Psalm 19:14 - Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.
Our Sunday School class declares this scripture at the beginning of each class. This word is even more poignant to me now that I'm staying in a house with small children as part of the family. I spent nearly a decade teaching young children. They are like little magnets and mockingbirds. Not only do they repeat what you say, but how you speak it.
I wish I had more than five minutes so I could tell you a funny story about that. Oh heck, why not?
Along with numbers, letters, shapes, colors, and Biblical concepts, I had to remind the children of their manners. Please, thank you, and yes, ma'am/no, ma'am were an integral part of our class vocabulary. However, because we had so many silly boys in our class, there was a lot of belching going on. I never got onto them for belching, but I did stress that the polite thing to do was to say excuse me. This just wasn't happening, so I finally started saying to the culprit "say excuse me you big nasty." Now, understand, it wasn't said in derision to embarrass the child, but as a fun reminder--and the children took it that way (they thought the term "big nasty" was hilarious and laughed hysterically).
Well, later in the school year, a mom came to me and told me a little story about her daughter. The family had a visitor to their home from another country. The guest, apparently from a country where belching is a compliment to the chef, let one rip and says nothing. Without missing a beat, my student says, "say excuse me, you big nasty." Fortunately, the parent was laughing through the tale (she understands my sense of humor and teaching style), plus the man didn't understand what she said. I thought I was never going to stop laughing.
So what's my point? This situation was a positive one, but what if my words had been harsh and cutting? I've heard kids repeat some very inappropriate things said by their parents or teachers. It saddens me when an adult won't own up to it. So, please, watch what you speak, you big nasty!
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Prompts provided by Mrs. Kate over at Five Minute Friday.
I wish I had more than five minutes so I could tell you a funny story about that. Oh heck, why not?
Along with numbers, letters, shapes, colors, and Biblical concepts, I had to remind the children of their manners. Please, thank you, and yes, ma'am/no, ma'am were an integral part of our class vocabulary. However, because we had so many silly boys in our class, there was a lot of belching going on. I never got onto them for belching, but I did stress that the polite thing to do was to say excuse me. This just wasn't happening, so I finally started saying to the culprit "say excuse me you big nasty." Now, understand, it wasn't said in derision to embarrass the child, but as a fun reminder--and the children took it that way (they thought the term "big nasty" was hilarious and laughed hysterically).
Well, later in the school year, a mom came to me and told me a little story about her daughter. The family had a visitor to their home from another country. The guest, apparently from a country where belching is a compliment to the chef, let one rip and says nothing. Without missing a beat, my student says, "say excuse me, you big nasty." Fortunately, the parent was laughing through the tale (she understands my sense of humor and teaching style), plus the man didn't understand what she said. I thought I was never going to stop laughing.
So what's my point? This situation was a positive one, but what if my words had been harsh and cutting? I've heard kids repeat some very inappropriate things said by their parents or teachers. It saddens me when an adult won't own up to it. So, please, watch what you speak, you big nasty!
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It's so true, Shannon! Kids are little sponges and absorb (and repeat) everything they hear. Thanks for sharing this story.
ReplyDeleteYou're very welcome.
DeleteI can almost hear you say it with a big smile. Good story.
ReplyDeleteThanks.
DeleteI love your story! So glad I visited today! I work a lot with kids too and they do say the funniest things, and take in everything! Visiting from FMF #42.
ReplyDelete