A principal at the local elementary school called a new teacher into his office one day.

He said, “You are the best teacher I have ever had in the 20 years I have been here, and I have a special assignment for you.”

The teacher was excited to hear what this challenge was - not to mention enjoyed hearing that she was the best teacher the principal had ever seen! The teacher asked, “What is it?”

To which the principal replied, “I have gathered the smartest and best students in the school and put them in one class. I would like you to take this ‘gifted’ group of children for the semester and teach them everything they need to know for the year.”

The teacher was overjoyed at the idea of having the most ‘gifted’ children in the school and immediately began to think of all the things she could teach them. She thanked the principal and went straight to the class room to begin.

The semester came and went and the principal called the teacher into his office.

The principal said, “Well, I see that every student in your class not only earned an ‘A’ grade but that their scores on the state exams have all improved significantly.”

The teacher replied, “While I would like to take the credit for that, I must honestly say it wasn’t hard since you gave me the most ‘gifted’ children in the school.”

The principal then said, “That is what I wanted to speak to you about. Actually, we just randomly picked children and put them in your class.”

The teacher was surprised to hear this and after a moment said, “Well, I am the best teacher you have ever had so it only makes sense that I gave the students the best education.”

Again the principal chimed in, “Actually, I just picked your name out of a hat.”

Moral of this story: People believe what they are told and will fulfill your expectations

This story demonstrates the point that people - especially children - believe what they are told. Tell your child that they are bad and they will behave badly. Tell your child they are stupid and they will fulfill your wishes. Now, tell them they are smart and see what happens. Tell them they are kind and watch the results. Tell them they are honest and watch how they turn out. Now how are you going to talk to your child today?