Today, we had a Teachers Institute Day due to it being a voting day and our schools are polling places. We had a timely morning meeting with a guest speaker about Toxic Trauma, which I will be writing a lot about in the near future...I am sure!
I am a strong advocate for Social Emotional Learning, or SEL. Especially in Middle School.
The speaker played a clip from a video where a young elementary students said that having SEL made her brain happy...and that allowed her to want to learn.
This made me smile and sad at the same time.
We spend so much time teaching to tests, standards, curriculum, frameworks, programs, Lexile, and every other data point that the most important data point is often ignored...the Whole Child.
I will admit, happily, that I innately focus on the wellness and care of my kids. My students are listened to, cared for, and are at the center of my attention. But still, I am leaning more and more towards the "stuff" than the student. '
I am not okay with this.
It is time to go back to the authentic caring me. Once that is in place...I strongly believe learning will happen naturally in my classes. We have to start with the heart before we can reach the mind.
Be Mindful.
Peace.
Mark Levine
#Mindfulliteracy
@LevineWrites
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