SOLSC #22 How do you relax?

During the month of March, I am participating in
the Slice of Life Story Challenge.
All participants are writing about one moment, one part of their day, every day for thirty-one days. My slices will be primarily about teaching preschoolers.

Check out the Two Writing Teachers website for many more reflections on teaching.

I arrived at school this morning so tightly wound. My mile walk from the metro didn't soothe me as it typically does, because my mind raced with all that I must get done between now and Friday. It was a little bit like this - 

findlostlibrarybookreportcardsneedtobe

finalizedyoumustfigureoutattendance

totalswhereisoverviewofcurriculum

planninginformationtosharemustwrite

notetoheadofschoolbeforevacationprint

outstoriesandphotosforportfoliosmust

completegolddatabeforevacationtoo

Friday is coming - and it is going to be great, this I know! My husband and I are flying to Scotland, spending spring break in Edinburgh with our son Bryce, who is there for a semester abroad. I am so so so excited! But, wow, there is so much "doing" between now and then. 

The good news is - today was the beginning of our special intersession at my school. Each day, instead of centers, the preschool and Pre-K classes are mixed up and divided up into small groups to pursue fun new activities. My intersession group this spring is called "Great Books in Great Places" - I and my colleague Ms. McNeil are walking the neighborhood with eight children and a bag of picture books, stopping to read in lots of fun new locations. Yes, it is a sweet way to teach!

To introduce the intersession, we sat in our early childhood book nook and read Dr. Seuss' Ten Apples on Top. I explained that we would search for great places to read as we walked. Today, I brought a backpack filled with books about outdoors. We stepped out into the brisk air and walked up the street, up the hill, around the corner. We stopped to read whenever a child asked to stop.We had no sooner left the school when the children asked to sit on a concrete pad. We read The Listening Walk by Paul Showers, which led to us listening to and repeating all the sounds of the world around us - different birds, cars, the horn of a big truck, wind, laughter and voices, a bulldozer, hammering, and even a foam plate that the wind blew down the road. As we made our way down the road, we found a tree with a huge root system and the children thought that was a perfect place for another book (Birds, by Kevin Henkes). As we made it up the hill, there was an open field where some children sat while others collected sticks, all in earshot of the reading. Here, we read two books - one, a song, Inch by Inch: The Garden Song by David Mallett and, two, a book about friendship, Hot Day on Abbott Avenue by Karen English. We were just bending the corner of the road when we realized we had to get back to school in a very few minutes...we raced back! Yikes! That was the fastest hour of teaching ever...and we have so many unread books in the backpack still. Tomorrow we will walk and read again!

I realized I was no longer tightly wound. I felt happy, carefree, lighter. Note to self - seek fresh air, walking, children, and books; a good mood will follow.

Tuesday SOL Summer of healing

This is a Tuesday Slice of Life for Two Writing Teachers. 

Check out their website for many more reflections on teaching.

Summer is delightfully underway and
I am immersing myself in many daily pleasures -
reading and writing,
gardening (weeding!),
painting outdoor furniture,
walking and bicycling,
cooking and eating well.
This year, my summer is an amazing eight weeks long, and
I am trying to savor each day.
I know how extraordinarily lucky I am to have this much time for rest and reflection, and
it is much needed.

In the midst of my son's health challenges this spring,
I signed up for a workshop to jumpstart a summer of healing -

Basic Mind Body Skills for Alleviating Anxiety and Trauma with Robin Carnes.

As is true with all that I do, see, read, experience,

I thought so much about my preschoolers during this workshop!

It seems to me that 

I have more students showing signs of anxiety than

I used to have.

I don't have any empirical data to support this,

just a gut feeling.

I wonder,

are families more stressed?

are parents more preoccupied?

are children's lives more structured, with higher expectations for performance? 

I don't know.

But, 

I see children who
worry a lot
continuously scan the room for changes
seem unsettled
avoid interacting with others
have nervous tics
cry a lot
tense up unexpectedly and frequently
seem uncomfortable in their own skin

and it is my job as classroom teacher to help them
feel safe, loved, welcomed,
to help them feel a strong sense of belonging.

I came away from this workshop with ideas
not just for myself and my family
but ideas to enhance my teaching -

lots of physical movements to weave into my daily routines,
helping to ground and orient children's bodies;
new breathing exercises, to help us calm and focus; and
importantly
new understanding and acceptance of anxiety.

Perhaps the most powerful "take away" was Ms. Carnes' repeated reminder to
work with ourselves and others
gently and compassionately...
experience what is,
be with ourselves,
in the moment,
just as we are,
gently and compassionately.

Ms. Carnes suggested that we lose one admonishment of ourselves, of others -
lose the command
"Relax!"
When we try to fix,
stop,
halt
anxiety,
the body resists.

Instead,
work gently and compassionately,
experience what is -
that is how things begin to shift.

Happy summer, one and all!

SOLSC 2015 #11: What if I taught from there?

Each day during March, I am participating in the Two Writing Teachers Slice of Life Story Challenge (SOLSC). All participants are writing about one moment, one part of their day, every day for thirty-one days. My slices will be primarily about teaching preschoolers. Check out the Two Writing Teachers  website for lots more reflections on teaching. Thanks especially to Stacey, Tara, Anna, Beth, Dana, and Betsy for hosting this writing challenge. 

*******

"Your right foot should be pointing forward, your back foot should be parallel with the end of your mat," she coached, as we moved into "Warrior" position. There we were, in full meditative focus, when we heard a rush of young feet, saw the door fly open, and heard an almost instantaneous "Oops! Sorry!" by a first grader. The door slammed back shut, my colleagues and I burst into giggles, only to be echoed by whispers and giggles on the other side of the door, and then the door being thrown back open one more time, with now two first graders looking in, and quickly rushing back out.

Every Tuesday afternoon, after school, my school has been providing a free yoga class to all staff. It is a fabulous perk. It takes place in this marvelous fitness room that is adjacent to our all-purpose room.

Unfortunately, the all-purpose room is also where aftercare takes place. 

I suspect the children are used to running around in both rooms - and were taken aback to find the room occupied, with their teachers doing yoga, no less. That was worth a second look.

A short while later, we lay on our mats attempting "Shavasana," when all is to be oh so quiet and meditative. Pouring forth from the other side of the wall was raucous laughter, fort building, and bouncing balls. We were in two places at once. Very funny, very challenging, and, still, very lovely. 

I am a beginner at yoga, having taken a class or two every now and again through the years. This is the first time I have ever had a consistent yoga experience. Each week, the instructor changes up our routine a bit...I remember a couple weeks ago being asked to 'rotate our shoulders' during some prone position - Cobra, perhaps? Truly, not sure. Anyhow, she asked us to move our shoulders up, move them down, move them up, move them down - after a few of these back and forths, she asked us to find the place in the middle - and to consider how strong, comfortable, and energizing this felt. 

For days, the experience of this one move stayed with me. It really was delightful, the sensation, to move from stress and tough and awkwardness to this sweet spot. I thought,

what if I taught from there?

what if I parented from there?

what if I loved from there?

what if I lived from there?

Right there, in the middle, the space in-between, where everything feels so possible.

Namaste.

SOLSC #21 Sense of Loss

I am posting every day during March as part of the annual "Slice of Life" Challenge for Two Writing Teachers.  Check out their website for lots more reflections on teaching.

*******

With a quick swipe of our SmartCards,
we move through the turnstiles at the metro and
hurry down the escalator to the platform.
Train due in two minutes - okay, good!
We walk together,
down the platform and
position ourselves to board the train.
Happy together,
chatting a little,
then lost in our own individual thoughts as the day begins.
The daily commute,
with my favorite companion,
my husband.
Oh, yes! Here comes the train.
I walk a few steps forward,
in order to be right at the opening door.
Look, an empty seat! 
That doesn't happen enough. 
I sit down, on the outside edge,
because I get off the metro at the earlier stop.
No one sits next to me.
Whaa?
Where is he?
I hop up from my seat,
startled, a bit frightened, and
definitely confused.
Metro doors close tightly and
the train races forward.
I am bewildered,
spinning my head around,
eyes searching wildly at all the neighboring seats,
through the window at the distancing platform, and
down the long train car,
finding
my disconcerted husband
at the opposite end,
standing,
searching,
his eyes mirroring mine,
yes, my husband,
equally baffled.
We had somehow,
automatically,
robotically,
boarded the train
via two different doors.
What if we had ended up on different cars!
We were together on that platform,
in body only.
I hurry to him,
shaking my head and chuckling,
and we greet one another with a happy hug,
as if we had been separated all day.
An uneasy feeling lingers,
a profound sense of loss.
How weird,
together, and
abruptly not.
When has this happened before?
What have I missed?

**************

(A daily share by preschoolers in their own words)

A Story Collage by Nico

     Do you remember when we went to see the horses? A lady was riding on one horse. What was the horse named? Blue! This horse is blue.  Boo! The bear! That’s about Jungle Book. Did you know I went to feed the ducks with my Mom yesterday? You have to wear something on the horse so that you don’t fall down on the horse. I love my Dad and my Mom! I said that already!! The End.

SOLSC #19 The power of breathing

I am posting every day during March as part of the annual "Slice of Life" Challenge for Two Writing Teachers.  Check out their website for lots more reflections on teaching.

*******

Today and yesterday, with the Mindfulness Conference a fresh echo in my head, I have been trying to both teach and practice breathing skills with the Big Cats. There are several children for whom a loud squawk, shriek, or scream is the first sign I have that something is amiss. I always run right to their side to discern, as quickly as possible, what just happened? is someone bleeding? is someone physically injured? The reality - typically - is much, much less grievous than the squawk, shriek, or scream indicated. Usually, a toy is being shared in a way that doesn't seem fair or some play has not gone their way. I've decided these more loud, volatile aggravations are a ripe opportunity for breathing!

Here's what happened:
1) He explodes when he thinks his classmate has more plastic golf balls than he has - "Ms. Ingram! He took them! Look! Look! Look! He has more! And it's not fair! And I need them! And I was using them."
2) She wails when I take away her doll so that her hands are free to help clean up the classroom with the rest of us - "I want my Mommy! I don't know how to clean! I need my doll!"
3) She screams when her classmate says she is a bad guy and they are running from her - "Waaah! Noooo!"

Each time, I made a conscious effort not to fix the problem, not to tell the child what to say, not to bring arguing parties together immediately. Instead, I got on my knees, on the child's level, and said in a calm voice, "Breathe in, breathe out. Try again, take a deep breath. Let the air out." Sometimes the child kept crying. I continued to soothe, now putting my hand up with four fingers - "See these four candles? Try to blow them out." For each, this was strangely irresistible - they blew at my hand, and I pretended that the four finger candles fell over. I had them blow out these 'candles' two more times.

Then, "Wow, you are calm now. You are breathing so nicely. Now what?"

Each of them solved their own situation! It was a small miracle!
1) "I'm going to tell him he has more than me and I don't like that. We will build a big ramp together."
2) "I'm going to pick up books and put them back on the shelf."
3) "I'm going to tell her that I am not a bad guy! We will chase other bad guys together!"


I am truly amazed.

I see the power of simply being present - not assuming right, wrong, anything.

Wow.

I wonder,
How long will I stay calm in these situations?

**************

(A daily share by preschoolers in their own words)

A Story Collage by Lily

     Those are princess girls. The bear is blocking the way. And that is blocking. The princesses are lost. The tree is lost. They are in the jungle! And the bear is blocking their way. And it is called “Cinderellie”! Once upon a time there was Cinderellie and her mice. The End

SOLSC #16 More on mindfulness

I am posting every day during March as part of the annual "Slice of Life" Challenge for Two Writing Teachers.  Check out their website for lots more reflections on teaching.

*******

The weekend conference about Mindfulness in Education is over and now all I have to do is write a blogpost before midnight! ;-)

Somehow, rushing to do this, seems the very contradiction of all the wonderful things I experienced this weekend.

"When you are running out of time, slow down."
(Mirabai Bush, Center for Contemplative Mind)

I'll just make it a rambling post, and we will see what results.

Mindfulness is 

paying attention

in a particular way

on purpose

in the present moment

non-judgmentally.

(Kabat-Zinn, 1990)

I don't want to forget the presentation by Andres Gonzalez, Atman Smith, and Ali Smith, regarding their Holistic Life Foundation. These three men exuded so much energy, love, and idealism. They are successfully bringing yoga and mindfulness to urban youth in Baltimore.

Hold a sacred space for each other.

These ideas were heard at a roundtable by elementary school teachers, sharing mindfulness ideas and techniques that they use in their classrooms:

• picture book - Moody Cow Meditates
• visualization idea for whole group: eyes closed, imagine yourself at the top of a mountain [or other location, such as river, in a hot air balloon, in the woods], and you see the most amazing thing you've ever seen. Share and then dramatically re-enact what they saw.
• breathing exercises; ex., "taco" breathing for "hot-headed kids" - curl your tongue, inhale deep, swallow your breath, exhale through nose
• appreciation circles, appreciation jars - how someone else helped you
• drawing, moving to instrumental music
• painting mancala stones
• chime - "hands up as you hear the bell, hands down when you know longer hear it"
• yoga deck cards 

"No printed word, nor spoken plea

can teach young minds what they should be.

Not all the books on all the shelves - 

but what the teachers are themselves."

-Rudyard Kipling

Thoughts and questions:

How do we give teachers the time and space to be mindful?

How to build health and well-being in teachers?

Imagine schools where "discipline" means quiet, meditative, contemplative practice.

This is our life,

the ordinary way, and

we take it with us night and day.

**************

(A daily share by preschoolers in their own words)

A Story Collage by Jasmine

     Once upon a time, Faith said “Jasmine, we need to go inside right now!” And then a little flower gets up and she said, “Oh, wow, now I got my whoops e doop, now I don’t have my whoops e doop.” It’s a boy and his name is Toto. The bunny says “oh no I’m getting late for home! I better hurry now.” And then the little boy said “Ah ha! I’m going to catch a butterfly tonight!” And then a little pig “Oink, I’m going to stare at the moon, I’m going to stare at the moon!” And the little girl said, “I’m stricky and I’m not supposed to talk.” And then the owl says “whoo, whoo, whoo, whoo, whoo, whooo!” 

The End 

SOLSC #15 Mindfulness Conference

I am posting every day during March as part of the annual "Slice of Life" Challenge for Two Writing Teachers.  Check out their website for lots more reflections on teaching.

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Beware the Ides of March!
(I always say this on March 15th.)

I am not fearing today! I am attending a Mindfulness in Education Network Conference at American University this weekend - yesterday, today, and tomorrow. After day one, I can report - it is awesome! Obviously, no real time to process it all just yet...but I'd love to share some of my notes and get you thinking, too.

Yesterday's sessions were run by Parker Palmer's Center for Courage and Renewal. The umbrella title for the day was "Courageous Schools: Teaching and Leading in Tough Times." There were many provocative discussions.

They shared Parker Palmer's five essential habits of the heart:

1. An understanding that we are all in this together.
2. An appreciation of the value of "otherness."
3. An ability to hold tension in life-giving ways.
4. A sense of personal voice and agency.
5. A capacity to create community.

Are these true in your classroom? With colleagues? With families? In the whole school community?

How do you build the muscle for dialogue and problem-solving?

What makes it possible to see the gifts of students, teachers, colleagues, parents, other? And what makes it hard?

Can we take different perspectives? How can I get your perspective?

In what ways do we, and can we, model in our community of colleagues what we are expecting of and hoping for students in the classroom?

So much to think about! Gotta get over to Day 2 now!

**************

A Story Collage by Ian

     Once upon a time, there was a house. And lived, a metro station over the tracks.  And a monkey! Then I knocked down the metro station. And the monkeys eat you up! The End