“WLS” Chapter # 6 : Authoritatively Calm

Women, Leadership, and Success

Authoritatively Calm …

Mrs. Pamela C. is a graduate of the University of Toronto, Canada, as well as, a graduate from The Ontario Institute For Studies In Education (OISE) which is The University of Toronto’s Teachers College. Pamela is currently working as a Teacher within The Montessori School System In Toronto, Canada inspiring a commitment to educational excellence while offering a progressive Montessori education in a warm and vibrant learning environment where children can explore, discover, and develop as intelligent, confident, and compassionate individuals.

Mrs. Pamela C. …

Please List TWO “Business or Life Lessons” – (Or One of Each) – That You Have Learned Along The Way That Has Significantly Contributed To Your Personal and / or Professional Development and Success ???

Life Lesson :

I find this Life Lesson to be more personal, but it also applies professionally as well. It has taken me many years, maybe up to age 30, to realize that not everyone is going to like me, for whatever reason, and that I shouldn’t take that personally. Instead, I should just accept it, or like the boys on my 14 year old son’s baseball team say – “eat it” – and just move on. There’s nothing I can do to make people like me if they’ve already decided that they don’t, so I choose to carry on and do the best job that I can with whatever it is I’m doing – at work or as a mom.

Business Lesson :

I’ve learned that it’s important to just be “ME.” You know me. I’m not like most people. I’m quiet, calm, speak slowly, and softly. I always thought that it was a teaching liability and I wanted to be louder, bolder and more outgoing. I thought that’s how teachers needed to be in order to keep a class under control. However, I’ve learned that you don’t have to be loud to be an effective teacher and that a teacher can keep control of their class without being thunderous in speech. In fact, my lead teacher this year specifically asked for me to be in her classroom because she needed my “zen” energy to complement her style of teaching. The Principal and my Other Colleagues have commented that my personality and voice are very Montessori – soft and gentle. So it’s okay to just be “ME.” At age 49, I think I’ve finally found where I belong.

… I hope that helps

Pamela C. – B.A Honours, Bachelors of Education (B. Ed)