You Can Catch More Flies with Honey Than with Vinegar

It’s been said that my facial expressions tend to give away exactly what I am thinking at any given time. When people have said or done things that were completely and utterly ridiculous, their actions may have been met with an open-mouthed blank stare or even Braeden’s “stink face” as pictured.  I’m not proud of it but it is a flaw that I am constantly working on…especially in my various leadership roles.

Today, I had a conversation with my director of instructional technology, Jill Galloway and she passed on an idiom that her mother passed on to her.

“You Can Catch More Flies with Honey Than with Vinegar”

It doesn’t matter which capacity of leadership in which you serve, we must always be mindful that not everyone gets what we get when we get it. Not everyone is at a point in their lives and careers where they freely reflect and change. Not every teacher is connected to other educators who challenge their thinking. Not everyone is lucky enough to have school leadership in place that push beyond boundaries to make sure that students are exposed to innovative practices.

Not everyone is you!

However, if we meet the challenges that we face with an open mind, heart and spirit…we can effectively change the course of one’s learning experience through the relationships that we build.

So… in lieu of snide remarks, sarcasm, open-mouthed blank stares or stink faces…meet back dated comments with positivity bundled with reflective questioning. Don’t try to shove your “forward thinking” agendas down the throats of those who may need it in such a way that it pushes them further away. Instead, meet those challenges with examples, models, offerings of support, positive actions and above all else…A SMILE!

We must have high expectations with the goal of moving our practice where it needs to be headed.  However, doing so from a place of negativity doesn’t move anything but stress levels.

You’ll get more people on your side through positive actions and responses. Vinegar brings nothing but more vinegar. I’ll remind myself of this daily.