Words of
Affirmation
By Karen D’Amore
The soothing
tongue is a tree of life, but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit.
Proverbs 15:4 (NIV)
I
left the staff meeting perplexed over the feedback involving students I’d soon
be teaching, striving to resist forming preconceived judgments about the “bad
class” reputation I’d just heard from other instructors. While prepping for my
semester, I prayed for insight into the behavioral issues…along with wisdom in
meeting each student where they were at personally.
Introducing
myself on Day One, I shared the following quote: “People don’t care how much
you know, until they know how much you care!” [1] I prefaced the quote explaining that
I genuinely care about my students, as well as their success in the program, and
vowed to put actions to those words.
Throughout
our first week, I could feel God lovingly go before me, honoring my prayers for
insight into the students. He also used a student’s question regarding my
love-language to prompt ideas and strategies I’d never used in previous
classes. With “words of affirmation” being my love language, I resonate deeply
with the concept: Praise LOUDLY…Correct
softly! [2] And after deeper insight revealed my
students’ immense need for encouragement, God spurred me to adopt this concept
as the foundational theme with these students.
Between
family dynamics and previous adverse instructors, environments that were hypercritical-
- void of praise or encouragement, chronically being torn down versus being
built up…my students were products of their environments. They lacked
confidence, passion and motivation to learn their new trade. Succumbing to the
belief that no one cared or believed in them, they had stopped believing in
themselves.
After
displaying a sign which read: Be-YOU-tiful,
I positively affirmed the uniqueness of each student, encouraging them in the
things they did well. I began rewarding critical life skills, such as
respectfulness and teamwork with nominal prizes, while commending practical
skills with uplifting words of affirmation. By the end of our term, I’d
witnessed the transforming power of praise with the “bad class” blossoming into
the “A Class!”
Over
the course of eight weeks, I gained a new perspective on the power of words. I’d
observed the destructive aftermath of negative words. More importantly, I had
witnessed the transforming power of words that build up, encourage and affirm. Scripture
warns and exhorts us regarding the extreme power of words - - the power to
destroy, and the power to build up. [3] As God’s love language shouts from the pages of His Word, He
affirms and encourages us from cover to cover.
Be
mindful: Words are cheap, but their power is priceless! Choose wisely…striving
to be an AFFIRMER!
GOING
DEEPER:
1. Need affirmation? Open His Word!
2. Who can
you encourage?
FURTHER
READING:
Proverbs 12:25; Matthew 12:37
Proverbs 12:25; Matthew 12:37
Married to Dan, Karen, a retired
police officer, currently works as a Manicurist at Craig Berns Salon and as an
instructor in the Cosmetology Department at WCTC.
[1]
This is a quote attributed to too many people to identify its originator
[2]
For more on the concept of love languages: http://www.5lovelanguages.com/
