Selfish Acts Bug Me

Definition of Selfish: according to Merriam-Webster -  “: concerned excessively or exclusively with oneself : seeking or concentrating on one's own advantage, pleasure, or well-being without regard for others”

I’m surprised how many people I come across every day that seems to be so selfish and self-centered! This makes me tend to work hard at trying hard to be the opposite. I think by being aware of actions that bug me, I can try not to do the same things. Here are some examples that really bug me.

1.     People who walk in the middle of an aisle in a parking lot and block the car trying to drive through.

2.     People who walk through a door and don’t hold it for the person behind them. 

3.     People who start entering an elevator before letting people get out.

4.     Groups that will block an entire sidewalk and walk slowly so no one else can pass.

5.     People that purposely take up 2 parking places with their car.

6.     People who use their phones for long conversations in restaurants.

7.     These same people who speak very loudly during these long conversations.

8.     People who block traffic waiting for that “perfect” parking place up close to the store’s door when there is an empty space just 2 cars past it.

9.     People at a buffet who block the food while they stand there and try to make a decision what to eat.

10.  People at a buffet who can’t seem to put enough on their plate and stack it a mile high! (Do they not realize that they can always come back for more?)

11.  People who don’t want to stand in line and cut in front of other people. (I’m always amazed at how many people do this!)

12.  People who see a sign that a lane is closed but insist on driving in that lane until the last minute. Then they cut in the line of traffic because they didn’t want to get in the back of the line.

13.  People who cut you off on the interstate because they are in a hurry and want to get in the fastest lane. They risk everyone’s lives just to get a couple of cars ahead of where they were.

14.  People who text and drive. (This is just stupid as well as selfish!)

I think this would be a great discussion with my students. Maybe no one is making them aware that these actions are selfish or bad manners. The more people are made aware of how people perceive their actions, they might change.

What selfish actions bug you? Please share.

Useful Information In and Out of the Classroom 4/27/18

Here are some interesting sites that I’ve found this week, thanks to my PLN. As a teacher, I feel we have to keep up to date concerning research in our field and current issues in the education system. I hope some of these inspire you, inform you, and even have you asking questions. Thank you for coming by and visiting!

Note: Each resource is labeled with a level and subject area to make it easier to use.

Levels:  E: Elementary; M: Middle; H: High; G: General, all levels; SN: Special Needs; T: Teachers

Subject Areas: LA: Language Arts, English, Reading, Writing; M: Math; S: Science; Health; SS: Social Studies, Current Events; FA: Fine Arts; Music, Art, Drama; FL: Foreign Language; PE: Physical Ed; C: Career; A: All

Todost – Helps you keep track of your to-do list. Only kept in your browser using cookies. (L:G;SA:A)

Dimensions – “the free new research insights platform” (L:T;SA:A)

Realtimeboard – “Simple whiteboarding platform for cross-functional teams collaboration” (L:T;SA:A)

My Garbology – learn to sort garbage into reuse, recycle, compost, and landfill (L:G;SA:S)

Viintage – free public domain vintage images (L:G;SA:A)

Original photo by Pat Hensley

Take Action

In Just Talk or Tackling Tasks that Make Real Progress? Stop the Broken Record! From  Cool Cat Teacher Blog by coolcatteacher@gmail.com , Victoria A Davis, Cool Cat Teacher, asks,

“What do you talk about all the time? What are you doing about it?”

When I watch the news, I hear so many people complaining about the problems in the world: nationally, statewide, and locally. Yet, I don’t see many people taking action to solve the problems. Everyone seems to be standing around waiting for someone else to take action.

I used to work for a principal who invited people to come to him when there was a problem. The one thing he asked was that when we came with a problem, we needed to offer a solution. He might not use that solution, but it helped him look for one.  This made some of us do some research and talk to others. Sometimes we would arrive at a solution that didn’t actually need his approval. This saved all of valuable time and he was able to focus on the problems that needed his intervention. I remember how smoothly the operation of the school went because all the staff worked closely together and helped each other solve problems.

Years ago I was explaining our election system and how important it was to vote in elections. Not only was it important to vote but also to consider taking a leadership position. If people complain, they need to be willing to be part of the solution and not just the problem. In order to be a good role model, I ran for public office and actually won! I served one term as a County Soil and Water Conservation Commissioner. While in that position, I learned how hard it is to solve many problems due to legal red tape. It is easy to do the backseat driving and wish that others would do certain things, but it is another to be in the driver’s seat and actually do the work.

I remember how easy it was to whine about how hard teaching was when I was a new teacher. I learned quickly that I needed to quit complaining and work on solving my problems. Most of the time, others were too busy solving their own problems to deal with mine. This only made me look like a whiny baby.

Learning to solve problems is such a self-confidence booster. I like to make sure my students know that solving your own problems does not mean you have to do it alone. Knowing when and how to ask for help is part of the solution. Too many times we all get frustrated because we are trying to do it all by ourselves. Sometimes by working together, solving problems can be easier.

Do you work to solve problems, or do you just complain about them? What do you do? Please share.