The Power of Our Words

February 20, 2015
Issue #344

Words are singularly the most powerful force available to humanity. We can choose to use this force constructively with words of encouragement, or destructively using words of despair. Words have energy and power with the ability to help, to heal, to hinder, to hurt, to harm, to humiliate and to humble.
—Yehuda Berg

We can make them or we can break them. I learned this firsthand with Ale, a seventh-grade student I taught in my first year of teaching. During our unit on poetry, each student kept a poetry journal. Throughout the unit, I read through each journal and provided thoughts and comments as I graded them. As a first-year teacher, I knew the importance of feedback, but I wasn't as aware of the power of my words and the effect they would have on one student in particular. 

Fast-forward two years when Ale (now a high school freshman) came back to my classroom with her poetry journal. She was smiling ear to ear and asked me if I remembered her poem "The Oath of a True Friend." She went on to show me the page in her notebook where I had commented, “You should have this poem published.” Then, Ale showed me a letter she had received from a publisher. She explained that she had taken my advice and that her poem had been accepted for publication in the 2000 edition of Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul. She was elated, and I was speechless. Little did I know when I commented on her poetry journal that she would take each word to heart. In this instance, my words may have inspired her to have her piece published, but in sharing her news and excitement with me, Ale’s words were used to encourage me. 

We have all heard the saying, “Sticks and stones may break my bones but words can never hurt me.”  And many of us know that that saying is far from true. Words, whether spoken or written, have immense power. This is true for anyone, but especially educators. When our words communicate respect, kindness, and encouragement, we impart confidence and love. Although the effect of our words, whether written or spoken, may not be readily seen, it is there, and that puts a tremendous responsibility on our shoulders.  

When grading papers, commenting on journal entries, conferring with students, or talking with them about their lives, we must choose our words carefully. We may never know the influence they'll have.

 

News from The Daily CAFE

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Live Chat Recap

We recently launched online chats, and boy, were they fun! Here is what you missed!

 

Small-Group Word Work–Short e

This Word Work small group in Natalie Salstrom's class uses a word list to discover spelling patterns and words that don't seem to follow all the rules.

 

“I Can” Bookmarks

Here are the "I Can" bookmarks for Recognize Literary Elements, and Infer and Support with Evidence.

1  Recognize Literary Elements*
2  Infer and Support with Evidence*

  

Chunking Letters and Sounds: A Foundational Accuracy Skill*

This foundational skill will help students read accurately.

 

                                                                                                                          *Available to members
 

b-Resilient I Need a Moment These two techniques will help you stay calm, cool, and collected.

Conferring with CCPensieve Unshare a Student After sharing a student with another teacher, you can easily unshare them when the teacher no longer needs access.

 

Professional Development Opportunities

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2015 Live Workshops We are excited about our 2015 workshops. At each location, the first day will focus on Daily 5 and Math Daily 3. Day two is a new CAFE Intensive.  Location Dates Chicago, IL Westin North Shore April 18, 19 (Full both days) Charlotte, NC Westin Charlotte June 6, 7 Tacoma, WA Hotel Murano June 25, 26 Orange County, CA Hyatt Regency Orange County August 3, 4 Minneapolis, MN Radisson Blu Mall of America August 29, 30 Fort Worth, TX Hilton Fort Worth September 19, 20 Las Vegas, NV Tropicana Las Vegas November 14, 15

2015 Online Seminars Prefer short bursts of information combined with independent learning? Each session offers separate seminars on Daily 5, CAFE and Math Daily 3. March 1–March 28 (Full) April 5–May 2 May 3–May 30   Learn more about Daily 5 and CAFE workshops, online seminars, and online graduate courses.   Up & Running with the Daily 5 Our new how-to video, shot in third-grade and fifth-grade classrooms, is available through subscription for online streaming or as a DVD.  Go to Stenhouse Publishers to learn about a limited-time offer that could benefit your school.