The Virtue of Forbearance

Our new virtue for this quarter is Forbearance. This is a tough one for kids - and even adults - to understand. Forbearance is showing self-control, patience, and tolerance especially in the face of provocation.

One example of forbearance is when one student patiently works with another student on a concept without getting frustrated or complaining. This would be a great topic to discuss when beginning to work on a group project.

Another great example - that happens to me all the time - is when something goes wrong with technology in the classroom. A video won't show up, there is no sound, the smart board needs to be calibrated, etc. Often times all of the students in the room want to jump up and tell the teacher what to do. This can be a great lesson in forbearance. Being patient and understanding while the problem is dealt with by the teacher.

Here are my bulletin boards for the quarter...

BEE forBEARing - in the main hallway. Each of the bees discusses a different way to show forbearance.

Keep Calm and Forbear On - in the middle school hallway. The smaller red pieces have different quotes relating to forbearance, patience, and self-control. I especially love the quote from T.H. White - "The most difficult thing in the world is to know how to do a thing and silently watch someone else do it wrong." This is something that I struggle with all of the time in both my personal and professional life.