Do you like a good quote? I love them, and think we can learn a ton from them. Quotes made by the people around us, quotes made by our family and friends, quotes made in history, quotes that helped to shape the world, etc. A few years ago, I had a friend that had books and books of quotes that she had collected throughout her life. I thought that was the neatest book and it had wisdom and humor that could go for almost any situation. It was a great way to remember those amazing people that she had known and learned from and to remember times in her life.
We have talked on the podcast about habits. I have tried to make new habits as we have started this podcast. Some of those I have managed to cling to and continue, and others have fallen by the wayside. One of the newer ones that I have started is a quote of the day, hence the story about the quote book. It has been pretty interesting as students come into my office and ask about the quote. There are a few that now stop by specifically to see what it is for that day. The one for today is a pretty good one.
While this quote has some obvious ties to baseball, it seemed appropriate for today for more reasons than just the beginnings of baseball season. It seems like some days the hits just keep coming. Oftentimes it seems that they are coming faster than we feel we even get to see them, much less swing at them. While I am certain that there are things that Babe Ruth did that were less than wonderful (I truly and honestly haven’t done much research on Babe Ruth, that isn’t me being flippant), I think this particular quote is something that he has given us that is wonderful. This concept of not giving up and giving in to the pressures that mount around you.
All this talk about quotes and habits has gotten me to thinking about what we do in our classroom to help set the tone for the day. How could we use something like a quote for the day to help engage our students? In thinking it through, it also seems like this would be a great way to let your kids contribute to the day. Maybe they can bring in different quotes from people that they admire or it could even be used as a reflective writing prompt to think about what prompted the quote or how the quote could impact their day.
What is a habit that you are thinking about trying? Maybe something that bleeds into your work life, but is more for your not work life. Let me know what new habits you are starting.
