The Power of Our Words

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue.” Proverb

“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” This familiar chant may have helped us to keep our dignity after a fight on the playground, but its words couldn’t be further from the truth. As a communication teacher, one message I drill into my students is the need to be a responsible communicator. A responsible communicator is one who uses their words to build others up. As teachers, we have been given such great power as we communicate our subjects to our students. Our words have the power to build our students up or tear them down. In fact, many of us remember a teacher who encouraged or inspired us with his words of wisdom. Sadly, we all may remember a teacher whose discouraging words still hurt us today. Let’s commit to use our words to build our students up! They are surrounded with enough negativity through media and sometimes even at home. Our classrooms should be a place where they are encouraged to chart the life of their dreams. And we have that kind of power and influence- with our words.