The cycle continues

I am very real with my students.  I decided instead of dealing with moans and groans and things will be increasingly more challenging for them in the next 6-weeks, I would have a heart to heart talk with them.  A real sit down talk where I am a person equal to them.

I started by letting them know that I understand how stressed that they are and have been with the varying tests and increase in work load.  I also explained that teachers, too, go through a rough time during October and November as we get stressed about our students' growth data and most of us have evaluations that we are worried about...leaving us stressed and on edge.

I explained that stressed people tend to be reactive.  They tend to do more responding to their environment and the stress in front of them which often gets in the way of seeing what is right in front of their faces.  That of course, is their students. 

There is a cause and effect here...

Teachers get stressed and act out which leads to students feeling the stress and acting out, which leads to teachers jumping to consequences, which makes students angry and irritable, which leads to teachers crying in the bathroom and not wanting to go back to their classrooms.

And... The cycle continues...

I guess what I was asking my students for was understanding and patience while we all go through this together.  We all need to be aware that this is happening and as we are aware...we can be intentional about partnering and getting through it all together...as a team...not as enemies.

Sometimes, I believe these conversations are easier to have with my students than my peers.  They are often more open-minded and willing to give others a break.  That's why I love my students. 

...They understand.

Be Mindful.

Peace.

Mark Levine

#Mindfulliteracy
@LevineWrites