We gather together to create something beautiful

October is finished but the school year seems to have gotten harder in the last couple of days.—what a way to start November.  After not speaking about the election season at all as a school community, November 9th brought a deluge of words… and tears.

I went to bed early election night; fear of the outcome and an oversized headache laid me to waste.  When I woke up for work at 5am, I immediately turned on the news and checked my Facebook feed.  There was the news.  I took it all in and got ready for work. 

There was a strange mood in the building, new yet familiar.  It reminded me of the day after the shooting at the park where our kids were ending Spring sports practice- tense, sad and questioning.  There were small groups of adults talking about their reactions to the election, among them parents who were rehashing what they said to their own children at breakfast so others could have an idea what to say to the kids at school.  While in a conference with another staff member, I noticed the Social Worker in tears.  It didn’t take much time for me to know how students felt; it was the topic of breakfast for middle schoolers, many who were scared to think about how Trump’s policies around immigration would hurt them and their families.  But even the littler ones were impacted.   Through clenched teeth one of our classroom aides told me of an encounter with a 1st grade Hispanic male student.  He said to her, “I’m glad that Trump is President.  That means all the Black people have to go.  I can stay because I’m Hispanic.”  And that’s when it hit me that there was something that we needed to do for our community.  

Before I could get to my computer to send out something, fortunately, the Principal sent out an email about an afternoon circle. We huddled in the small library to let it all out and it was powerful.  We used the norms of our school circles, the biggest one being- Speak Your Truth— and the truth was told. It was devastating and heartbreaking and still filled with hope.  In that circle, we told of the truth of disappointment, the truth of uncertainty, the truth of trust and respect.  We spoke of the comfort they got from our students when as adults they felt broken down.  Through tears, we spoke the of the truth of the resilience of educators and spoke the truth of love for our children.  In that circle, that day, together we spoke the truth of healing in and it was beautiful.

To learn the history of healing circles:

http://www.ceaa.gc.ca/050/documents/p63928/92023E.pdf

Is it November yet?

OCTOBER. For many educators, October is a rough month. The beginning of the school honeymoon is definitely over and the students (and sometimes parents) let you know it.  Observation and evaluation season picks up and that often brings with it a bit of pessimism.  Some days are a grind with no joy around, but plenty of questions about student performance and your own performance  

October wasn’t much different than that for me even now as a school leader.  And on top of that, I am always sick in October. I pray daily that November comes quickly.  Knowing the trend, I decided to try something intentional in order to keep my sanity— MINDFULNESS EXERCISES.

I’ve been taking an on-line class on the practice of Mindfulness.  Mindfulness is:

Mindfulness means maintaining a moment-by-moment awareness of our thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and surrounding environment.  Mindfulness also involves acceptance, meaning that we pay attention to our thoughts and feelings without judging them—without believing, for instance, that there’s a “right” or “wrong” way to think or feel in a given moment. When we practice mindfulness, our thoughts tune into what we’re sensing in the present moment rather than rehashing the past or imagining the future. (http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/topic/mindfulness/definition)

So far the course is helping me to remember each person’s humanity- the fragility and the strength that each person has.  By using the exercises I am able to slow myself down

 and consider how others will respond to my actions and also to really listen to the person who is in front of me without letting my mind drift to the 9,001 other things that I think are a priority.  It is bringing a new depth to the relationships that I am building with students and their families.

It hasn’t all been seamless.  For example, Two weeks ago, I walked in the main office and barked an order to the administrative staff.  Later when one of the women wanted to talk to me about it, I was defensive, unapologetic and dismissive of her concern.  At the end of the day, as I sat in my office, my spirit compelled me sit still and do a meditative exercise.  It centered me in my own feelings, accepting those feelings and brought me the space to think about Vanessa’s experience of me.  Accepting my own feelings helps me to consider the feelings of others in how we interact.  Before I left for the day, Vanessa was able to experience a more respectful conversation with me. 

Every day that I am intentional about the practice, is a day that I am purposeful about caring for myself…and that helps me take care of others.

For more information on the Mindfulness Fundamentals course: http://www.mindfulschools.org/