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/