Appreciating the power of words

               Appreciating the power of words, words of moving content and skilled expression, might not be an unusual quality in an English teacher, but I was drawn to such words long before I matched my strong desire to be a teacher to this subject area.  Words in songs, popular and Christian ones, stayed in my mind in enjoyable and inspirational ways.  In high school, I clipped pictures and quotes from Life Magazine, and in college, I pasted meaningful Christmas card fronts onto poster boards to put on bulletin boards in my room.         

        Perhaps the help and encouragement I found in words fueled a practice I began after teaching developmental English at a community college for a few years.  I knew my choice of each quote would be presenting my values (perhaps a bit corny), but I “took courage” and started writing a quote on the blackboard before each class session.  Every semester I began with this:  “There is no substitute for hard work” by Thomas Jefferson.  Most of the others focused on motivation and perseverence.  For example, "Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles he has overcome."  Booker T. Washington

       The students’ responses certainly exceeded my expectations.  Although I rarely mentioned a quote in class, I noticed some students writing down the sayings in their notebooks.  At the end of class, I would erase the classwork on the board but not the quote.  Occasionally, students coming in for the next class with a different teacher would also copy the quotes.  Students seemed hungry for the hope and encouragement these little morsels presented.  Clearly, our words can and do matter.

        I end with a favorite quote, a promise to write the next post joining the power of words with the even more excellent power of God’s words spoken to our hearts—and a list of additional quotes.

                                        Never underestimate the power of a kind word or deed.

To be continued!

“A star is a small thing but it lights up the whole sky.”  Brazilian proverb

“May you not forget the infinite possibilities born of faith.”  Saint Theresa prayer

 “Courage is resistance to fear, not mastery of it.”  Mark Twain, 1894

“Adversity causes some to break—others to break records.”  Sammy  Sosa

“Each day we begin again.  What we do today matters most.”

“If the world is cold, make it your business to light fires.”

“Abilities are like tax deductions.  Use them or lose them.”

“It is better to light one candle than curse the dark.”  Chinese proverb

 “You must have long range goals to keep from being frustrated by short range failures.”

“Faith has won many a race.”

“Wherever there is a human being, there is an opportunity for kindness.” Seneca

“Ultimately we are remembered for what we give, not what we take.”

“You build a successful life one day at a time.”

“An expert at anything was once a beginner.”

 “Nothing is more expensive than missed opportunity.”

“You can never beat the person who never gives up.”

“Love is patient; love is kind.”  1 Corinthians 13

“Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all.”  Dale Carnegie

“We should not let our fears hold us back from pursuing our hopes.” John F. Kennedy