The Power of Positivity

I've been thinking a lot lately about how important it is to stay positive. It's tiring work being a teacher, and it's possible to get bogged down in all the little stuff, and lose sight of the awesome goodness that is going on around you. Some concrete examples, and thoughts of late: *Being asked to video-tape an event like a school concert can be viewed as extra work, which is seldom a welcome thing (especially at the end of a term). On the other hand, you can look at it as an opportunity to see a bunch of students excelling and enjoying themselves in a different context. Popping in to a rehearsal for 5 minutes today was enough to give me a marked boost of enthusiasm for an upcoming concert, and I am now fully committed to and positive about the filming (compared to my prior ambivalence). *Making positive comments about ideas suggested by students, even when I don't necessarily agree with them, can result in improved rapport with the student in question. Something as simple as saying "that's an interesting take on things," or teasing out more detail with "I like what I'm hearing, take it a step further," acknowledges that the student is trying, and gives them opportunities to keep working and contributing. *Simple positive reinforcement can be surprisingly effective. Asking "who's going to the awesome concert on Friday?" rather than "who's going to the concert on Friday?" can make a difference. Just one word, if used in the right place, or used repeatedly, can reinforce a message. The same is true of the reverse - using negative language can erode the goodwill and enthusiasm of students. It can be a nasty spiral if I'm having trouble with a class - I am not pleased with their efforts, so I have to tell them off, so they feel bad about themselves or not encouraged, so they lower their effort, so I have to tell them off… Fortunately it works well the other way around, with compliments feeding good behaviour feeding compliments. I've been noticing this pattern with Kapcon too. The better Kapcon gets, the higher people's expectations rise. The more people expect, the more GMs and organizers deliver. There have been massive advances at Kapcon over the past 6 - 8 years, due to a lot of hard work and some great positive feedback. Keeping that post-Kapcon buzz going is a challenge, as it naturally dips as people get into the routine of the year. Confusion should be a good boost, as will BOD (which Debbie and I are now planning to fly down for). One of the best things that individuals can do to help promote Kapcon is to tell their friends about it, and to spread the word about all the awesome stuff that goes on at Kapcon. Positive word of mouth is by far the best tool for promoting and building Kapcon. Improvements are being made year-by-year, thanks to the suggestions of attendees and the injection of fresh volunteer blood every couple of years (the current pattern sees front-people running Kapcon twice, then handing it off to someone else. This is a huge commitment from the front-people, and it has clearly paid off in 2 ways - each person has introduced refinements of the systems each year, and there is a growing support group of people who have run highly successful conventions, who help mentor and guide the new blood). It's important to look around sometimes and appreciate how much support and how much positive energy there is around - in a school, a social group or an organisation. I've got a lot to be positive about, and a lot to be thankful for. So I say a heart kia ora to my whanau, my friends and my colleagues, and I send positive vibes in a broad spectrum to you all. Ka pai. Tino pai. [Yes, I think I have now exhausted my knowledge of Te Reo Maori. Except for a few snippits of a mihi, and the awesome phrase "Kei te kanikani ahau", which means "I am dancing".]