my blog post. Since I wrote it, I have really been trying to do more lifting....It's amazing how infectious it is!

YOU are definitely the embodiment of the sentiment! You are always lifting up others!

Thanks!

Terry

Lakisha Tramill said...

I can appreciate your post because I understand how important it is to be a "light" for someone else. Right now I am a college student seeking a degree in teaching. Helping others is why I want to become a teacher. Helping students, parents, colleagues, friends, and family is extremely time consuming. What advice would you have for maintaining some sort of balance?

Char Paul said...

Perfect timing~ I've been wanting some links about the value of mentoring as a tutor.

Anonymous said...

This is really great stuff...honestly. I too have drawn encouragement from this article and will endeavor to do more "lifting up"!