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

Days of Old

Today is Halloween.  That means I stood on the front porch and gave away full-sized candy bars to about 300 kids.  Well, most were between the ages of 5 and 10.  There were more than a handful that were over 30.  It makes it fun when all are included.  I am tired, but the 3 hours of fun was well worth it all.

We have been giving away full-sized candy bars since we built this place in 2005.  We are on a corner, so everyone knows us.  Even in the summer, people see us working in the yard and say, "Hey, it's the people that give out the big candy at Halloween."  It is a great feeling.

For the past few years, to make it easier, my wife stays in with our two little dogs while I make my place on the front porch.  I have my DJ lights going while I play Halloween music loud enough to hear from the street. 

There is no questioning if someone is home and if there is candy and our house.

What makes this so fun for me?

It is the interaction!  It is saying hi to the adults...my neighbors while their kids have huge smiles on their face as they take their candy bars.  It is the feeling or a neighborhood. 

I miss those old days, when I was much younger and the neighborhood meant something.  It was close.  You knew each other.  You talked to each other.  You looked out for each other.  If someone wasn't outside, the group would go to the house and get them out!

I would have to say that this is the closest to the old days that I get to feel where I live.  I am sure it must be different, like the days of old, elsewhere, but I am not sure where.  Most people say that they don't even know their neighbor's names.  This makes me sad.

Maybe if we knew our neighbors.  Knew people in real life as opposed to only social media...maybe our world would be nicer and not so full of hate?

Be Mindful.

Peace.

Mark Levine

#MIndfulliteracy
@LevineWrites

Taking advantage of warmth

It was warm out today.  For this time of year, 65 degrees is wonderful.  With some consideration of simply relaxing, we decided to mow the lawn, rake up leave, and generally clean the yard.

This time of year I always feel like getting rid of things from the yard and the garage.  I like to have as little outside during the cold, snowy, winter.  I usually only get to the stuff in the garage and bring it into the basement.  But...with this great weather, the outside is just about winterized.  Just a few more items to come in.  Who know...we may even get to do more raking and mow once more with the weather in sight.

Don't get me wrong, I love the fall.  I love the Hoodie weather, campfires, and the change of the season.  What I do not like, and maybe never will until I have a cabin in the woods that I can stay in until every snow flake has melted, cold winters.

I became a teacher in Illinois.  I am stuck until...well until forever.  I can't move and lose what I have with the district that I work in.

So...Yukkie Illinois it is.

So...How can I make the best of this?

I can live in the moment.

I can appreciate what is.

I can enjoy what the weather allows me to do-inside and out.

I can best prepare for snow and the cold.

If it is a lot or a little bit of snow or cold, I will intentionally enjoy what life has decided to give me.

Be Mindful.

Peace.

Mark Levine

#Mindfulliteracy
@LevineWrites

A better place

I had a student come up to me last week and ask me what is was like to be a teacher.  She explained that she didn't understand why anyone would want to wake up each day and come to school to teach kids who would rather be in bed or home playing video games.  She went on to say that I always seem like I love what I do.

I explained:

Long ago, before becoming a teacher, I helped kids in need with various problems.  I helped them with their families, with legal issues, and with thoughts of hurting themselves.  I love it while I could, but it was hard on me as a person.  I would come home at night and cry or want to hide from the world.

Then, I accidentally got an opportunity to be a guest teacher for about 6 months.  I fell in love with the idea of continuing to help kids but in a more positive way.  After 6 months, I left my world of helping these kids and went back to school to become a teacher.

Every day I come to school with the thanks and gratitude of being able to continue to work with kids, helping them through life, while I get to feel like I am making a difference.  I get to see students realize the hows and whys of life for the first time...and that is a wonderful thing.

I am very lucky.  I have been given the gift of being a teacher.

No matter what happens in the world, or with adults making rules in our school, the most important reason why I come here each day is to be with my students and hopefully, give them everything that they need to be a success in life.

She looked up at me and smiled.  "I am glad you decided to be a teacher.  You are making my world a better place."

Be Mindful.

Peace.

Mark Levine

#Mindfulliteracy
@LevineWrites

Defeat Hatred

How do you deal with hate and a weekend like we have dealt with?

With love, caring, and positivity!

I will meet this week with my students and peers with love, caring and positivity.  I will be intentional in taking care of those around me and let them note how valued and important they are to me and to others in their lives.

Love and caring can defeat hatred.

I have noticed that my students, even though they may not directly know the news nor are they talking about it, their worlds are effected as their parents and families are becoming stressed.  Parents cannot hide the stress nor can they hide the effects of the stress.  It gets to our kids someway, somehow...

Some believe that it is important to put a name to it.  Some believe it is important to help students to explore how and why they are more stressed and on edge.  I believe, at this point, it is my role to simply help my students and those around me to feel protected, cared for, safe, loved, and listened to.

I pledge to myself, right now, to go into this week with the intent to be authentic and caring to each of my students, each day, to do my part in making their worlds just a little more stable.

Be Mindful.

Peace.

Mark Levine

#Mindfulliteracy
@LevineWrites

Mindful in our healing

I didn't like the news today.  In fact, I have not liked the news in a long time.  I have to admit that I am generally one of those people who choses to avoid the news.  I don't believe that ignorance is bliss, but I have enough to worry about and be concerned about as a teacher who worries about his students.

I like social media.  I like that I get to connect with other teachers and writers from around the globe.  I like that I get to keep in touch with old friends that I otherwise would never have stayed in contact with or found as I got older.

I have noticed news based in other countries now, more than ever.  These "news" sources clearly are created as an attempt to bring divide to our country.  I see my old friends in daily arguments over posts from propagandized sites that report untruths, but the readers want to believe them.

This all leaves me with a choice that I shouldn't have to make.  I should not have to choose between leaving social media or continuing to witness a seeming decay of our society.  More important, our younger generations including my students should not be placed in a situation where they have to second guess everything that they read because they cannot trust the world that they live in.

When I finally decided to open a device and look at social media today, I was hit hard with the news of Jewish people being attacked because they were worshiping as they saw fit.  They were guilty of being Jewish.  I never thought that I would hear of feel this.... As a Jewish person and a teacher of history, this...to me...was something that I always hoped would stay in the pages of history books so we could learn about this, and reflect on it far enough to feel safe.  The slogan, "Never Forget" from the Holocaust museums rings in my ears and in my mind.

I feel helpless.  I do not feel hopeless.  Our younger generation...my students are not okay with this.  I must remain a support for my students and anyone else who needs my support to move beyond this point in history.  We must learn from this time and attitude and be mindful in our healing.

Be Mindful.

Peace.

Mark Levine

#Mindfulliteracy
@LevineWrites

300 Days

What is it like to write 300 days in a row?

Today marks my 300th blog post in a row.  300 days of daily thinking, reflecting, writing.

Writing daily has help me to create various routines and habits along the way.

I crave writing and feel it when I have not written each day.

I feel complete once I have written.

I have developed various habits of routine which I will use in my next writing endeavor.

I am more ready to write books and more articles than ever before.

I will never say that I have nothing to write about.

Writer's block is for someone else.

I feel like I have moved a step or three in my writing process.

I have found my voice, then found it again, and again.

Writing now is part of who I truly am.

Writing feels more natural every day.

My words are more important to me than ever.

I believe in myself as a writer.

I understand writers.

I am a writer.

For those who read my words, thanks for joining me on this journey.  I might as well make it another 65 days.

Be Mindful.

Peace.

Mark Levine

#Mindfulliteracy
@LevineWrites