Category Archives: educational trends

Dear Parents, Here’s What I Cannot Teach Your Child

Dear Parents – welcome to the next grade! This year we will be learning many new things, and hopefully, our class will be having a lot of fun together in the process. My job is to teach your child. In order for me to do that, there are a few things I hope you will be working on at home—things I cannot teach your child but that are crucial for making learning easier and school more pleasant for everyone.

Respect

Many of us were raised on John Hughes films or the Disney Channel, both of which flout respect for adults—particularly parents and teachers. Because of this, even as adults, our own grasp of proper respect can be a bit shaky. According to the Cambridge Dictionary, respect is defined as, politeness, honor, and care shown toward someone or something that is consideredimportant. The key phrase here, of course, is “considered important.” In order for learning to take place, you and your child must consider her education important and regard me as an important key to receiving an education.

Too often, however, we (even teachers) confuse grades with education. As a result children and parents often demand that teachers structure their lessons and expectations accordingly. If you think helping your child get a good grade is my primary job, then everything I do that hinders that—like sticking to due dates, enforcing difficult standards, or assigning challenging material—will feel to you like I’m not doing my job. And believe me, once you start to disrespect me and the job I’m doing, your child will too.

Please encourage your child to respect and honor their education. Please talk to your child about being polite and considerate to me and to other learners. Getting an education is truly an honor and a privilege, and so is being an educator. If we all keep that in mind, we can build a culture of true respect that will make learning possible.

Work Ethic

If your child develops a deep respect for education, they will be more likely to put in the work necessary to learn and grow. But the reverse is also true. A child who works hard will have greater respect and appreciation for the learning process, and they are more likely to value what they have achieved. Please encourage your child not to cut corners or to just get by. Teach them that there is value in struggling and working through difficult, frustrating, and even boring lessons.

By giving your child chores and responsibilities at home and insisting they do them completely and satisfactorily, you will be teaching them valuable lessons about powering through difficult or tedious tasks. A strong work ethic at home will not only translate to more success in school, but it will help your child develop the skill he needs for greater success in life.

Attention Span

Kids today have had information and entertainment at their fingertips since before they could walk. And while this might be useful for long road trips or finding out the capital of Wisconsin, instant access to knowledge and distraction does not always serve children well in the classroom. Please, please, read to your children or set aside time for them to read on their own. Tell them stories. Give them blocks and dress-up clothes and toys that actually require imagination rather than usurp it. And by all means, let them get bored—then let them figure out a not-digital way out of boredom. Doing these things, these once-common childhood activities is far more likely to prepare your child to focus and learn than any enrichment programs or educational games.

Kindness

No matter what else you teach your child about learning or how well prepared they are to learn, if our classroom is not a place where everyone feels safe and accepted, no one will be at their best. Of course, the best way to teach kindness is to model it, but that is rarely enough. Kindness must be explicitly and intentionally taught. Talk to your child about being inclusive. Tell them about the harm and hurt that comes from gossip and meanness. And give them specific tools for helping others feel seen, valued, and included. Teach your child to be the one who says, “Sit with us.” and “Come play with us.” And warn them that being kind isn’t always easy. It doesn’t even always feel good. But it is always the right thing to do.

Self-control

Children are struggling to sit still and even to have basic control over their bodies. They wiggle and fidget. They fall out of their desks. And they can’t seem to keep their hands to themselves. The sad reality is that some causes of this sort of behavior are out of your control or mine. The structure of the modern school day does not allow for adequate time for play and movement, and this is having a negative effect on student behavior. Still, there are things you can do at home. The most important thing is to limit screen time and insist your child play–preferably outside. Time spent being physically active isn’t just goofing off. It actually helps your child behave better at school and at home.

Attitude

I need your child to come to school with the expectation that some things we do will be difficult or even boring. And that’s okay. Learning can be fun and exciting, but it can also be hard and tedious. If you allow your child to continually gripe and complain about the things they don’t want to do (at home or at school), it only makes things harder for them and for me. Your child doesn’t have to love everything we do in class, but they do need to approach learning with a positive, can-do approach.

The truth is, I not only teach your child the education standards of this new grade, but I teach all these other life skills too. But if my students are going to learn the material for our class, my primary job cannot be teaching them how to work hard and behave well. They have to come to class already knowing these things, and that has to come first and foremost from home. It has to come from you.

I am looking forward to this school year. I am sure with your help and cooperation, it will be a great one!

Warmest regards,

Your child’s teacher

Reference: https://www.boredteachers.com/post/what-i-cannot-teach?fbclid=IwAR0-y82KPP5UMsysLn1Rp0-ZvYhCWAi_1pGWWNt7YaU_KVAox25MDRZ5wI8

Can fidget toys help pupils’ concentration?

As Pop-its beams popular, I got two from Internet. I enjoyed playing and it did release my stress.

Fidget spinners have dropped out of the headlines, but the trend for this type of toy continues, with pupils claiming that they help hone their attention. Kate Parker explores whether these toys can become classroom concentration tools

Can fidget toys help pupils’ concentration?

Look, Katie, look,” my three-year-old niece squeals as she waves a colourful, dinosaur-shaped toy at me during a FaceTime call.

“What is that?” I ask my sister, a primary school teacher, who is just off camera.

She sighs. “It’s called a Pop-it. They’re basically the new fidget spinners; I confiscated loads of them from my Year 5s last term.”

Fidget toys (small, tactile toys that can be moved, stretched or squeezed) often become playground trends. But unlike other trendy objects, these toys are designed with an educational purpose in mind. According to those who make and market them, they are not meant to be used in the playground, but in the classroom, where they can help pupils – particularly those with special educational needs – to concentrate.

Many teachers, however, are sceptical. “There is a very strong correlation between how trendy they are, and how many children suddenly need them,” says Amy Forrester, director of behaviour at Cockermouth School in Cumbria.

“You’ll know as soon as there is a trend for one of these toys because pupils who don’t have any learning needs start asking to use them in the classroom. In reality, they just want to play with something that’s cool and pretend that they need it. Schools are quite quick to shut those things down, and say, ‘No, you don’t need that.’”

But should schools think twice before banning these toys from their classrooms? Are the manufacturers right? Do they, in fact, support children to focus?

Much of the research in this area centres on children with attention deficit and hyperactivity disorders (ADHD) – generally accepted to be the learners who are most likely to benefit from the use of such toys.

For example, in 2015, behavioural science professor Julie Schweitzer published a small study that suggested children with ADHD who are supported to bounce, wriggle or otherwise move gently in place have better concentration levels than those who are not.

And more recently, in New Zealand, researchers at the Auckland Bioengineering Institute (ABI) and Mātai Medical Research Institute found that fidgeting may help those with ADHD to concentrate. Specifically, they found that fidgeting increased blood flow to the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain involved in concentration during decision-making tasks.

A tool for everyone

It is not only children with ADHD who may benefit from fidget toys, though. In 2006, Sheryl Stalvey and Heather Brasell investigated the effects of allowing 6th grade (Year 7) students in a school in rural Georgia to use stress balls during direct instruction and independent practice. They observed that “the frequency of distraction incidents decreased” when students used the stress balls.

In addition, writing skills improved, and the pair found that “based on journal entries, all types of learners thought that their attitude, attention, writing abilities and peer interaction improved due to stress ball use”.

So, fidget toys can help children to concentrate. But how? The answer lies in understanding exactly what fidgeting is and why it happens, suggests psychologist Carey Heller.

Broadly, fidgeting is defined as making small movements with your body, usually your hands and feet. Everyone fidgets, and there are lots of different reasons for this, Heller explains. For those with ADHD, it can be because they struggle to focus. However, for others, it can be because they are bored or anxious.

“The way you fidget can be different based on the reason the fidget is occurring. Some people just like that extra stimulation, and it could be that the task they are doing isn’t providing enough,” he explains.

“It’s like some people listen to music when they’re working, while others prefer absolute silence. For some people, if the task is not inherently motivating in itself, or not stimulating enough, they may want something extra to do alongside it.

“Essentially, fidgeting creates an external stimulation that, in turn, can make someone feel more interested in the task ahead, so they focus better.”

Fidgeting is a natural occurrence, but it’s an occurrence that has the potential to be disruptive in the classroom. If a pupil is constantly swinging back on their chair or tapping a pencil, this can be distracting to those around them.

Using a fidget toy, the thinking goes, can help to channel a pupil’s need to fidget into a less disruptive movement.

So, does that mean that teachers should always allow pupils to use fidget toys in lessons? According to Sydney Zentall, professor emerita of educational studies at Purdue University, Indiana, confiscating the toys can be unhelpful.

“It’s not useful for teachers to remove them,” she says. “I know that they help a significant number of children, and not just those who have specific disorders. There’s a huge range of children who need additional stimulation: often they don’t stand up or move around the classroom for large periods of time, and that can result in sensory deprivation. Fidget toys can provide that sensory experience.”

However, Zentall says there are some types of task where a fidget toy is more likely to help students than others. “The best type of tasks to use these toys [in] are listening tasks or mental computation tasks,” she explains. “If you need to write down answers, the toy, obviously, won’t be effective. But if you can hold it in your hand, without it interfering with listening and mental computation, then it can reduce fidgeting activity and improve test completion.”

Fidget toys could also be useful for intervention groups. At Broadlands Academy in Bath, fidget toys have been introduced for a small group of children who were taken out of mainstream provision as part of an intervention to re-engage them with learning.

Initially, children were given a range of fidget toys to try out, but a wooden seesaw that sits under the desk, and on which students balance their feet, proved to be most popular. Vice-principal Chris Jackson says that he has seen a noticeable difference in concentration levels since the toys were introduced.

“We removed the need for fidgeting with their hands, with their pencils and pens, and allowed them to fidget with their feet. The students really liked it, and at the start of each lesson, they’d come in, find the equilibrium on the seesaw – and those couple of minutes really helped to settle them and sustain concentration throughout the day,” he says.

Jackson says the school is excited to roll the seesaws out to mainstream lessons but isn’t oblivious to the problems that might cause in terms of demand.

“A few years ago, we had all the fidget spinners and other toys come through the classroom – and there may have been a legitimate need for one or two children, but no plan was put in place on how to manage the desire for them in the classroom, which meant that everyone wanted one,” he says.

Everything in moderation

When every child has one, Jackson says, fidget toys can become incredibly distracting in the classroom. Often, when there is an abundance of the toys, it’s because children have brought them into school from home – this, in turn, can fuel competition about who has got the newest or biggest one.

The solution here would be for schools to buy them directly, but when resources are tight, departments won’t be able to stretch to buying hundreds of fidget toys.

“With the seesaw, we’d need to ensure it was included in a SEND plan, and make it clear that the only pupils who can have it are the ones identified,” says Jackson.

However, Zentall points out that fidget toys do not need to be expensive – or even trendy – in order to be effective. She suggests that pipe cleaners can be great tools to provide subtle stimulation for pupils. Not only are pipe cleaners low cost, they don’t spin or make a noise, meaning they’re less likely to disrupt other learners.

Heller agrees that when choosing fidget toys, schools should look for something that will cause minimal disruption, adding that fidget toys need to be something pupils can use “mindlessly”.

Jackson is certain that’s why the seesaws have worked at his school: they are out of sight, under the desk, and they aren’t particularly flashy.

“I had a go of it, and yes, it’s fun for 10 seconds, but you quickly realise that actually, there’s nothing to it – it’s boring for those who don’t need it,” he says. “Whereas, for some of these students who can’t sit still, it really supports them.”

Indeed, even Forrester, who is sceptical about the value of fidget toys, says that when toys are low attention and low disruption, they don’t cause an issue.

“I’ve seen pupils use stress balls, and it’s literally just something they have under their table. If it’s so subtle you can’t even notice a child using it, then that’s absolutely fine. Whereas if a child has a huge pop-it toy or fidget spinner, it can cause a lot of disruption, and I’m hard pushed to believe anyone really needs one of those in the lesson,” she says.

So rather than banning fidget toys outright, perhaps it would be more helpful for schools to stress that these objects should be treated as fidget “tools” – and that, if used, they must be small, simple and kept out of sight.

Kate Parker is schools and colleges content producer at Tes

This article originally appeared in the 19 November 2021 issue under the headline “Tes focus on…Fidget toys”

Can fidget toys be lesson tools?

  • The producers of fidget toys say they have an educational purpose, and can help children – specifically those with attention disorders – to focus.
  • Some research does support this: in 2015, behavioural science professor Julie Schweitzer found that children with ADHD who are supported to bounce, wriggle or otherwise move gently in place have better concentration levels than those who are not.
  • But many teachers find that the more fidget toys are used in the classroom, the more children request them, when they don’t need them. And toys that make a noise or flash are extremely disruptive in lessons.
  • To get the most out of fidget toys in the classroom, they should be treated as tools, be kept out of sight and, crucially, be simple and inexpensive.

Reference: https://www.tes.com/magazine/article/can-fidget-toys-help-pupils-concentration?fbclid=IwAR3xBnreRdmx_oh9rTVsuKQ9BRuePjGZduIlKirthY5bbCNbCCzjSLqsUM8

I’m a Teacher and Wish More Parents Would Focus on These 5 Skills at Home

Raising kids is a huge undertaking. So is teaching them. Teachers see every behavior under the sun. Nothing surprises us. And we care about all of our students. However, some of the basic skills really belongs to parenting and some of my students in G1 and even G3 couldn’t not handle these issues independently.

(Note: This isn’t to say I’m going to dislike your child if they don’t have these skills! We’ll work on it together. I’m always happy to meet students where they are.)

Key skills for raising kids that are well-equipped for school:

1. Basic self-care

At my daughter’s kindergarten parent info night, someone asked what skills kids needed to have before starting school. The parents were all expecting things related to reading, writing, counting, and scissor skills. The teacher said kindergartners need to be able to:

  • Put on their own shoes (tied or Velcro does not matter)
  • Put on their own coats
  • Use the bathroom independently.

That’s it!

Teachers simply don’t have time to attend to the individual needs of 30 students all day long. There would be no time to teach! Raising kids who can confidently handle their own bathroom business and open their own Gogurt allows teachers to focus on actually teaching.

* Obviously, there are exceptions and some children will need more help with self-care skills. However, working with your child to help them be as independent as possible benefits everyone.

2. Mindfulness

Mindfulness means being able to keep your cool in high-stress situations. School is frequently full of high-stress situations. Teach your kids some basic mindfulness strategies such as how to listen to their bodies to notice they’re getting stressed, and how to take deep, restorative breaths to calm down. Encourage kids to take breaks when they’re getting frustrated and to communicate when they need help. Students who are able to self-regulate instead of adding to (or inciting) classroom chaos are a breath of fresh air to those around them.

3. Empathy

Empathy can be taught, modeled, and practiced from a young age. Teach your kids to think about how others are feeling. Then work on helping them consider how their behaviors make other people feel. Model empathy yourself. Show empathy for the driver who cut you off in traffic instead of honking and cursing. “He’s in a big hurry. He must have something very important to get to. That must be stressful for him to be in such a rush.” Daniel Tiger can help you with this. Empathetic students understand other people have hard days, that not everything revolves around them, and that their actions can help or hurt their friends. It makes for a more peaceful classroom.

4. Resilience

Yes, it’s okay to cry, but it’s also okay to get back up again. You can be disappointed when you fail a test, but you can also try harder on the next test. You can ask for help from the teacher or the peer tutoring center. So many students give up when they don’t succeed right away. Encourage your kids to be resilient, have a growth mindset instead of a fixed one, and to focus on the process of hard work instead of just the results. This will help them more in the long run than rewarding them only when they get an A or land first place. And it will save the teacher from dealing with constant meltdowns from students who haven’t developed resiliency.

5. Teamwork

Any activity your child can participate in that involves them working with others as part of a team will benefit them. For a team to really succeed, all players need to work together. It isn’t necessary to force team sports on your kid, especially if they’re introverted or sensitive, but find something that your child is passionate about. Musical groups, plays, martial arts, art classes, chess clubs, etc. all have opportunities to teach your child the value of working together. There will come a time at school when your kid is paired with someone they don’t mesh with. If your child is skilled at being a team player, they’ll work it out.

Classrooms are communities and teachers can’t balance it all on their own. If a student comes to class equipped with self-care, mindfulness, empathy, reliance, and the ability to work well on a team, the classroom will be a more harmonious community. This allows the teacher more time, peace, and calmness to teach the academic skills.

Reference: https://www.boredteachers.com/post/raising-kids?fbclid=IwAR3wxECwovKbO91aytrgMr-biqHdp7CMUXGNvGEwu_Y2vnnyFek0pPs1HBI

70 Kobe Bryant Quotes to Inspire You to Channel That ‘Mamba Mentality’ and Be the Best You Can Be

As a of fan, I’d like to post these quotes in memorizing of the greatest basketball player in my heart. Legend lives forever, Black Mamba!

Kobe Bryant Quotes

1. “Dedication makes dreams come true.”

2. “Once you know what failure feels like, determination chases success.”

3. “The most important thing is you must put everybody on notice that you’re here and you are for real.”

4. “I see the beauty in getting up in the morning and being in pain because I know all the hard work that it took to get to this point. So, I’m not, I’m not sad about [retiring]. I’m very appreciative of what I’ve had.”

5. “After all, greatness is not for everybody.”

6. “I can’t relate to lazy people. We don’t speak the same language. I don’t understand you. I don’t want to understand you.”

7. “May you always remember to enjoy the road, especially when it’s a hard one.”

8. “We psych ourselves up too much. Like if you try to talk yourself into, ‘Oh, this is a big moment, this is a big shot,’ you’re putting a lot of pressure on yourself. You shot that shot hundreds and thousands of times. Just shoot another one.”

9. “There’s nothing truly to be afraid of, when you think about it, because I’ve failed before, and I woke up the next morning, and I’m OK.”

10. “People say bad things about you in the paper on Monday, and then on Wednesday, you’re the greatest thing since sliced bread. I’ve seen that cycle, so why would I be nervous about it happening?”

11. “There’s a big misconception where people thinking winning or success comes from everybody putting their arms around each other and singing kumbaya and patting them on the back when they mess up, and that’s just not reality. If you are going to be a leader, you are not going to please everybody. You have to hold people accountable. Even if you have that moment of being uncomfortable.”

12. “If you’re afraid to fail, then you’re probably going to fail.”

13. “The beauty of coaching is growing the players from the ground up. That journey continues.”

14. “Use your success, wealth, and influence to put them in the best position to realize their own dreams and find their true purpose.”

15. “I want to learn how to become the best basketball player in the world. And if I’m going to learn that, I gotta learn from the best. Kids go to school to be doctors or lawyers, so forth and so on and that’s where they study. My place to study is from the best.”

16. “A lot of leaders fail because they don’t have the bravery to touch that nerve or strike that chord.”

17. “I have self-doubt. I have insecurity. I have fear of failure. I have nights when I show up at the arena and I’m like, ‘My back hurts, my feet hurt, my knees hurt. I don’t have it. I just want to chill.’ We all have self-doubt. You don’t deny it, but you also don’t capitulate to it. You embrace it.”

18. “Trust me, setting things up right from the beginning will avoid a ton of tears and heartache.”

19. “These young guys are playing checkers. I’m out there playing chess.”

20. “I want to see if I can. I don’t know if I can. I want to find out. I want to see. I’m going to do what I always do: I’m going to break it down to its smallest form, smallest detail, and go after it. Day by day, one day at a time.”

21. “I create my own path. It was straight and narrow. I looked at it this way: you were either in my way or out of it.”

22. “When I have the chance to guard Michael Jordan, I want to guard him. I want him. It’s the ultimate challenge.”

23. “A lot of people say they want to be great, but they’re not willing to make the sacrifices necessary to achieve greatness.”

24. “It’s hard for me to grasp the concept of somebody being nervous when I’m talking to them.”

25. “From the beginning, I wanted to be the best. I had a constant craving, a yearning, to improve and be the best.”

26. “My parents are my backbone. Still are. They’re the only group that will support you if you score zero or you score 40.”

27. “I never needed any external forces to motivate me.”

28. “Pain doesn’t tell you when you ought to stop. Pain is the little voice in your head that tries to hold you back because it knows if you continue you will change.”

29. “Losing is losing. There aren’t different degrees of losing. You either win a championship or you’re s**t. It’s very black and white to me.”

30. “You guys know how I am. I don’t forget anything.”

31. “I saw you come in and I wanted you to know that it doesn’t matter how hard you work, that I’m willing to work harder than you.”

32. “I’m extremely willful to win, and I respond to challenges. It’s not a challenge to me to win the scoring title, because I know I can.”

33. “Leadership is lonely. I’m not going to be afraid of confrontation to get us to where we need to go.”

34. “The important thing is that your teammates have to know you’re pulling for them and you really want them to be successful.”

35. “Have a good time. Life is too short to get bogged down and be discouraged. You have to keep moving. You have to keep going. Put one foot in front of the other, smile and just keep on rolling.”

36. “I had to organize things. So I created the ‘Black Mamba.’ So Kobe has to deal with these issues, all the personal challenges. The Black Mamba steps on the court and does what he does. I’m destroying everybody that steps on the court.”

37. “Everything negative—pressure, challenges—is all an opportunity for me to rise.”

38. “I realized that intimidation didn’t really exist if you’re in the right frame of mind.”

39. “There’s no need to get too crazy or bent out of shape. There are still challenges every day. But I’m still having fun. I was born to play this game. I still love it.”

40. “This is the moment I accept the most challenging times will always be behind me and in front of me.”

41. “Great things come from hard work and perseverance. No excuses.”

42. “When we are saying this cannot be accomplished, this cannot be done, then we are short-changing ourselves. My brain—it cannot process failure. It will not process failure. Because if I have to sit there and face myself and tell myself ‘You are a failure,’ I think that is almost worse than dying.”

43. “The moment you give up, is the moment you let someone else win.”

44. “The message was that if you want to win championships, you have to let people focus on what they do best while you focus on what you do best. For me, that was rebounding, running the floor, and blocking shots.”

45. “If I wanted to play, I’d still be playing for the Lakers.”

46. “The most important thing is to try and inspire people so that they can be great at whatever they want to do.”

47. “The last time I was intimidated was when I was six years old in karate class. I was an orange belt and the instructor ordered me to fight a black belt who was a couple years older and a lot bigger. I was scared s**tless. I mean, I was terrified and he kicked my a**. But then I realized he didn’t kick my a** as bad as I thought he was going to and that there was nothing really to be afraid of.”

48. “When you make a choice and say, ‘Come hell or high water, I am going to be this,’ then you should not be surprised when you are that. It should not be something that is intoxicating or out of character because you have seen this moment for so long that when that moment comes, of course it is here because it has been here the whole time, because it has been [in your mind] the whole time.”

49. “Be sad. Be mad. Be frustrated. Scream. Cry. Sulk. When you wake up you will think it was just a nightmare only to realize it’s all too real. You will be angry and wish for the day back, the game back, that play back. But reality gives nothing back and nor should you.”

50. “I’ve shot too much from the time I was eight years old. But ‘too much’ is a matter of perspective. Some people thought Mozart had too many notes in his compositions. Let me put it this way: I entertain people who say I shoot too much. I find it very interesting. Going back to Mozart, he responded to critics by saying there were neither too many notes or too few. There were as many as necessary.”

51. “I love that kids are building confidence on and off the court and unlocking their potential through sport.”

52. “I don’t want to be the next Michael Jordan, I only want to be Kobe Bryant.”

53. “I’ll do whatever it takes to win games, whether it’s sitting on a bench waving a towel, handing a cup of water to a teammate, or hitting the game-winning shot.”

54. “I don’t f**k with bees, man. Other than that, I’m not afraid of nothing.”

55. “If you do not believe in yourself no one will do it for you.”

56. “I’m reflective only in the sense that I learn to move forward. I reflect with a purpose.”

57. “I got one more than Shaq. So you can take that to the bank.”

58. “We all can be masters at our craft, but you have to make a choice. What I mean by that is, there are inherent sacrifices that come along with that. Family time, hanging out with friends, being a great friend, being a great son, nephew, whatever the case may be. There are sacrifices that come along with making that decision.”

59. “I never looked at [basketball] as work. I didn’t realize it was work until my first year in the NBA. When I came around, I was surrounded by other professionals and I thought basketball was going to be everything to them, and it wasn’t. And I was like, ‘This is different.’ I thought everybody was so obsessive about the game like me. It was like, ‘No? Oh, that’s hard work.’ I get it now.”

60. “We can always kind of be average and do what’s normal. I’m not in this to do what’s normal.”

61. “There’s been a lot of talk of me being a one-man show but that’s simply not the case. We win games when I score 40 points and we’ve won when I score 10.”

62. “Haters are a good problem to have. Nobody hates the good ones. They hate the great ones.”

63. “Boos don’t block dunks.”

64. “The beauty in being blessed with talent is rising above doubters to create a beautiful moment.”

65. “Winning takes precedence overall. There’s no gray area. No almosts.”

66. “I don’t want chumps, I don’t want pushovers, and if you’re a chump and a pushover, I will run over you.”

67. “Take it all in. Sit back and watch and listen and hear all the hate that’s being thrown at us and remember every person that’s kicking you when you’re down, because next year it ain’t gonna be this way. Appreciate it now. Let it sit in now, because revenge is sweet and it’s quick.”

68. “Friends can come and go, but banners hang forever.”

69. “There’s certain players that I’ve made cry. If I can make you cry by being sarcastic, then I really don’t want to play with you in the playoffs.”

70. “You are responsible for how people remember you—or don’t. So don’t take it lightly.”

Reference: https://parade.com/1234641/jessicasager/kobe-bryant-quotes/

 

8 Activities for Students (and Teachers) to Create a Mindful Classroom

Everyone in the classroom benefits when there are opportunities throughout the day to reflect and prepare for learning.

The value of mindfulness-related activities in schools is not new. Writer and scientist Jon Kabat-Zinn helped legitimize the concept through his research, but its early connection to meditation raised red flags for some and kept its recommended practices from catching on. Now, however, as the adverse impact of stress on learning is quite well understood and the pandemic, along with racial and economic disparities, has escalated stress levels in schools worldwide, mindfulness practices are enjoying a resurgence.

I have had the opportunity to see many mindfulness practices in action in schools and to speak to a number of master teachers of mindfulness. I have identified eight activities that are relatively easy to implement in classrooms and schools. With a little practice, these can be part of any educator’s pedagogical toolbox.

CARING OPENINGS

1. Silent 60: Start the class by having all students sit quietly for 60 seconds to get themselves ready for learning. You can add a focus on a particular sound in the room, an image you provide (e.g., a dot on a piece of paper, an abstract picture you put up on a screen), or their breathing. Start with 15 seconds for early elementary students and gradually increase. Begin with 20–30 seconds for upper elementary.

2. Powerful Listening: Ring a bell, use a wind chime, or employ another object that makes a long, trailing sound. Ask students to listen and raise their hands when they no longer can hear the sound. After all agree that the sound has stopped, set a timer for one minute, ask students to sit quietly, and then when time is up, ask them what they heard during that minute.

3. One Minute for Good: Start the class by having students reflect for a minute about something that has gone well or something that they are grateful for. This can be done in writing, pair shares, or small or large group discussions. Larger groups work best for early elementary.

4. Morning Classroom Conversations: Start the day with a quote that can stimulate short conversations to help middle and high school students begin to interact with classmates in supportive ways. Sample conversation prompts can be found here.

IN THE MOMENT

5. Three Breaths: Have students take three deep breaths at regular intervals, such as before class changes or whenever strong feelings of anxiety or tension arise. Teachers should instruct students on this breathing technique and create visual reminders and prompting signals for students to begin. This is a valuable practice for staff as well, as expert mindfulness teacher Danielle Nuhfer, who has compiled an array of marvelous techniques in The Path of the Mindful Teacher, shared with me:

“The great thing about Three Breaths is that if the teacher would like to share with students what he/she is doing, they can. I’ve been known to pause, put my hand on my chest/heart, tell my class that I need a moment, and take three breaths. This is something that is a great way to demonstrate our own emotional regulation. When students witness their teacher work through a stressful situation in a way that demonstrates awareness and presence, they may remember that themselves. Sometimes this kind of role modeling can be more impactful than even teaching a lesson to our students about emotional regulation.”

6. Body Scan: Educators benefit from learning to focus on their bodies. Make sure you are feeling centered with both feet on the floor as you teach your classes or meet with students or colleagues. Notice when and where you are feeling tension or when your breathing is shallow or labored, and use Three Breaths (or more!) to help you feel some relief. Don’t hesitate to let students or colleagues know that you are taking a few moments to gather yourself via breathing.

7. Speak Your Mantra: Develop a phrase that helps you keep focus and keep perspective. Repeat it often—when you encounter roadblocks and when things are going well. Put it in places where you will see it because when emotions run high, we can lose sight of our more cherished values. Some examples:

  • “I am preparing all of these children for an uncertain future.”
  • “I want all students to enjoy well-being, happiness, and peace.”
  • “My goal is to prepare students for the tests of life—not just a life of tests.”

ENDING THE DAY

8. Concluding Reflections: Many have extolled the value of reflection, from Sir John Templeton, founder of the character-focused foundation with his name, to the SEL exemplar Responsive Classroom. Mindfulness experts like Nuhfer have joined that group. Below are five of her favorites for closing the school day, plus two of my own:

  • Something I learned today…
  • I am curious about…
  • I am looking forward to tomorrow because…
  • Something I’ll do (next, later today, this weekend, before the end of the week, etc.)…
  • A question I still have is…
  • I had the best feeling today when…
  • Something from today that I am grateful for/thankful for/appreciative of is…

Most teachers start off as teachers who use mindfulness; moving to become a “mindful teacher”—what Nuhfer describes as a teacher who “acts with awareness about what is happening in the moment,” at every moment—takes practice with multiple techniques, reading the relevant literature, being aware of implicit biases, and being part of a community of like-minded educators who help each other improve.

Reference: https://www.edutopia.org/article/8-activities-students-and-teachers-create-mindful-classroom?fbclid=IwAR2j3KHY1nrnFsjS5kce4-yvZVbPnh4bs2cWu00ybOc7wlQgZ61M4FOldug