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What's in a Name?

I've made some significant mistakes this year with my leadership class, especially when it comes to record-keeping (I'm not very good at that). One of the mistakes I didn't foresee happened a few weeks ago. My student council and leadership class hosted a school "dance" for third- through fifth-grade students. Since I'd always called the seventh- and eighth-grade dances by the same name, I didn't think much of naming this one any differently. You can imagine, though, what parents began to think when I started advertising a "dance" for third- through fifth-grade kids. A number of them thought it meant the kids would be dancing with one another in a romantic manner. Instead, it involved an array of games and lots of music that allowed the kids to dance on their own. I'd heard that a few parents boycotted the dance because they thought there would be boy-girl dancing.

It just goes to show that intentions and appearances can be two very different things. This is as much true with our personal actions with one another as it is with events like the one above. A person can mean one thing, but the person's actions can be perceived to mean another thing; and, often, even with explanation, the thing that was perceived to be the truth is taken as such. When explanation comes, and even when that explanation leads to understanding by both parties, it can often be too late. This is why empathy is so important. You have to be aware of how others will feel, or what they will perceive of your actions, when you do the things you do.

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