Have you ever taken the time to think about who is watching you, who is learning from you. The staff members at Lester Prairie have thought about this situation, I have seen firsthand how the reflection of our actions impacts students and their learning. We are a PBIS and Olweus anti-bullying School, we have set standards for our students to follow and just has we have set these expectations, we need to make sure we too as the leaders of our children are prepared to make the right choices when it comes to character, self-discipline, and other pillars of successful people.
Just the other day, I bent over to pick up some garbage left in the hallway after the barrage of students had ventured into their classrooms for the beginning of the next class, as I bent over I looked over at the open door of students and noticed a few of them watching me. I continued to throw the garbage away and thought nothing of it. Later on that very same day, I witnessed one of those very same students picking up some trash in the hallway and throwing it away. I don't know if it was something they regularly would do, I would like to think it was, but part of me felt good inside that showed them learning from watching someone else doing the right thing.
This past week we also did our PBIS monthly Bulldog Bark drawing winners. The winners from this all did something to help their fellow students out. A couple of them were for holding the door open for another student or staff member, some were for carrying books or sharing notes with a student who was absent. It is these things that really provide a smile and a great feeling when I see the students doing little things to do what is right. I would guess that for every good deed in our school that is recognized there are probably 10x this actually taking place. What a wonderful thing to be a part of. I have seen other children in public who don't notice the person coming in the door behind them and not holding it open, and I hope that someday they are able to learn from someone who does hold the door for them and they are able to return the favor at some point.
I would like to share a video to conclude this post. The video is a part of the Child Friendly Australia Campaign and does an excellent job at showing just what children see and do, this is how they learn. Please take some time to think about this the next time you are in front of a child or adult and have the option to make a difference in someones life in a small or large way. Here is the link:
Children See Children Do
