Sunday’s Reflection: “Smile”
As I sit and reflect, I thought about how you must Smile.
Friday, I wanted to teach my kids about how perception can be reality, so I played a video from David Shands: “Who Do You Think You Are?”
In the video, Shands discusses perception and how you should be conscious of it. He stated that a lot of people in Atlanta go to the club, but he can’t go to the club…that’s not the brand.
He gave the kids he was speaking to an example. He said what if I was at the club and saw a principal and friends partying, too. Then, at the end of the night, he’d approach them and ask to speak at their school.
Although they were partying, too, they’d probably respond: Ehh(While shrugging their shoulders).
I related it to myself. I told the kids that most see me as serious and intense, but they don’t know that I give them Takis, have had the same two best friends since I was their age and will do anything for my students. (Remember that)
After sharing my example, I had the kids write down how they think others perceive them and how they want others to perceive them. Most of the kids had pretty good responses. A few wrote that they want others to think that they’re Phenomenal.
Later that day, I was walking out to recess and got reminded about the importance of perception.
A parent, who was a PTO volunteer, asked me what dessert I wanted. She said that she would have already asked me but was afraid to ask because I never smiled in the car-rider line. I laughed and told her that I just talked to the kids about perception.
I continued the conversation with her. She told me that she asked one of my students, who lives next door to her, if I was nice. The student said: “Yea, he jumps on tables and stuff.”
She added that the student “loves me.”(In my feels)
After agreeing to make me a chocolate cake, she told me to smile more. (Perception is reality.)
A few hours later(during car-rider duty), a parent of one of my students drove up. She didn’t speak when I saw her but she “Smiled.”
I leave you with two things.
1. How do people perceive you?
2. How do want people to perceive you?
Application: Write down how you think people perceive you and how you want them to perceive you.
Jeremiah Short, Influencer/Teacher
The Phenomenal Student 