Helping Kids Get Out Of The Box

We are all taught to live in a certain way. That way varies somewhat across different cultures, but essentially we teach our kids to follow our steps, to live the way that we live as a society. While there is nothing wrong with that, when all we pass down to our kids is our own worn out habits, we do them a disservice. We begin to limit their possibilities. Life is so much more than most of us know. Yet many continue to stumble along blindly living what Thoreau called, "Lives of quiet desperation." The North American dream may lead some to a solid education, good job, nice family and comfortable retirement. But if this is all we let our kids hope for we are not doing our job. We owe it to our kids to encourage them to question our values, scrutinize the way we live and explore the endless possibilities life has to offer. This may not be something you dump on a small child, but as your kids get older and start to ask questions, support them as they probe the world around them. Teach them that a healthy distrust of what they are told can be the spring board to real discovery. This is not to say that all we have built in this world is false, but accepting all we say and buying into the illusions which we pass off as lifestyle, can only result in existing in a half-life. The world has so much to offer and part of our mandate is to bring kids out of their comfort zone so that they can see and experience all of it.

Real Truth

We humans have spent a lot of time searching for the truth. Many feel it can be found in Holy books such as the Koran, Bible or Torah. Others will turn to the words of sages and masters. Some feel truth is only that which can be proved through experience and scientific fact. Yes, elements of Truth can be found there, but you are lucky enough to have it right in front of you. When you next walk into your classroom, take a profound look at everything around you. Listen and watch deeply. Open your eyes and ears. Drop the stories that you tell yourself about life at school. If you can manage that, you will start to discover where truth really lies. It is in the belly laughter of a child on the playground. You will see it in the eyes of the kindergarten kids as they hold hands walking down the hall. If you are lucky enough to watch the kids building a snowman or playing in the sand you will find truth there. Honesty shines through a child's tears when she has fallent and scraped her knee. It rings out in the sounds of young voices singing. You need search no further to see the Spirit of the Universe pouring out Truth and Honesty. Be still and you will recognize it and embrace it. The more you do, the easier it will become and when it becomes natural, you will also start to live more openly, honestly and joyously.

Happy New Year?

Are you happy teaching? Think really carefully about this. When you come home in the evening are you feeling good about what you did today and do you wake up looking forward to the day? Now don't confuse being tired or frustrated, or not wanting to get out of bed on a dark, cold winter morning with being unhappy. You're human and these kinds of feelings are normal. But if you look deeply, honestly, you will know the answer to that first question. If you can't truthfully answer yes, then a few of things need to happen. First, you need to start stepping back and witnessing what you are doing in the class. What makes teaching unfullfilling, what turns it into a chore.? Then you need to ask yourself if are there things you can change that will alter your outlook, make teaching fun again. Having considered that, you come to the most important question of all. Do you really want to change those things so that you can enjoy teaching? That fact is, you are dealing with people's lives here. Much of what you say and do, the energy you give off, can have a profound effect on your kids. If you are teaching for the wrong reasons, if your realize that perhaps this is not your cup of tea after all, please have the courage to re-evaluate your career choice before you do more damage than good. And if you decide that you really love being with kids, but perhaps you are just a little tired or jaded, then go back to the drawing board and decide what it is you can do change things. Remember, you aren't going to change the kids, so you'd better look to yourself if you want changes. Perhaps this is a little harsh, but believe it or not, what you are doing is important and can have an influence which will last longer than your career. Have a happy new year (with a lower case n and y).

Character Ed

A lot of schools are making a big push for character education these days. Traits such as empathy, responsibility, kindness and sharing are featured each month. Students who manage to catch the teacher's attention while they are showing off these qualities are rewarded, usually during an assembly where they receive a nice coloured ribbon along with some of their peers. Sound familiar? Now don't get me wrong, this is an admirable idea. The problem is, it is often just another school project with little connection to the rest of the academic agenda the kids are receiving. What we need to do is make sure this whole thrust has real meaning. It needs to be integrated into everything being taught. Staff must show they are able to exhibit the same attributes they are hoping to see in their students. Character cannot be taught the same way as a math concept. It needs to be built into every aspect of school life, and needs to be nurtured at home. Bring the parents on board and encourage them to teach by example. This is a good direction we are moving in, but it shouldn't become just one more directive from above, one more assembly to plan, or just another thing for teachers to evaluate. Make is a living, growing experience where kids begin to expand beyond themselves to become the best version of themselves they can be.

Time For A Self-Edit

For about the fifth time I have been revising and editing my book "Teaching In The Spirit". Funny how the things you wrote that you thought were so spot on, don't always have the same impact the next time around. As I have been doing the re-write something else struck me. I was reading my own words as I would any other self-help or spiritually related book. In effect, I was teaching myself. As I looked at those words I began to question how much of my own advice I was following. I guess the answer varied from page to page. It made me wonder how many of us as teachers abide by our own guidance. Are we telling our kids to do something and then doing the exact opposite? Are we living our own suggestions? Most importantly, are we being the person that our kids can look to as role models? As you move along in this year, please keep these thoughts in your head at all times and try to make sure your own words are those of truth. If not, it's probably time to start editing and revising your own actions.

Gratitude

Thanksgiving is a great idea. Too bad it doesn't really work. In general it's become another holiday where we run around like crazy trying to make things perfect for that one special day. Often it involves having a bunch of people around that we will probably complain about at work on Tuesday. Cynical? Perhaps a bit, but I say it to make a point. Thanksgiving is not just for one weekend. Gratitude is not just for the big stuff. Thankfullness is a full time occupation. You're alive, that's a miracle in itself. Every breath is a gift. This isn't just Mary Poppins stuff, this is real. And if you doubt it, think about the alternatives. Sure your life has a lot of speed bumps, and some of them are huge, but something in you knows it really doesn't matter in the long run. Now, what can you do with this information? Pass it on. Help your kids to live their lives in gratitude. Every day have them find just one thing they have to be grateful for. Put it in a gratitude diary. Post it on the walls. Gratitude is not just saying a prayer or holding a holiday, it's changing the way you look at life, 360 degrees. It's dropping the victim role and riding in the saddle, and you do your kids a favour by taking them along for the ride. Even those kids with the roughest of lives have something they are grateful for, they just don't know it yet. If it's not their home life, then your job is to make sure it's at school! By the way, Happy Thanksgiving!

Best To Forget

I trust it's been a wonderful summer and that you are all going back rested and with some degree of rejuvenation. As you head back to your classroom, there are many things that you need to remember, from various passwords to school supplies. Even routines often need refreshing. However, it is not the things you need to remember to bring back to school which will change the way you teach. It is the things that you can forget that will do that. Can you forget to bring you ego into the classroom, for just one day? Then maybe the next? Are you able to leave all of your personal stories and assumptions behind on the counter at home where they cannot damage anyone? Can you drop your need to be right and express your opinions to everyone, and leave them on the road on your way to work? And if you feel that these are important to you and they will be missed, how about replacing them with a fresh, open and expansive view of the world, unburdened by all of your judgements and biases. Let's see how that works for you and everyone around you.