Cindy Kruse's recent blog post, "The Power of Encouragement," really hit home for me. I could relate to what she had to say about the importance of getting encouragement and positive words from others on many different levels.

Cindy writes about cheering on her daughter and son-in-law, who ran in the Philadelphia marathon recently. I remember how much having people cheering me on helped me when I ran my first marathon in Boston. To this day I still have a pair of "magic" sticks that two little girls were handing out to runners at mile 20. I framed those sticks. I still believe they really were magic—after all, they helped me finish my first marathon!

After writing about the importance of encouragement for the marathoners, Cindy makes a connection to her work as an educator:

. . . Imagine what we can accomplish if we (teachers) would adopt this attitude in the classroom—commit to being our student's biggest fans, notice how hard they are working—even when they aren't our own students, cheer them when the going gets tough, even running alongside with them to bring them into the finish line . . .

I thought about all the times I needed encouraging words to push through a difficult task and how, at times, those words came from unexpected parties. Having family or friend support and encouragement will help you achieve much. Hearing encouraging words from people you don't know well can be even more powerful and revive your belief that you can accomplish anything you want.

As Cindy mentions, adopting the philosophy of encouraging all students in school—whether they are in our class or several grades away—can help children achieve more and feel more successful. And when teachers use encouraging language with students and each other, students will start using that language too. In this way, encouragement and positive reinforcing language can actually transform the climate of a school!

What's an example of a time when your encouragement helped a student? Or when someone else's encouraging words helped you?

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