One of my favorite quotes is by my personal hero, Eleanor Roosevelt. The quote is, "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent." I love this quote so much I even this on a poster in my classroom. The only bad part about this, I am apologizing to you Eleanor, is that I did not believe it for many years.
When I was in high school, I was athletic. I played volleyball, basketball and ran track. Even though I did all those things, I still had a bit of a chubby body. I was not fat! I can see that now looking back, but I thought I was the size of Shamu. I constantly compared myself to other girls in my school and felt inferior to them. Did they make me feel inferior? No, I did that all on my own.
When I got to college, I was not athletic. I put myself through college. I am very proud of that fact. I went to school full time, even during the summers, and worked full time. This is not leave much time for me to have the social life of most college students. It also helped in my massive weight gain.
When I started teaching, I was not athletic. I was happy that I had a job that I loved, but I was unhappy with my life. I stuffed my emotions and feelings way down deep with food. I felt like I was inferior to all the other teachers, I still do most of the time even today. I felt I was inferior to others because I was not married and did not have any children. Did my friends make me feel inferior? No. Did my students make me feel inferior? Nope. They loved and accepted me just as I was. The only person making me feel inferior was myself.
I have friends and family and students who love me just as I am. Do my students love me all the time? Nope. I am fairly certain that my friends and family don't love me all the time. I can be a bit of a mess. I have admitted it so it is okay. They do know though (students, friends, and family) that I am there for them and always will be. The only person I ever put on the back burner was myself. Did they make me feel inferior? No, just me.
NO MORE! I am finally taking care of myself. I am not letting others make me feel inferior any more. If you like me great, if you don't like me, that is your loss! I am going to honor my hero, Eleanor Roosevelt, and be more like her. I am not going to be inferior to myself anymore. I am going to become like Katy Perry and "Roar". If you have not listened to that song you really should.
You held me down, but I got up (HEY!)
Already brushing off the dust
You
hear my voice, you hear that sound
Like thunder gonna shake the ground
You
held me down, but I got up (HEY!)
Get ready cause I’ve had enough
I see it
all, I see it now
[Chorus]
I got the eye of the tiger, a
fighter, dancing through the fire
Cause I am a champion and you’re gonna hear
me roar
Louder, louder than a lion
Cause I am a champion and you’re gonna
hear me roar
Peace out Peeps, I have some roaring to do.
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