Without sharing names and using specific details, please share a time when gossip reared its ugly head in your life, and what was the outcome (whether you were the one who gossiped, or the gossip was about you).
Oh my...my tongue is my worst enemy sometimes. I know of two specific times that I have spoken without knowing all the facts about something, and was called on it. It was very humbling, but I admitted that I was in the wrong and apologized. It was quite painful. The second time took quite a while to heal, and was particularly difficult since we were in the same circles and ran into each other often.
There have been times that I have been the subject of gossip as well. Several years ago, a parent came to me and wanted her child taken out of my classroom because she had heard that I was 'hard-nosed'. Though in a way, I felt good because I do expect a lot out of my students, the fact that parents of students I had taught were dissatisfied and talked out in the community about it stung. The same parent came back later and apologized with tears in her eyes, and other teachers have since been told that I was the 'best thing that ever happened' to her daughter.
Gossip hurts. It is something that I have to guard myself against. I enjoy talking and having the latest news, but I have to ask the Lord to keep me from doing so.
Do you have experience with this that you'd like to share? Come join in Cafe Chat at the Internet Cafe Devotions site!
1 comment:
Everything you wrote is so true. It's interesting how affected teachers can be by gossip. I had a former student tell the mom of a current student that myself and another teacher were awesome because we let her do anything we wanted. When I questioned her about this, she explained that she meant that we would stay after school and talk to her about problems, but I had to explain how a comment like that made it sound like we let our students run wild and that could start gossip--not the image we wanted!
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