Wonder and Awe

What if all educators made it their primary goal to create wonder and awe in our students? Are those two things that you can even create in someone? Lets sit with that for a moment and think... can we instill wonder and awe in others? I would like to think so! May we all make it our greatest challenge to take even the hardest of children and show them what it means to sit in awe at something; let us show them what it means to wonder about something beyond themselves. Isn't this what creating a love of learning is all about!? Check it out:

Assuming the best...

Many years ago I went to a conference and the major thing that I took away from it was one tiny phrase - not even a sentence, that I wrote down in my notebook: "assume good intentions of each-other." After that I wrote myself a little to-do list and number six on that list is, "assume good intentions of all staff." I like to think that I have gotten really great at this over the years, but the truth is that I often slip up. Sometimes I get caught up in the false assumption that one of my colleagues is doing something because they are mean or they are trying to not value others. What a silly thought. Do we really think that our colleagues, other teachers, other humans who went into the education field to work with and help students learn... do we really think that they would INTENTIONALLY do something to hurt our students or their fellow co-workers? Lets be real here. We all can have moments of selfishness. We all can have reactions to circumstances that, upon reflection, don't make us proud. We are all human.

I love the Brene Brown quote above. I think it is SO important to remember that we're all in this together. What good does it do to assume that others are intentionally making bad decisions or poor choices in how they work their classroom or the master schedule or behavior interventions? Seriously. What good does that do? Can you think of anything? I cannot.

What you think about, you bring about...

I love this thought that "whatever we put out into the universe, we get back." It makes total sense when we think about it with a sound mind, but what about when we are in a funk or a negative state of mind that we just cannot seem to shake? Asking for a friend (haha, but I seriously am). If we are looking at this idea or quote through a negative lens, do we really get it? Can we really get it? How can we help others see that the energy they are expending is coming right back at them - whether it is negative or positive?

It is funny that when we are "doing" self-care or reflection, whether that be writing or talking or thinking, we are looking for answers, but what usually happens is that we come away with questions. Hopefully that means we are doing it right.

For today anyway, in order to help my friend, I am going to focus on putting out good energy into this world. Maybe that energy will show, or maybe not. But it will definitely radiate and bring about positivity in my own world. What we think about, we bring about... I'm up for the challenge. And here's to getting my friend to be up for it as well!

Opening minds to the world...

So many times, lately, my "WHY" has popped up and hit me right in the face. My "why," meaning the reason WHY I do what I do. We all have a "why." What is yours? Well, mine just so happens to be this: you know that feeling you get when one of your students all of a sudden has an "ah ha" moment?" My why is about that, but then I take it a step further. My "why" is when a student has a "light-bulb moment" when their mind gets opened up to a broader, more accepting and tolerant world. 

I left a job in a big school district to come to a small, rural area for a reason. I didn't know that reason completely when I left, but it has been slowly revealed day by day. My "why" comes about often here. What a blessing (in disguise, of course). Don't forget to look for your "whys" every day! 

Origami - it can change our minds

I cannot help but talk about this really great thing a 9th grade boy did. Because he was challenged to do a random (secret) act of kindness, he came up with this idea. He created something like 20 different pieces of origami, and wrote positive quotes on them all. THEN - he spread them around the school for people to find. Let me tell you, it is amazing. What a great idea.

One example of this happy experiment changing viewpoints is this: we got a new student right on the day that he was spreading the origami around. The new student, scared and shy, did a double-take when she saw the goat origami piece. I told her she was welcome to have it. She smiled, took it and read the positive quote. She talked about how it was so perfect because she has goats at her grandma's house. This was great; especially because this girl is in the middle of a terrible situation, being uprooted from her previous school. She has no control over what is happening in her world, and the one bit of positive was just enough to put a smile on her face.

It's the little things, folks.

What is your why?

Sometimes I am so blown away and mind-boggled by the point of view my students are coming from that I can't help but shake my head. But here's the cool thing: our students are so mold-able right now that they NEED us to help them see beyond themselves. If we get too boggled or upset about how narrow minded some students are, we might not get to the good stuff!

This week, I had a student who was adamant that it was okay to use really offensive words (cue words like the N-word and you know what I'm getting at) when talking with your friends - because, "hey, our friends know we're joking." After a long and calm discussion about this, the student went on his way. An hour later he returned and said, "hey, so I've really been thinking about our conversation... I think I get it. I have a question. If I'm talking about something and use the word 'gay' to describe it, is that a bad thing?" The student was so genuine in his question. Though I was totally confused WHY HE DID NOT KNOW THIS ALREADY, I calmly and almost excitedly invited him to answer his own question. We processed this too. It was a real and honest "AH HA" moment. 

This is exactly why I do what I do. I love the AH HA moments the most. What is your WHY?

This is a great video that puts it into perspective on why we need a WHY... :)

Mindfulness thoughts...

I often talk about the brain, introduce new mindfulness techniques and "meditate" with the students... there are many thoughts about this, and sometimes I worry it won't be taken seriously, but the students love it. Little by little, they learn to use it on their own. I like this school-wide initiative:

Check out this school!