“Worth it? or “Worth it!” What a difference there is between these two expressions. Both are judgement calls which evaluate an experience as being good or bad. I’ve used these expressions many times as a teacher in my classroom or as the chief administrator dealing with student discipline issues.
One of my favorite teaching tools over the years was “The Giorgio Effect.” I would bring in my favorite perfume gift my husband gave me for Christmas: a beautiful yellow and white striped bag which contained a box wrapped in gold and white striped wrapping paper sealed with a red wax imprinted seal much like a king’s signet ring seal. Inside this box was a beautiful bottle of perfume with a gold cap which sat in a cradle of satin. Yes, it was an expensive gift which my husband chose for me…especially for a person who grew up as poor as I did. $150 was (and still is) a lot of money for perfume.
I was so impressed with the beauty of this gift that I kept all the wrappings over these fifty plus years. To teach my students how important it is for their projects, reports, or creations to make a good impression, I showed them a plastic bottle of perfume from the corner drug store. The price of this plain plastic bottle of “smell good stuff” was approximately eight dollars. Then, I showed them the Giorgio!
As I carefully unwrapped the Giorgio perfume, students would “oooh” and “ahhh” much like I did upon receiving such a fine gift! They could immediately see the difference in prices. Presentation is very important! Did this demonstration have a positive effect upon my students? Well, I attended a memorial service a few months ago for a wonderful teaching assistant I hired years ago. At the end of the service one of my former students came to see me for the first time since she graduated about twenty- five years ago. “Mrs. Johnson,” she said, “I still remember the ‘Giorgio Effect’ which you taught me all those years ago!” Yes, it was worth it!
Being a first grade teacher is a difficult vocation. We have much accountability for building the foundational skills of students. Teaching the important skills of holding a pencil correctly for writing, teaching the correct form and spacing of letters in handwriting, and putting thoughts into written form are all extremely important skills which pay off later in school tasks. Unless I am consistent and persuasive in these areas, my students will have difficulty throughout their school years. But, like the “Giorgio Effect,” these basic skills, once mastered, can allow much more freedom of expression and flow of creative ideas as these students perform in school. So, I think it is worth it!
I couldn’t leave this subject without quoting words from one of my favorite hymns which has been floating around in my mind as I addressed this subject, “It will be worth it all…when we see Jesus! Earth’s trials will seem so small…when we see Him!” Our school is filled with parents who have been willing to make a sacrifice to send their children to our private school. My family and our staff will be working very hard to make it possible for them to say, “It’s worth it!”
- Kay