A Teacher's Reflections

The Healing Power of Optimism

Well, that caught my attention.  I know those words to be true.  I’m a preschool teacher; optimism and healing are in my pockets, and in my heart.  It’s what I do with children.

That was the title of the Massachusetts annual conference for preschool teachers whose schools are nationally accredited.  This was their first ‘live’ conference since COVID.  As soon as I read those words, I signed up.

The featured presenters were the guys from ‘Life is Good’.  Think T-shirts?  Think again.

These were the words that hooked me:

Optimism matters.  An optimistic disposition enables us – through everyday and extraordinary struggles – to look for the goodness in ourselves, in others, and in the world around us.  For professionals working with young survivors of trauma, optimism isn’t just a critical tool; it’s the pathway to healing for kids in need. 

Are kids in need today?  You bet they are.  Teachers (that’s me) have to carry optimism, because children learn from us.

Steve Gross is the Chief Playmaker of the Life is Good Playmaker Project.  Yes, they reach out to children with a recipe of play and optimism.  I saw what he does with children in communities that have next to nothing.  It’s simple, inspiring, and the grass roots are optimism.

Here are his words that fueled me:

We’re the gatekeepers of emotional and social wellness.

In the midst of obstacles are opportunities.

Play is about the way you do what you do.  Any activity can bring love and a playful approach.

Then, he talked about Freud.  Yes, Freud.

“Nothing gives a child more pleasure than when an adult gives up their oppressive control and plays with them as equals.”

I often write about making connections.  Here is what Steve said:

It’s all about connection.  Smile with your eyes.

Connection is a primal drive.  Children will not grow if they don’t feel connected.

Find those micro moments and celebrate.

Anthony (Ant) Toombs is the Senior Guide & Outreach Specialist of the Life is Good Playmaker Project.  He says the Life is Good slogan is “Do what you love, love what you do.”  For children, play is their work.  For teachers, you cannot spread what you do not have.  He reminds us:

No one cares how much you know until they know how much you care.

There are four core ingredients for optimism (the roots):

• Joy
• Internal Control
• Active Engagement
• Social Connection

With those four, a child can find optimism, regardless of where and how they live.  I keep reading these ingredients, and I know – intuitively – it’s right on.

Here is a letter I wrote to teachers on my blog about finding joy:

Dear Teachers,

As you start your new school year there is one word that will get you through the uncertainty and the worry.  It’s the same word that is the heart of educating.  That word is ‘joy’.  No, it’s not the happiness that children bring. It’s the happiness that you bring because it inspires and ignites the mind and the heart of children.  Yes, that’s how it works.

Children come to you with big eyes, looking at you to teach them.  They don’t know what to think.  They want to learn, yet what they really want is to be inspired to learn.  That is where you can make a difference.

What do you like?  Because whatever it is, from math to music, that ‘like’ will become your best buddy, your guiding star, and the foundation to teach all the things that you like.  It will also become a portal to help you teach the things you may not enjoy.  If you know that every day you have some window of time to teach what you love, then you become an educator.  You go beyond teaching curriculum; you teach the child.

Do you like reading?  Does Because of Winn-Dixie or Charlotte’s Web make your heart jump?  Well, carry that book around and read it aloud on the playground, in the lunchroom, or at the bus stop.  If this is your passion, children will know, and they will listen.  They will learn.

Do you like science?  Carry a tuning fork, magnet, magnifying glass or flashlight in your pocket.  Pick up interesting pieces of nature and explore them with children.  This is one of the fundamental constants for learning.  If you are grounded in nature and science, bring your curiosity and discovery to the classroom and the playground; then the world will open up for children.

Do you love music?  Sing your favorite songs, sing the words to a book, sing poetry, or just sing the words that you say.  If this is your passion children will know.  They’ll listen and learn.  Introduce children to the music you love.  I bring my record player and old albums into the classroom.  Some years they love Beethoven, other years the Beatles.  The point is, they will love the music because you do.

Do you love art?  Don’t be afraid to use real artist’s watercolors when introducing art.  Children enjoy learning about famous pieces of art, too.  If you treat a child like an artist and treat the work s/he creates like a masterpiece, the results are remarkable.  When a child has created something and is incredibly proud, ask the child to give the art a title and record that to the work of art.  This simple affirmation has done more for the confidence and character of children than most anything I have done.

You may only like one thing, but that alone will open the door to help you teach the rest.

We all know that the emotional and social pieces for children need to be ‘there’ before effective learning takes place.  Well, flip-flop that fact from the child to the teacher.  If you the teacher are not grounded in an emotional and social component of educating, then how in the world can you get your message across to children?  You have to share your love and passions.  That’s your joy.  In that way, you are sharing you.  And, all that children want to know is that you love them and love what you are teaching.  If they know that, the floodgates will open to learning.

Maya Angelou was right when she said, “…people will never forget how you made them feel”.  The children I have taught for decades often return to school to visit.  They can’t put a finger on what it was in my classroom, but they come back.  Joy is the magic word.

Jennie

Optimism is the ability to see the good.  Choose to focus on the good.  This is what I do.  Every teacher needs to follow this path.

Thank you, Steve and Anthony.  Thank you, Life is Good.

Jennie