Be Here Now
“Children reflect the nervous systems of adults around them.”
(Mindful Schools)
Learning to be in the present moment, without passing any judgment on it, can really boost our resiliency. It provides us with the ability to accept the circumstance for what it is while maintaining enough clarity in our thinking to really weigh our options for responding. We can accept that things are nowhere near where we want them to be and feel all of the emotions that go along with that fact. We can take that realization and find tiny points of light to help us remain grounded, even when all we want to do is fly far, far away. We can find ways to stay in our “upstairs brain” and avoid “flipping our lids.” We teach this to our students and we should be practicing this more ourselves. If our emotions influence the emotions of our students, we should be prioritizing our own emotional self-awareness and then finding intentional ways to keep from flipping our lids. It's what WE NEED FOR OURSELVES. By putting our own needs first, we ultimately also support students.
Explore the resources below to learn more about this month's habit, "Be Here Now."
Explore Chapter 5 of Onward: Cultivating Emotional Resilience in Educators for more detailed support for this month's habit of Be Here Now. Consider including some of these as the topic of conversation during your weekly mentor/mentee meeting.
Read pages 125-139 for more detailed information on the role mindfulness and finding the present moment play in building the resilience muscles that keep us from flipping our lids so much.
Emotions Are Contagious!
How powerful is that statement? Our behavior can influence the behavior of our students. Have you ever thought about that? Usually, we look at it the other way around, but our emotions are contagious as well - and this is backed by science. This has HUGE implications in the physical classroom, but it might be even more impactful right now as we continue to navigate not only our feelings about the difficulties of this new and ever-changing educational landscape we find ourselves in but also the frustrations being voiced by families and the larger society.
