ABSTRACT
Great teachers realize that teaching is a demanding job, yet they focus on its rewards and challenges in a positive way rather than complaining. The best teachers are professionals who keep personal issues private and also keep school issues in their place. They do not involve students in inappropriate topics. Teachers own perceptions of their school and their students impact the reality of their school and students. Teachers have the power to decide the tone of their school and how they view their students. This chapter presents key concepts, discussion questions, journal prompt, and group activities related to the Be the filter. The group activities allow negative comments they might hear during the course of a week from students, other teachers, administrators, and parents. Arrange participants into two concentric circles with partners facing each other. The person in the outer circle should listen carefully and offer suggestions for dealing with this difficult and negative person and/or situation.
