Looking Back

Looking Back

As I was washing my hands to exit the bathroom, my eyes caught a sign posted on the door that

read:

“LOOK BACK” Please leave the bathroom better or as it was when you entered it! 

What a powerful yet straightforward sign with a message that everyone could apply to our daily

lives.

Often, we find ourselves running through life as though we are in a football game! All we hear is

run as fast as we can, keep our eye on the goal line and never look back. We tend to apply this to

every aspect of our lives, parenting, relationships, businesses, coworkers, and family. Don’t get

me wrong,” Keeping the end in mind” is a great thing, as I wrote about in “There’s No Moon At

My House- Parenting Advice From A Veteran School Teacher. Still, in doing so, we also need to

Look Back!

Why Teach Children To Look Back?

Looking Back teaches responsibility, empathy, and teamwork. Looking Back can be applied to

every aspect of our children’s lives.

 As a 34-year veteran teacher, it was made clear that we were a team from day one. When the

team was successful, everyone would be able to celebrate the victories! The one thing that

students learned early on to do was to pay attention to our classroom when they entered it.

Whenever we left the room, we looked back as we lined up, making sure the class looked like it

did when we entered it. We Looked Back, and no one complained about who may have made the mess; we all cleaned it up. The students were very proud of our clean classroom. Yes, the

custodians LOVED our class!

Responsibility:

Young children have a yearning to help and make their parents proud. When children help

around the house, they feel important and belong. When teaching your child to clean their room

or pick up their toys, you should have them look back each day to see if they are leaving it as it

was when they entered and sometimes better than it was. Make it fun and exciting—what a

fantastic way to teach your children responsibility.

Empathy

There is a significant issue within our schools, no matter the type, among students, the

mistreatment of each other by fellow students. This behavior can start as early as Pre-K. “Look

back” questions would instill empathy in our school. When children return home from school,

instead of a “What happen question.” Ask, “How did you leave your classmates today? Were

you the reason someone smiled? Did you help another classmate, or were you the reason

someone was sad today? What adjectives did you leave your friends with today? Changing your

question then makes the child aware of how they treat each other, and they want to be able to tell

you all the positive they did that day or week. Great conversation starter.

As adults, we also should Look Back and ask ourselves, “How did you leave the people that

crossed your path today? 

JMRials-Author