Photo by Matthew Sleeper on Unsplash
My last period of my Tuesday is my hardest class. I often leave Tuesdays feeling at a loss for how to help that group succeed. But each Tuesday afternoon at 2:10 (My class before ends at 2:08. Ahem.), I walk into their room and say, “We are not going to dwell on last week, and we are going to focus on this week.”
Of course, it is helpful to remember some of what students struggled with and ways I can frame the class so that we are more successful. But I have to let go of any of my frustrations that may have boiled over the week before. I have to see them anew to see clearly what is happening this week. This week, two of my boys who have been most out of control in the past were responsive and eve helpful. Notably, they were two of the students i had spent lunch with the week before.
One of the attitudes of mindfulness, as defined by MBSR (Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction) is Beginner’s Mind. May we continue to approach our students in this way so that we can give them the space to grow, to make mistakes, and to try again.