Our Words

Dear Parents of Little Elk,

On Wednesday morning I held a collective to talk about the language we use, about the words we give each other. Words are powerful. They carry meaning. That's why something that someone says to you can hurt your feelings. That's why something that someone says to you can make you feel really good. Words have power.

Because we have the freedom to move about the classroom during work times, we also have many opportunities to talk to each other. When we do decide to talk to each other, let's remember to use our words wisely, mindfully. If we use them, we own them. Let's only say what we mean.  

One of the words that I am speaking about is "sucks." This is a word that floats around freely when people feel down or dejected. They use it to describe something that they do not like. They use it to blame their feelings on something else. The reason I feel this way is because that "sucks." We need to hold the line and keep that language out of the classroom. That language leads to a kind of thinking which short circuits the process of wondering, "How can I make this better?" 

The other words I discussed at the meeting are death/dying/dead. In the last month, these words have been used in negative ways in Little Elk. I explained that death is a serious topic, and that if anyone feels like dying, they need to tell that to an adult. There are people around them who care about them, love them and can help support them. I also told them that death is something that we can talk about. It's real, and it's devastation is closer to some in our community than to others. It's not a word to play with, joke with, and certainly not okay to use against someone. But there are times in class when we will talk about death as something that happens to human beings. We will not, however, direct that talk at our peers.  When we talk to our peers, we need to use words that build each other up, not tear each other down. It's one of our responsibilities.

I hope you are able to ask your child what they got out of this discussion. Please keep the conversation going. And, as always, let me know if you have any questions or concerns.

Thank you, and Happy Spring.