Are You Happy?
Are you happy? You may be thinking, what does that actually mean and why is it even important? Truthfully, it is hard to define happiness because it means different things to each person. Some definitions state that happiness is a feeling of pleasure and positivity. Another definition states that happiness is a feeling of contentment, that life is how it should be. I even read that "Happiness isn't something that can be obtained through how much money you have or how popular you are. Happiness comes from within. It's knowing who you are and letting that shine. It's being content with the people and the things you have around you. And most importantly, it's just enjoying each day as it comes and never taking a thing for granted." As you can see, happiness can only be defined by the individual!
You are also probably thinking....what kind of question is this and what does it have to do with being a teacher? However, it is an important question to reflect upon, because happy teachers make happy students! When teachers maintain a positive attitude, they are encouraging and uplifting to students. When teachers are happy, they create a classroom culture that is happy, which has a powerful, positive impact on student's brains, resulting in a positive impact on student behavior and motivation to learn, reducing discipline problems, and increasing success in the classroom!
Unfortunately, there is no magic potion or solution to being happy. I personally believe happiness is a journey and not a destination. But more importantly, happiness is a choice! No, things in school...or even in life, for that matter, will ever be perfect and we will certainly never be without problems or challenges. However, if we begin to focus on the positive, rather than the negative, we may begin to see how the state of happiness is actually a reflection of our own beliefs and expectations.
It is always easy to look and believe the grass is greener on the other side of the fence. It is also so tempting to focus on the "if onlys" ....if only I made more money, if only I had better students, if only I had more resources....you get the picture. We may spend a lifetime seeking things we believe will make us happy only to realize that they don't really make us happy at all.
I encourage all of you to focus on happiness this week. Bloom where you are planted and let the sunshine of your students feed your soul. Choose to smile frequently and be an encouragement to someone else. Refuse to give into the negative, but rather, focus on the positive and be a positive influence to others around you. Don't let things out of your control bring you down. Instead, improve the things that are in your control! Enjoy each day and find the good. Your stress level will decrease and you will be happier as a result!
Have a great week at Tharptown Elementary School!
