I thought of this word with two sets of people in mind: my students and my colleagues. I think of my students in the context of APPRECIATE because far too often I am concentrating on the "next thing" and not living in the moment. What is their potential? At what can they become better? How can I help them improve? And while all of those are great questions, I think we are always on to the next thing and do not take time to APPRECIATE the moments we have in front of us at that specific moment in time. There is always room for improvement. However, there is also room to APPRECIATE and celebrate where we are right now. I also want to APPRECIATE the WHOLE student. They come to us with hidden talents, worries, victories, problems at home, and hobbies they love. This makes them who they are and if I am going to build a relationship with them I want to APPRECIATE everything they bring to the table.
My colleagues are not much different than my students. I want to APPRECIATE everything about them! They too have hidden talents, worries, victories, problems at home, and hobbies they love. I want to APPRECIATE them as people and celebrate what each of them contributes to their students, the team, and our school.
With all of this APPRECIATION going on, I cannot help but think that this would make people feel all warm and fuzzy inside and I like that! Adults and kids alike can sense when you are taking a genuine interest in them and not just a fly by of "How are you?" when you do not even stick around for their answer. Showing people they are loved, validated, and APPRECIATED is like spreading sunshine around the world! So when my students and my colleagues show up on January 5th , I am going to look at them with a new sense of APPRECIATION and reverence.
