“The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate.” – Oprah Winfrey
One of the most powerful tools that we have at our disposal is praise. Many of us believe that praise should only be given when it is earned by some extraordinary accomplishment. We walk around being greedy with praise, as if there is only so much to go around. When we do, we miss out on the countless opportunities to brighten the world and experience greater joy throughout our day.
As teachers, it is somewhat counterintuitive to heap praise upon our students. We may believe that praising students regularly will lessen the impact or value of the positive words we share. In reality, the more we appreciate our students, the more we find to appreciate. By offering praise and respect, we are challenging our students to live up to those positive qualities which we highlight, even if they do not yet believe they are capable or worthy of them.
The most important aspect of praise is that it be sincere. In schools and at home, we must practice seeing the good in ourselves and others. So many of us have been trained to be so critical that it feels like we are being too soft when we focus our attention on the positives about ourselves and others. Nevertheless, if we want to get the most out of life, we must learn to recognize and highlight the best of what is present.
Recently, while working with a fourth grade student on using quotation marks in her writing, we were able to apply the power of praise. It was clear that her mind was eager to learn what was being taught, even though the execution was not quite there. Rather than harp on what she did not know, we turned our attention to her willingness to learn something new. We cheered on her early efforts and took time to appreciate each step in the right direction. By the end of our 40-minute lesson, this young person was putting all of the punctuation in the proper place and had a smile while doing it. Much to everyone’s delight, she was able to duplicate and then improve upon her success the next day. The whole experience was energizing and inspiring for student and teacher.
Perhaps you have been holding back on praising yourself and others. It might sound like a foreign concept to you. If so, you are not alone. We can all learn to be kinder and more adept at highlighting the best in everyone. By practicing giving praise we discover that the positive world we are choosing to focus on is more real than the world of criticism and judgment that we once believed was true.
Looking at life through a loving and appreciative lens is a choice. Once we get in the habit of choosing in favor of praise, it becomes an art. Start now by making a list of all that you accomplished and experienced today. Include positive adjectives that add zest to your words. If you made breakfast for yourself and your family, be sure to note that you “lovingly made a delicious breakfast.”
Have fun praising yourself and the people around you and you will be surprised by how much more you will have to praise.
Edward Biagiotti is the Inclusion Specialist for Culver City Unified School District. He is also co-host of the popular radio show, Funniest Thing! with Darrell and Ed, to find out more go to www.DarrellandEd.com or send an email to: EdwardBiagiotti@ccusd.org
