If you had to write an advertisement... TODAY!

I have this elementary lesson that walks the students through writing their own advertisement for a good friend. They have to post an "ad" that clearly defines what a good friend is and what they would look for in such a person. Sometimes the kids do not really understand what I am asking for. Sometimes they use terms like "athletic" and "cool" as what they are looking for... and then we dig deeper. Loyalty. Honesty. Open-minded. Positive. Joyful. Hard-working. These are some of the words that surface through our discussion.

Today, I was asked to give some ideas on what I would include in an advertisement for my school. If I were attempting to show all that my school has to offer, in a nutshell, what would that include? Wow. Trying to capture the culture, the history, the energy and the feel of this environment is certainly a task! It made me step back and focus only on the positives. As school counselors, we often work in the trenches trying to improve upon some of the negatives, which drives some of our focus inevitably onto the negative. I loved this inadvertent shift in attention. I consider myself a positive person, but I definitely needed this!

Today, a group of teachers got together to provide lunch for us! Today, we had a positive meeting all about how to make the culture more positive! Today, I made time for lunch with colleagues! Today, my Kindergartners were attentive and engaged! Today, my therapy dog was extra cuddly with a sad student! Today, my coffee tastes extra good! Today, today is a good day!

Wheew. All in just today! Now, let's get to writing that advertisement...

Misunderstanding, with a twist...

Instead of explaining anything, sometimes it is just better to listen. Maybe, most of the time. I am afraid that, all too often, we do not actually listen to others. Most of us listen by thinking about what to say next... but when it comes down to it, we need to retreat to the basics. Listening deeply, intently and with the open-mindedness to hear all things, even those we do not want to hear.

Miscommunication is common. So common, in fact, that we are willing to settle for it on a daily basis. Why do we do this to ourselves? Often, I find myself asking why a student or colleague hasn't talked about their issue with those involved. Often, the answer has to do with fear. We have become humans who don't communicate effectively because we fear confrontations. Hmm... 

I guess I need to go back and re-read the book, Courageous Conversations. Or look back at this website: https://courageousconversation.com/ 

Time to do some learning. Cheers to Friday!