Here’s a tweet that caught my attention last week.

Here’s how to apologize:
1. Look them in the eye.
2. Explain why you are sorry.
3. Acknowledge why they were hurt.
4. Tell them what you will do differently next time. https://t.co/givLVARod2

— TED Talks (@TEDTalks) February 6, 2019

It’s brilliant in its simplicity and gives us all a model that we can follow. Some of you might think that this is just common sense. Unfortunately, common sense often needs to be taught. If our students haven’t seen genuine apologies, they might not have any idea how to do it themselves. So, let’s teach this model.

We can teach it through role-playing. Have the students brainstorm a list of things they could apologize for. They can make it as bizarre as they want.

I’m sorry I brought an elephant to school and it sat on your project. It’s my fault. I know you put a lot of work into that project and I’m really sorry. I won’t bring my elephant to school anymore. 

And of course, you can model this. If you have to apologize to the class for something, do it. Use this model. You can call attention to this lesson if you have already taught it, or you can follow up the apology with this lesson in the near future. I guarantee that your students will not forget it.

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