Teachers! I want you to write the word “Perception” on the white board. To teach resilience our students, they need to know what matters!
Does it really matter what others think? Write these three phrases on the board.
“I am who I think I am.” – when our students act, their actions have consequences that they see and hear themselves. If we share our lunch with a friend we see ourselves as kind, therefore we are kind.
“I am who you think I am.” – when our students act, their actions are seen by others and therefore assumptions are made about what kind of person we are. If we share our lunch with a friend they may think we are a generous person. Therefore we are generous.
“I am, who I think, you think I am.” When our students act we consider what others think of our actions and these considerations determine who we are. “If we share our lunch with a friend, I may feel that others think I am desperate for friends, therefore I am desperate.
The question is. Although perceptions are real, which is the only perception that really matters?
Correct – “I am who I think I am”
This is the true lesson of resilience. It matters not what others think of me, for I am who I think I am and I am the only one who actually knows me.
❤️
