Thought Life


Proverbs 12 verse 5 - "The thinking of principled people makes for justice; the plots of degenerates corrupt." (MSG)

Both theologians and psychologists agree that our thoughts influence our actions, as well as our feelings.  As a teacher, I have made good use of this knowledge in my personal life, the classroom and while homeschooling my children.  It has helped me to stay positive during challenging seasons, and it has reminded me of the creative power of our minds.  In the classroom, I have seen children with learning differences emerge from low self-esteem when they habitually speak out positive thoughts like, 'I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me.'  

Allowing children to take charge of their destinies by thinking and speaking positively is a game-changer.  I've always encouraged my children to speak back to negative thoughts.  So, if the media says, 'You need this product to make you beautiful,' we shout back, 'DEFINE BEAUTY!' If society says, 'Men don't cry in public,' we carefully explain the psychological, optical and relational benefits of public grief.  Our thoughts make us.  And the privilege of influencing our thought patterns, should be given only to those we trust.  Principled thoughts lead to principled actions.  Or as my late grandmother used to say, 'Wa deh inna darkness, will soon cum a light!'

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

P.E.T.E.R. Paragraphs

Unless you're a teacher, you've probably never heard of a P.E.T.E.R. paragraph.  It is a useful analytical framework that English teachers use to help their students to respond to texts.  There are a few variations like P.E.E. or P.E.E.D., but I have found P.E.T.E.R. to be the most useful one (as well as being the one least likely to cause disturbing giggles in the classroom).  P.E.T.E.R. stands for Point, Evidence, Technique, Explain, Reader's response. Point - this is where students are required to show that they understand the question and what is required of them.  They need to directly and succinctly state their intention for the question. Evidence - here, they will need to either directly quote from the text given or refer to it explicitly.  They'll get more marks if they choose a quote that is relevant to the question, and has got language techniques in it that they find interesting.  Technique - they will now need to correctly identify and describe ...
Read more

Building Blogs

Throughout my life and career, I have noticed three main parts of society that make the most impact on a person's life.  Namely, family, school and places of worship.  I call these places the building blocks of society because really, I can't imagine what society would be like without them.  Also the capacity for influence in these areas is huge.  One, because the influencers - family members, teaching staff and faith leaders - are quite autonomous.  Two, because the learning that goes on behind the closed doors of the home, the classroom and the place of worship is dynamic and constant.  And three, because all of the stated groups have the impressionable minds of children and young people as their responsibility.   My blogs therefore, are focused on tips, tools and techniques that have been designed to ensure that families, schools and places of worship are equipped to leave a legacy of agency and excellence in this world.  Legacy - because ...
Read more

The A.S.K. Principle

There is a well-known principle within church circles that's called the A.S.K. principle.  It is based on Jesus's Words in Matthew 7 verse 7, "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you."  One of the features that makes it so memorable is the acronym.  The first instruction to Ask is acronymized in Ask Seek Knock, and although we are going to look at each step individually, they actually represent a learning methodology that is on an upward spectrum. We've heard teachers say that there are no silly questions and that is true, because even questions that appear to be silly can lead to deep and enriching discussions.  Take the 'Would you rather...?' questions, for instance.  I have often wondered why I was defending my choice of Guinness Punch over Ginger Beer, as a drink that I would rather have if I had only one last chance to choose, however, the progress was not so much in my defensive argument, as it ...
Read more