Speak Positively to Others

“If you have nothing nice to say, say nothing at all”. If you were in any of my classes, you will have heard me say this over and over again. I really try to practice what I preach too and when I hear my students talk negatively, I interrupt them with this saying. I think this helps them learn social skills, as well as self control. As part of our class discussions, we talk how this concept differs from the concept of being honest. As a society, I feel that people get too much in the habit of being negative towards each other. This may start out as a joke or being cute and can end up being quite hurtful to the person on the receiving end. My husband and I have tried to never cut each other down in front of others, even in a joking manner which tends to shock other people. By doing this, I feel our marriage is much stronger and loving than it would have been if we acted otherwise. This same effect has happened in my classroom and by modeling and role playing, my students have learned that there are other ways to interact with each other in a positive way. I can tell that it has carried over into the homes when a parent told me my student said this at home. I was so proud of him which tells me that this can work for everyone.