Behavior. Part II

Last week I posted a blog that dealt with relationships, conversations, and consequences (I even used the word punishments in my post). You can read it here, Behavior. Part I. There was a lot that I wanted to say in my initial post. I saved a little bit for this follow-up.

Start with watching this Michael Jordan Nike commercial from 2008, "Maybe It's My Fault." This has been stuck in my head for over a week, now. Maybe because I'm a 34 year-old-man who is still in love with his boyhood idol, but maybe because I can't stop thinking about how it relates to building relationships.

Maybe it's my fault?

Maybe be I led you to believe that building relationships was easy when it wasn't. Relationships are established over time; they are established through our daily interactions that we have with others. They have to happen authentically, naturally. You can't manufacture them.

My advice - Be You. We are all different so what works for one won't necessarily work for the other. There's no cookie cutter approach to behavior. It's never as simple as black and white; there is always gray, a lot of gray.

I should note, however, that earlier this morning I was turned-on to an idea that I agree with wholeheartedly. In-order to build the relationship, there is a pre-requisite. You must have the right mindset. You have to want to build the relationship. You have to believe in the relationship. Jennifer Hogan wrote about this in her recent blog, The #1 key for being a good teacher. 

So it's been a week since my original post on this topic. Student behavior didn't change? It was only one week. Your first have to change adult behavior before you change student behavior. And then...