Wednesday, June 8, 2016

Treat Others as THEY Would Like to Be Treated

We've all heard the teacher, parent, or other adult say to a child, "Treat others how you'd like to be treated" - but what if the way you want to be treated isn't the same as the way someone else wants to be treated? Sure, there are some things that are fairly universal - hitting isn't nice; but what about the cultural differences that clash with our "norms?"

In the U.S., we want to see eye contact from our students. In other cultures, it is disrespectful. So how do we bridge the two? Can we honor culture and understand that not everywhere expects the same of their children, while still teaching to the customs of our society - or should we?

What happens when you're so worried about treating everyone else how he/she wants to be treated and you don't feel anyone reciprocating? Personally, I struggle with this - especially with phone calls versus email. My preferred method of communication is email. I can see the problem, figure out how to solve it and generally resolve it within a few seconds. With phone calls, I am being interrupted from my thought process and it's at least 10 minutes before the issue is entirely resolved. Unfortunately, phone calls are a necessary part of my job and there's a handful of people who always call - even when what needs to be said would be more efficient in an email or a text.

So, how can we embrace the new golden rule of treating others how they want to be treated, while encouraging others to treat us how we want to be treated?


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