Tame Your Tongue 101 by Courtney

Tame Your Tongue 101 by Courtney - January 2023 Scholarship Essay

This essay prompt is therapy for me because I believe I have been writing the syllabus for this elective since I entered middle school in my mind. The course is entitled, "Tame Your Tongue. The course would be a requirement for teachers as they went through their preparation programs and for students is age-appropriate versions from Kindergarten and up. The course would start with covering the power of your words. We would go through several examples throughout the time of the power that words have over people in directing their destinies and impacting their thoughts, emotions, and then actions.

We would examine Biblically how the words spoke the world and living beings into existence. We would review the power of truly believing in oneself or another and speaking positively, affirmatively, and lovingly to them allowing them to bloom into all that they were created to be. That these people, full of good words, are equipped to go out into the world and bring anything that they are called to do into existence. Their thoughts and emotions are planted in the fertile soil of possibility, the sweet sunshine of limitless thinking, and are fed with springs of creativity and courage. Words birth or kill the dreams we were destined to fulfill.

Next, we would dig into the words that we should say and should not say about ourselves or others. Knowing the power of words should be a no-brainer but it's important that the students are equipped to speak life into others. Words of encouragement would be practiced. We would create scenarios where it may be a stretch to encourage someone but we would find a way and we would reflect on the impact of how we would feel if someone encouraged us in the midst of making a shameful mistake.

The last thing we would learn is to cancel out negative words. We would know that unfortunately, not everyone will take this class. And without a full understanding of how powerful words can be, some people may use them carelessly towards us, themselves, or people we know. Students need to all be equipped to teach others the power of words. And more importantly, they need to be equipped to speak words to cancel out the negativity of others. We would do this by returning their words of negativity with loving affirming words towards them. We would also practice speaking to ourselves and consciously noting that their negative words are not true and the truth is we are growing and becoming exactly who we are meant to be. In knowing this we will not receive words that are anything but affirming to us. And we would be wise beyond our years to know that the words we share with each other are to only build them up.