Happy Spring-Soon Greetings
Our March Theme: Respect
We are practicing the Seven Grandfather Teachings this whole year. Each month we highlight one teaching. This month we are highlighting RESPECT.
Respect means different things to different people. Respect can look different based on your culture. In some cultures it is respectful to look into the eyes of the person you’re talking with. In another culture it is respectful to look down when talking to another person especially if the other person is an elder.
We are finishing up our social emotional lessons this month on the STEPS to Problem Solving. Knowing that we will not always agree with each other, we can show respect by first checking our own bodies and answering the following questions::
Am I calm? Are my muscles relaxed or do I feel like I need to move? Am I breathing regularly or do I feel like I can’t catch my breath?
Do I have respectful words to describe what I want and why I feel the way I do? Can I fill in the blanks to “I feel______when____________.”
By checking that you’re calm and respectfully speaking up for yourself, you can begin the problem solving process by following the S-T-E-Ps to problem solving:
S. Say the Problem. What do you want to happen? What does the other person want to happen? Is it clear what the problem is? Is saying what the problem is taking into consideration what BOTH people want?
T. Think of Solutions. Think of as many different solutions as possible so there are lots of ways to solve the problem and if the solution you choose doesn’t work, you have others to choose from.
E. Explore the Outcomes of each solution you think of. What are the pros and cons of each solution?
P. Pick the Best Solution. Which solution gives both people the most of what they want? You can compromise or you can be kind and use empathy to solve the problem. If the best solution doesn’t work, pick another solution to try.