Happy Christmas

One of the biggest benefits to teaching is the holidays. No, I don't mean the actual time off work, although it is a welcome break. Rather it is the infectious joy that comes from being around children during special occassions. It is a time when you cannot help but become caught up in their excitement and enthusiasm. At Christmas, we are also able to let go a bit of our need to achieve, we can relax and forget about deadlines and merely do things because they are fun and we know the kids will enjoy them. In the New Year try to remember that and let it guide you through the more hectic times and perhaps give you some clarity. Maybe the need to always be accomplishing something and our mania over due dates and expectations is largely self made. In the long term we will finish what we need to do and what doesn't get completed on time can wait for another date. Try to keep things exciting and fresh. Have fun while you are learning together. Happy Christmas and all the best for 2011.

Life As A Theme

In an effort to develop a more holistic approach to education, many boards and individual schools are pushing character development in the curriculum. Often, each month has a featured theme such as caring and kindness, responsibility or empathy. While this may be well intentioned, it can often become lost as just another concept kids learn and then throw away, like long division. If you are involved in this project please be sure that kids understand that these traits are not like a light that you can turn on or off because someone is watching. Rather they are all interconnected and come from an awareness of others, from being able to see and hear others deeply. We may recognize one particular characteristic each month, but when we truly practice mindfulness, when we move away from ego and start to see the rest of the world, our whole being radiates all of these qualities with no effort at all. In fact, we can't help but show them in everything we say and do.