week 13 post 2
When approaching mindfulness in schools it is very important to consider who is teaching and who is learning. Both sides of the spectrum need support and understanding for this process to function properly. In the modern education system it is not just students who are burnt out but it is also teachers. Many teachers enter their jobs with love and enthusiasm which is plundered by the issues that plague the system. For them to be able to be happy, functional teachers, it is necessary to help guide them to fall in love with teaching again. It is also necessary to instruct these teachers on the best way for them to explain mindfulness and emotions to kids, especially teenagers. If kids are burnt out and not supported than this whole effort needs to be reworked, but if teachers are burnt out and not supported either the whole thing cannot work seeing as they are the ones who spread the information.
For example after five years around 46 percent of teachers leave teaching for new positons or quit teaching, due to a number of reasons including lack of satisfaction from their jobs, lack of autonomy, and lack of helpful feedback and support. For all that these teachers do they are not given the proper support themselves to help teach effectively. This has lead to the question of how can it become possible to fall in love with teaching again? It can be broken up into 3 different cultivating areas, mindfulness, gratitude, and job crafting. To start with mindfulness it is hard for teachers to focus on the present but it is so important. Many teachers find themselves looking at the future and planning while others are stuck on the past and what went on but it is very important to step back and just focus on what you are doing right now and what you can do right now. In a busy day it is important for all teachers to take a break and practice mindfulness whether that be a breathing exercise which helps trigger parasympathetic nerves or something like a mindfullness journal. Second is gratitude becdause while teachers are often stuck comparing grades, students, classes, and lack of materials, all of this comparing tears away at the wellbeing of teachers. This is why it is important to be thankful for what is good and what does well because when that thought proccess is actively used it makes for a better mindset. lastly is the concept of job crafting which is to take intentional actions to change how one interacts with ones tasks and others. This can be done by focusing on what makes the teacher love their job and how can they do that thing more?, what frustrates the teacehr about this job and how can the reduce or shift this frustration?, What are the teachers strengths and how can they apply them more?, and lastly what are the teachers weakness and how can I outsource or get help to strengthen them? the point of all of this is to create a more engaged, passionate, happy, teacher.
For example after five years around 46 percent of teachers leave teaching for new positons or quit teaching, due to a number of reasons including lack of satisfaction from their jobs, lack of autonomy, and lack of helpful feedback and support. For all that these teachers do they are not given the proper support themselves to help teach effectively. This has lead to the question of how can it become possible to fall in love with teaching again? It can be broken up into 3 different cultivating areas, mindfulness, gratitude, and job crafting. To start with mindfulness it is hard for teachers to focus on the present but it is so important. Many teachers find themselves looking at the future and planning while others are stuck on the past and what went on but it is very important to step back and just focus on what you are doing right now and what you can do right now. In a busy day it is important for all teachers to take a break and practice mindfulness whether that be a breathing exercise which helps trigger parasympathetic nerves or something like a mindfullness journal. Second is gratitude becdause while teachers are often stuck comparing grades, students, classes, and lack of materials, all of this comparing tears away at the wellbeing of teachers. This is why it is important to be thankful for what is good and what does well because when that thought proccess is actively used it makes for a better mindset. lastly is the concept of job crafting which is to take intentional actions to change how one interacts with ones tasks and others. This can be done by focusing on what makes the teacher love their job and how can they do that thing more?, what frustrates the teacehr about this job and how can the reduce or shift this frustration?, What are the teachers strengths and how can they apply them more?, and lastly what are the teachers weakness and how can I outsource or get help to strengthen them? the point of all of this is to create a more engaged, passionate, happy, teacher.
What would be the best way to train teachers in mindfulness?
ReplyDeleteThat is a good question. I would want to look more into places that have successfully done this and then model my actions after them. One big thing I would do is make sure the teachers themselves can actively use the mindfuleness techniques for themselves because that might make them more passionate.
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