Dear colleague,
Words are in the top tier of human superpowers. Using them well must be apprenticed to for a lifetime; wise are those who undertake such an apprenticeship.
When it comes to wordsmithing, class is always in session. You can glean a tip or two from the podcasts you listen to, the comedians who make you laugh, the people you love at home, or the students you teach at school.
The research speaks clearly to the power of the right words at the right time. For example, in a 2015 study by Cohen, Walton, and Yeager, researchers demonstrated how a brief feedback intervention—specifically the phrase “I’m giving you these comments because I have very high expectations and I know you can reach them”—increased student effort and performance, particularly among minority students. Carol Dweck, mentor and colleague to the authors of the above study, made famous the related importance of attributing student success to “hard work” versus being “smart.”
The anecdotal evidence is even more powerful. Do you remember something a teacher said to you in your schooling that left an impact, positive or negative? If so, you're like most people — and that's a big deal. I have a hard enough time remembering to eat lunch most school days. The fact that I still remember the time Ms. Kostova told me I was a good writer is crazy — that was in a creative writing class almost 20 years ago! (Here's another cool story like this, in which Matt de la Peña describes the impact of similar words from his English teacher Ms. Blizzard.)
Just the other week, my daughter (a sophomore at the high school where I teach) was laughing/crying with relief at the just-right words her English teacher had spoken to her earlier that day during a small but potent moment of genuine connection.
The point is, words are a big deal. They shape worlds. From “Let there be light” to the last thing you said or wrote just before reading this blog, don't underestimate the mighty things words can do because… that's what words do.
Teaching with words right beside you,
DSJR
P.S. I'm doing a live/recorded workshop on this topic next Wednesday. Details here. 75 spots left; come join the apprentices.
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