Series: 2023 Teacher Appreciation Week

“It’s more important to be kind than to be right.”

Lindsay Fassett lives by these words and stands by them when it comes to her everyday life, especially as a teacher.  Fassett has been teaching at James Campbell for about nine years, but she knew that she wanted to be a teacher since the first day of kindergarten.  

“I remember my grandpa came to pick me up from kindergarten, and I remember running up to him and saying I wanted to be a teacher because I really admired my kindergarten teacher. Her name was Mrs. Lum, and I still remember her. I just liked being in the school environment, and it just felt like a very comfortable place to me,” said Fassett.  By that moment, she was certain of what she wanted to do later in life and stuck with it.  Fassett became a great respectable teacher to her peers and students.   

Lots of teachers demand instant respect from their students, assuming that students are to be ‘below’ them.  Fassett believes in quite the opposite.  She describes the relationship between a teacher and their students to be “two people walking side by side,” and sees her students as her equals, even when times get difficult.  

“I think you guys are at an exciting age, but you guys are also at a difficult age. And when you’re at a difficult age, you have to extend to people what’s known as like, grace and understanding,” said Fassett, “It’s also not always worth it too. There are a lot of people and a lot of teachers I could see: they want to be right. They want to win arguments, and they want to beat other people and win at everything.  But sometimes in life, that’s not what it’s about. It’s about teaching people the right way to be.”

“Why don’t we all just relax?”  Just like everyone else, Fassett has her own life outside of her teaching career.  Most people here at Campbell see Fassett as a teacher, but she’s also a wife, a mother, and a person.  In her free time, she finds herself doing what she feels like doing at the moment. 

“I love pulling weeds, hanging out with my friends and family, going to Ala Moana, going hiking, beach, or just doing anything I feel like whenever I want to,” said Fassett, “I really like having fun and not taking things seriously. I like being spontaneous and when everyone is relaxing and having a good time.”

Finding the balance between having fun in life and maintaining your responsibilities can be tough, but doable.  “I do know that there is a time for work and a time for play, so I try to take care of business first so that we can all have a good time afterward.  I think that’s why I always encourage people to work hard but then have fun. I always try to see the best in people.  I do try to balance being easy-going with having high standards.”  

Keeping your temper in check and staying kind to others can be difficult in some situations, seeing as there’s always the human urge to be right; everyone has both felt it and experienced it.  However, it can be dealt with.  Next time something similar comes up, try putting yourself in their shoes or even be open to new ideas.  If you still feel the need to discuss the topic even further, talk to someone.  There will always be someone you can talk to, whether it be a friend, a counselor, or even a teacher.  Extend grace.