JumpStart Clean Comedy Day (4/28/25)

QUOTE:  "Man does not see reality as it is, but only as he perceives it, and his perception may be mistaken or biased." (Rudolf Dreikurs)

MESSAGE: When our daughter was in third grade, she was known as ‘The Math Girl’.  In fourth grade, she started to find math more challenging, and couldn’t live up to her 3rd grade reputation.  As adults, we hear the story and think, “she was just a kid; I’m sure she got over it.”

The good news is that she made it through AP Calculus and is finishing her 3rd year of medical school.  It was a challenge though, that still creeps in as doubts to her ability.  Now, I’m not at all blaming her 3rd grade teacher; I think there is a lot involved with girls and STEM and expectations and biases everywhere.  My point is that the labels that we assign people can come true.

And sometimes, we’ll assign negative labels to people and then get mad when those labels come true.

These labels and biases can act in two different directions:

INSIDE-OUT:  Labels can affect how people see themselves.  Repeatedly hearing or internalizing negative labels can lead to a person adopting a negative self-image, while positive labels can foster self-confidence and a positive self-perception. 

OUTSIDE-IN:  When we label someone, we may unconsciously start treating that person in a way that matches those labels.  This can then lead them to start behaving in a way that matches those labels, even if it wasn’t accurate in the beginning.

To prevent this with your students and your own children, give them feedback on their behavior, not their personal characteristics.  Instead of assigning the moniker “Math Girl,” tell her, “I admire how hard you work on learning your math facts!”

THIS WEEK TRY THIS:   Think about the labels that have been assigned to you that might not be that accurate.  Maybe you have been fighting some of these labels for as long as you can remember.  It’s the time of year when we’re tired and worn out.  As ‘those kids’ start to REALLY get on your nerves, do you start each day with a clean slate?  It’s super hard sometimes, but everyone deserves another chance.
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DAD JOKE:  I accidentally took a 10-minute video of my shoes yesterday. It was some pretty good footage.