Optimism is the belief that the future holds possibilities.Ī child shunned by a cruelly delivered “taken” on the first day of my class has been wounded from the start. As he hears the cruel word “taken” again and again, he continues to walk, wondering if there will ever be a place for him. Imagine the scene in Forrest Gump in which a young Forrest climbs onto the bus and begins the slow and terrifying search for a place to sit. In doing this, I protect student dignity by preventing the potential for embarrassment or rejection. I then distribute a duplicate set of numbered sticky notes as I welcome each child to the classroom for the first time students must find the seats that match their numbers. My seat-preparation method is unoriginal, unremarkable and particularly effective in middle school. I prepare a seat for each student before the school year even begins. I introduce myself to students I have never met and tell them I’m happy to see them. I put out a vibe that says I love what I do. As a teacher, being radically optimistic means I acknowledge my students and their individual identities. Radical optimism requires that I bolster my beliefs with actions. But despite the fact that smiling people are often viewed with caution, radical optimism is part of why I teach. When juxtaposed to the more popular cynicism, pessimism and sarcasm, optimism appears positively radical. Optimism is the belief that the future holds possibilities.
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