Power of the Positive

May I tell you about two signs I saw when I was running errands?

The first said “Private Property,” and I went by without giving it a second thought. But if I had stopped to think about it, I would have thought, Yes, those people have a right to their space.

The second screamed “No Trespassing” in red, and I, a typical firstborn, type-A, rule-loving, very-strong-sense-of-right-and-wrong girl, thought, I kind of want to go in there now.

It made me giggle. But it also poignantly points to the power of the words we use. Both homeowners want to keep unwanted visitors off their property, but the language they use produced different responses within me.

Framing things positively is incredibly important in our classrooms, as well.

Instead of “Stop running.” ➡️  Say “Walk in the hall.”

Instead of “Don’t turn and talk to your neighbor right now.” ➡️ Say “Face forward and give me your attention.”

Instead of “Don’t cut in line.” ➡️ Say “Go to the next available spot.”

Instead of “Stop yelling.” ➡️ Say “Bring your voice down to a private level.”

We focus a lot on behaviors of independence here, and you’ll notice these expectations are also framed in a positive way to encourage success.

Choose a successful spot.

Get started right away.

Read the whole time.

Ignore distractions.

It is a little amazing that such a small shift can make such a big difference. And it has served as a good reminder to me to examine how I am communicating even the smallest of expectations and pivot to the positive.