Joan Moser
February 11, 2011
My husband is a business executive and our day-to-day professional lives couldn't be more different. This diverseness provides intriguing and amusing stories that punctuate our early morning walks and our "tell me about your day, dear" dinners.
He listens with amusement to my favorite "kids say the darndest things" stories, with compassion to my "I can't believe they cut our budget again" tirade, and with patience to my latest revision of the CAFE menu.
While I love these times of connecting with my husband, I don't typically find myself taking notes when he talks about business. Yet I found myself scrambling for a piece of paper when he shared the acronym that is the motto behind what he does every day; CARE.
Before he meets with a client or fellow employee, he keeps the following in mind:
C = Commitment
A = Attitude
R = Responsibility and Respect
E = Enthusiasm
While mentoring a younger employee he said, "Always remember that clients don't care what you know until they know that you care." Wow! Our work lives might be vastly different, but his statement has a validity that rings true in our classrooms and schools as well.
How beautiful would it be if every educator kept this acronym in mind as they headed into the classroom each day? How might my own spirit be buoyed if I went in every day reciting to myself "Commitment, Attitude, Responsibility and Respect, Enthusiasm".
If I care, I'll do it. How about you?