Michelle Fenn Challenging Topics, COVID19, General, Inspiring Teachers, Mental Health, Mindfulness, Modern Learning, Questioning, Resilience, self reflection, social emotional learning, Teacher Wellness, Teacher Working Conditions, wellness, Wellness

Toxic Positivity in a Brave New World

I am a huge science fiction fan and was excited to start the new TV series “Brave New World”.  I read the book for my “The Science in Science Fiction Literature” course (I know, cool course right?) in University and I was looking forward to the TV series. In the futuristic “Brave New World”, society has developed mood altering drugs that everyone is required to take to maintain their “levels” so that they can have calm, happy dispositions all of the time.  The result is that the characters don’t really have to “feel” anything deeply.  If there is discomfort or grief they can take a “soma” from their Pez dispenser-type tool and go on with life in peace and harmony.  The struggle for the characters is that once they discover the power of feeling true human emotion they want to experience it, thus going against the social norm.

The “Brave New World” narrative parallels the dangers of toxic positivity.  Psychologygroup.com defines toxic positivity as: “the excessive and ineffective overgeneralization of a happy, optimistic state across all situations. The process of toxic positivity results in the denial, minimization, and invalidation of the authentic human emotional experience.”  Think of it like too much of a good thing can be bad for you.  Phrases like, “It could be worse,” or “Focus on the positive,” “Don’t worry, be happy,” may seem innocuous, but in fact reject, repress or deny negative emotions. The message is that it is not OK to feel anything except positive and happy.

So what does this have to do with education?  First of all, teachers excel at wearing stress and being busy as a badge of honour.  I’m guilty of doing it. I’ve heard myself say that I worked all weekend preparing for the upcoming week. We have established this as a norm in educational culture.  Human beings work best when they give themselves time to rejuvenate.  Teacher burn out is a real thing. I honestly think if I walked into a staff room and announced, “I totally relaxed all weekend and just read my novel.” I would face sneers and hear “Must be nice,” muttered around me. Not because teachers are bad people, but because as a culture we don’t value taking care of ourselves as much as we value productivity. Being positive about being overworked and stressed out is toxic positivity, and it is rampant in education.

The problem isn’t with genuinely upbeat and effusive people. Those people are rare.  Treasure them. The problem lies in people denying, repressing, minimizing or invalidating negative emotions.  Keeping calm and carrying on can be counterproductive and harmful to mental health.  While there are well intentioned people providing “just do it” kind of strategies and messages about being positive; those intentions may end up making people feel bad about feeling bad, adding guilt and shame to the mix of emotions.

So, what can we do?  We can try to shift the narrative to value and validate the real emotions that people are feeling.  We can try to give ourselves permission to say, “You know what, I’m not ok right now. I’m grieving the way in which I used to work and live.  I’m hoping that it will soon change.” It is OK to be sad and yet still feel positive about the future.  You can feel both things.

When someone shares their sadness, anger, grief or frustration with you, try to sincerely validate those emotions.  True empathy is saying, “I’m here to embrace the suck with you,” not minimizing the emotions of others.  You can be curious and ask questions, “That must be frustrating, tell me more about that, I’m here to listen.”  Then, do that.  Just listen.

I try to give myself grace and forgiveness.  I have not learned to knit, bake bread or trained to run a marathon during the pandemic. Some days, just putting two feet on the carpet beside my bed is a big win.  I have to remind myself daily that is OK not to be the “Quarantine Queen.” It is OK not to be productive beyond my wildest imagination during a global pandemic. I try to avoid offering platitudes about positivity. I try to validate the feelings of the people around me. I will try to give up “soma” in my Brave New Covid-19 World, throw out the fake positivity, and feel all of the range of emotions – good, bad and ugly.

 

 

Michelle Fenn 21st Century Learning, Celebrating Success, Challenging Topics, Constant Learning, Distance learning, e-learning, Engaging students with online learning, General, Inspiring Teachers, Making a Difference Through Education, Mental Health, Modern Learning, Resilience, Start of the year, Teacher Wellness, Teacher Working Conditions, Teaching online, Technology, Technology in school, Use of Technology, Using technology well, wellness, Wellness

Teachers Are Still Rocking It-

In March we were “Emergency Learning”.  Now we are either teaching “virtually” or “socially distanced” in classrooms.  We never thought we’d be teaching from behind a screen, learning all kinds of new technology tools, wearing masks and shields in front of students or removing all of the manipulatives from classrooms. We don’t know how long this will last.  We don’t know if COVID will worsen.  Educators aren’t used to not knowing things.  Most teachers I know like schedules, routines, knowledge and thrive on consistency.

However, in the midst of the new rules, changes and all of the things that we “can’t” do-teachers are still rocking it.  Throughout the summer I worked with a team of teachers providing virtual professional learning for KPRETFO.  Hundreds of teachers used their summer holidays to learn about technology tools before they even knew whether they were going to be teaching virtually or not. They logged in at 10 am some days in order to learn and some teachers even came to all twenty sessions that were provided. Educators were dedicated to their professional learning all summer long.

At the end of August, I had the privilege of working with another fabulous team of educators who dedicated their time to providing a three day virtual conference for over 500 Ontario Educators with ECOO.  These educators gave up their time to organize all kinds of schedules, sponsorship, presenters, keynotes and much more.  In addition, over a hundred educators created and presented webinars for their colleagues.  It truly FELT like a face-to-face educational technology conference took place in my living room!
There was a feeling of sharing, helping and collegiality.  It was exhausting but my bucket was over flowing.

As our school year is now well under way teachers are reaching out to me for assistance at all times of the day and night through email because they are dedicated to their students and want to do their best.  They are attending our evening “PD in your PJs” webinar sessions through our local union office to learn new tech tools at 7 pm on the week nights. The educators that I work with continually astound me with their dedication to professional learning.

I recently binge watched a Netflix series called “Away”.  It is a futuristic fictional narrative about the first manned mission to Mars.  The astronauts were in uncharted territory.  They encountered problems along the way for which they had not trained.  They endured mental and physical fatigue beyond anything they had ever felt before.  They were innovative and creative in order to solve problems and reach their goal.  While watching, I couldn’t help thinking about the parallels between this movie and the present state of education. We’ve heard that as we design these new learning structures and environments it is like we are building an airplane while flying. If I am going to stay true to the analogy here it is really more of a rocket ship! Educators are facing situations that they hadn’t even thought about in Faculty of Education Programs.  They are encountering issues of teaching without many of the tools they normally use such as manipulatives, group work or technology. They are suffering mentally and physically. They are being innovative  problem solvers around tools, equipment and technology.  They are building the rocket ship while they are flying it and it is full of students.

Are educators stressed?  For sure.  Are their nerves frayed?  You bet.  Are they innovative, creative, dedicated and passionate about learning and teaching? Absolutely, without a doubt.  Every educator is a front line worker,  doing their best, making a difference, being brave beyond imagination and truly an inspiration.

 

 

Arianna Lambert Teacher Wellness, wellness

Teacher Well-being

In the midst of a pandemic, this month in particular has me thinking about teacher well-being. I know that we often focus on student well-being – which is imperative – and I wonder if now might be a good time to stop and acknowledge that current events are taking a toll not only on our children but also on the people who are tasked with teaching them at a distance. How might months like this past one with the stories of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Christian Cooper, and George Floyd take a toll on educators, – particularly Black educators – compounded by the fact that we are in the midst of a pandemic? I write today to say that I am exhausted beyond measure. If I were to stop and really feel what I know is manifesting within my body, I’m not sure how I might react and so rather than taking that time, I push through because report cards are due in a couple of weeks and classrooms have to be prepped for summer and most importantly, I have students that I need to stay connected to. Not out of obligation but because it’s that connection that keeps me going through this time. The relationship is reciprocal. At least for me. I told my students earlier this week that our Meets are the highlights of my day. I know that on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, I’ll have anywhere from 15 to 20 excited voices wanting to share something about their lives and it is a reminder that beyond content, there’s so much that these young people are learning about themselves and the world around them. What are our actions teaching them?

Today, I’m allowing myself to feel as I write. I’m frustrated with talks of reimagining education when there are voices who are never invited to speak on their own reimagination. I’m angered by people’s inability to hear and see what is happening in the world and their lack of understanding that it has a significant impact on our physiology. By asking me to do more without substantive proof that it will have an equally inverse impact, you negate my experience and expertise. I am saddened by personal loss and am overwhelmed by feelings of isolation in grief. I know that I’m not alone in this feeling, and I wonder how many of us are feeling this very thing while smiling away and trying our best because we have “responsibilities”? At what point does our own well-being become the biggest responsibility? With a month left to go of the school year, I worry for colleagues. There’s tremendous pressure to “perform” this next month and I ask you to pause and make sure that you are also taking care of yourself. Your well-being is important. You can’t give what you don’t have. Fill your tanks.  

For the most part, during the last 10 weeks that we have been away from the school building, I’ve been holding it together. Learning a new routine, balancing “work” and home, saying no to a lot that doesn’t grow and/or serve me or my students. But this week, wow. There’s been too much so I’m going to pause, keep writing, and work through these feelings that are stirring within me. 

Wishing true wellness to everyone,

Arianna

Michelle Fenn Challenging Topics, Emergency Distance Learning, Inspiring Teachers, Mental Health, Mindfulness, Resilience, Teacher Appreciation, Teacher Wellness, Teacher Working Conditions, The Arts, wellness, wellness

Inspiration During the COVID Crisis

I know that as I write this, I speak from a fortunate position. We are working safely from home and all of us are still healthy.  Other than not being able to see extended family and friends, having some aches and pains from being in front of the computer and get out to the hair dresser, my family is coping pretty well with isolation.  While so many are suffering it has been humbling and inspiring to witness the resilience, creativity and kindness of those around us.

Music is everywhere.  Concerts on television bringing Canadian artists from their living rooms to ours, live Facebook concerts of our favourite Canadian musicians, and videos from friends and family sharing their music.  This week I joined a virtual Ukulele play and sing along with the Bytown Ukulele Group from Ottawa.  I played and sang along with people from British Columbia, Ireland, Nova Scotia and here in Peterborough!

Art is everywhere.  People are painting anything and everything!  From rocks to sea shells to paint nights with friends.  There are sketches and sculptures and pottery being made. From digital art to creating sketches from tutorials with famous artists; people are creating all kinds of beautiful art.

Dance is everywhere.  There are Tik-Tok videos of dances making teenagers get up and move and follow along.  Dance studios are going online to continue extra curricular dance lessons.  30 second dance parties are happening in my living room whenever we need a break from the computer screen.  Thankfully, none of that is being recorded!

There is culinary prowess being celebrated.  Yeast and flour are hot commodities right now because people are trying their hands at baking bread.  People are posting meals they have never made before and swapping recipes with friends.  People are growing things on their windowsills and in their backyards for the first time.

Innovation is everywhere.  People are trying their hands at DIY projects and coming up with innovative ways to connect online.  Teachers are learning digital tools they have never used before in order to connect with their students. We’ve been participating in online trivia and poker nights.  My son plays Jackbox party games with his friends while also chatting online or streams a movie together.

Most of all, I have witnessed incredible kindness.  I joined a Facebook group called Peterborough Shares.  At first it was mainly to communicate where to find particular grocery items and post information about shopping etc., It has since become a forum of connection where people ask for help and others respond.  From a new mom recently unemployed to a family who lost their home to fire, people are answering to the calls for help.  Something as simple as finding left handed scissors for a child to complete schoolwork or finding a hand crafted Mother’s Day gift, people are coming together to share that information and supporting one another in an unprecedented way.  More than ever, my city feels like a community.

I know I am in a fortunate position.  I am grateful every day that we took my 87 year old mom out of her retirement home when this all began and that she has remained healthy.  I am grateful that my 16 year old son has friends he connects with, teachers who care and a love of artistic things that feed his soul.  I am grateful that my husband and I can work from home and that he goes out and bravely gets the things we need.  I am grateful that in the middle of all of the chaos, in the middle of the grief and sadness, there is hope.

Will Gourley e-learning, General, Making a Difference Through Education, Resilience, Teacher Working Conditions, wellness

May the 4th be with your students

Anyone else feeling a bit gutted after hearing the news that we will not be back in our classrooms until May the 4th? (writer raises hand) While listening to the Minister of Education deliver this news today I ran a range of emotions. Firstly, I am thankful that the government was proactive when it came to our collective health by insisting on physical distancing and staying at home.* As a result, the lives of 2 000 000 students, 200 000 educators, support staff, and their families will benefit greatly from being apart. For me this seems like light years away.

Heeding the Chief Medical Officer of Health’s suggestion to close our schools beyond March Break was a prudent move, but it all happened so suddenly that we were all left with a great deal of uncertainty heading into the time off. With such short notice, it was hard to orchestrate a full scale instructional response to the news. Like so many of the #onted family, there was some concern because information was not forthcoming. I remember saying to my students(Gr 7) that it was more important for us all to follow the advice of doctors to do our part to limit the spread of COVID 19 than it was to worry about homework.**

Our last day in the classroom before the break was supposed to be a celebration of hard work to start Term 2, but instead it was a sombre send off with more questions than there were answers at the time. I only find consolation in this now knowing that the timing of this year’s March Break probably saved countless members in our schools from illness.

Not having our students in classes eliminated millions of potential interactions that would have undoubtedly accelerated the spread of the COVID 19. I am very relieved not to be in a workplace that’s traditionally susceptible to transmission of known/unknown and unchecked viruses. We have all been in a classroom with a student/teacher who should have stayed home that day. I am not lying when I say it feels like germ warfare in school sometimes. It is a relief, to be doing my part in social isolation especially as I have a 96 year old and a severe asthmatic at home.

In fact, although really missing my students/collegues, I am thankful that we have all been given the chance to stay at home in order to slow the spread of COVID 19, to look after our own health, and to tend to the wellbeing of our families. This is hard on all of us in so many ways because it is all so new. As I shared with a number of people, “Normal” is sick and its replacement “New Normal” is here bringing with it some good and bad to each of our days. The problem is that it keeps changing faster than we’d like.

Today’s announcement lifted my spirits because it meant that if we all do our part, then we have a date for a return to Normal. It also means this time can be curated to engage our students further in this year’s learning. Not knowing what was going to happen had me struggling to remember what day of the week it was since my routines were put in limbo with each postponement. No more days when, suddenly at 7 am, I wake up thinking I was late for work only to realize my body was dealing with the “New Normal” while still on “Normal” time.

Even though we will only be meeting via Google Classroom, our class will be back in session. After contacting families and students this week, it is clear they are excited to be back, even if it will only be digitally until May 4th. Fingers crossed it won’t need to be longer. In the meantime we will get on with the connecting, communicating, and learning for now.

Whether we return to the classroom on May the 4th or not, I couldn’t help but repeat the wish I shared in the title. May the 4th be with your students, and while we stay at home may every one of us be healthy and safe.

*Although arguably, essential and non-essential jobs may be a future debate topic.
** I did promise them some work via our Google Classroom once March Break was officially over.

Michelle Fenn Challenging Topics, Inspiring Teachers, Mental Health, Mindfulness, Occasional Teachers, Occasional Teaching, self reflection, Teacher Wellness, Teacher Working Conditions, wellness, Wellness, Women's Health

Illness, Shame and the Educator Martyr Complex

A recent Twitter post from Liz Ryan @humanworkplace read:

Coronavirus is teaching us that:

  1. Healthcare is a right
  2. Paid sick time is a right
  3. Many, many people could do their work from home (clearly not teachers)
  4. We are more dependent on a healthy society than we want to acknowledge

This tweet got me thinking about a couple of things. It got me thinking about how teachers and education workers drag ourselves into work when we are ill.  When I first began teaching I used to do this all of the time.  I thought for sure that my students absolutely needed me to be there and the classroom would fall apart in the hands of any other teacher. I was worried that my classroom would be a disaster and I would find notes about behaviour behind from the occasional teacher and thought that this was somehow my fault. So I would drag myself to work not feeling well, extending the sickness for myself and thoughtlessly exposing my students and colleagues to the illness.  I hear it all the time in the staffroom, “I probably should have stayed home but I figured that I had better drag myself in because…”  It is a martyr complex.  Get over yourself.  You are not irreplaceable. There is no reward for going to work ill.

This tweet also got me thinking about how much I appreciate the work our occasional teachers do each day.  Just by doing their job, they allow me to be able to stay at home and get better.  They are professionally trained teachers.  As fellow colleagues and ETFO members I trust that they intend to do the best for our students when they enter our classrooms.

The tweet also got me thinking about the shame and guilt that educators often feel when they are ill.  I mean, if so-and-so drags themselves into work even though they are sick then it starts to build a culture of expectation.  This is ridiculous.  This is how disease spreads.  Stay home and come back when you’re well. No one will thank you for getting them sick.

The tweet also got me thinking about how education unions have fought to keep our paid sick time and how much I appreciate it when I am ill.  A few years ago I had to take an extended medical leave and as guilty as I felt, it was the best thing I could have done for myself and my students. I had to work through the guilt.  If we didn’t have the benefits that we do, I might have had to quit the profession altogether.

I’ve typed lesson plans in between bouts of nausea.  I’ve sent plans from my phone in a hospital waiting room. At the end of the day, it was worth it to take the time to get better for me, for my colleagues and ultimately for my students.

 

Arianna Lambert Building Inclusion, LGBTQ2S, Making a Difference Through Education, Resources, wellness

Pride

June is here! Well…almost. When I think of June, I am reminded of Pride. And while I think that every day should be filled with inclusivity in all its forms, I know that this doesn’t happen in all spaces. In this post, I would like to highlight two of the amazing resources that ETFO has to offer as we continue conversations around equity and inclusion, specifically for members of the LGBTQ Community.

While this year is slated to mark 50 years since the decriminalization for members of the LGBTQ community in Canada, we know that members continue to face issues of inequity and discrimination on an ongoing basis. In classrooms and schools, now more than ever, I believe that students need to know that these spaces must have room for everyone. In education, everyone deserves to see their whole selves represented and as educators, we have an onus to do just that, no matter of our own biases.

ETFO believes that LGBTQ education and training creates safer working and learning conditions for everyone. As such, on their site, you’ll find an abundance of resources. They have made the work of creating inclusive environments more accessible for educators. I’m highlighting two resources that I think would be incredible opportunities to guide meaningful conversations within classrooms.

The LGBTQ Education Timeline

For the 2014 World Pride, the Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives (CLGA) and Pride Toronto collaborated to create an LGBTQ Education Timeline poster. The poster was created to show the historical changes in LGBTQ education and issues in Canada. In 2016, ETFO collaborated with the CLGA to update the timeline and add an accompanying booklet.

Like a bulletin board with memorabilia of important events you’ve gathered over time, the poster is spectacular in its display of information in a clear and concise way for students to be able to read and understand. While the poster gives a visual representation of historical events, the booklet includes more descriptions and links throughout and in the reference section that gives even more in depth information. The purpose of these resources is for educators to gain knowledge for themselves and to use within their classrooms. While digging in, I found myself both being ashamed for not taking the time before to educate myself more and amazed by all of the work that has gone on so far. I think the poster might be a great jumping off point for students in middle or high school to consider what has already been done and what new or innovative ideas they might like to create within their own school communities. The idea being to bring awareness to current issues and as a call for action for greater inclusivity.

The Every Teacher Project on LGBTQ-Inclusive Education in Canada’s K-12 Schools

The Every Teacher Project Recommendations Toolkit is the culmination of a national research effort to advance knowledge on LGBTQ-inclusive education. This Toolkit is a guide to support the implementation of the Every Teacher Project recommendations for all levels of the school system. It was developed for use by teachers, teacher organizations, and others wanting to support the development of LGBTQ-inclusive schools.

I have to start off by saying that the glossary of terms was extremely helpful. For me, understanding, especially as it relates to terminology, is an essential first step when we think about gaining a greater awareness. For that alone, I would say that this resource was phenomenal.

I also really love the appendices with a wealth of further resources. I especially appreciated page 207 which included Days of Awareness/Events and their significance. I’m learning more and more the value that celebrating these days – and not just for the sake of celebrating but for the acknowledgement of individuals for whom these days are significant – is important to students.  The more we highlight for our students the significance these days represent, the greater capacity for empathy we are able to build as students learn to understand the experiences of others. That empathy can lead to actionable change as they are either supported and accepted or work to become allies.

The above are just two of many resources available on the site. Please take a look and some time to reflect on your own biases, knowledge and classroom practice. If conversations around equity and inclusion haven’t already been happening in classrooms and schools, there is still a few more weeks to go. Take some time to dig into these resources for yourself and have brave conversations in your classrooms. I’ve said it before, as educators we are in the unique position to help our students develop empathy and to support the next generation as they are eager to create change in the world. Our classrooms and schools need to be safe places for them to be able to do this work!

Happy Pride!

Arianna Lambert Mental Health, Mindfulness, Resources, wellness

Wellness in the Classroom

Over the past few weeks, I’ve had a number of people reach out to ask about an activity that I did last year with junior students in our Wellness Club. I’ve been answering questions and sharing ideas and I thought perhaps this might be of benefit to more people so for this post, I’m sharing some of the work that I did with my colleague, Cynthia Wan at Shaughnessy Public School.

Over the last number of years, I’ve personally realized the benefits of incorporating elements of wellness into my daily routine. When working with students, I always saw great value in helping them to develop their own “wellness toolkit”. Through activities and conversations, students were given the opportunity to understand and express how different situations or experiences made them feel. In being more self-aware, students were then able to determine strategies that worked best for them when they were experiencing times of stress. We all think it would be ideal to not have any stresses but in reality, stress will always be around and we sometimes need those challenges to help us grow. The difficulty becomes when we can’t manage the amount of stress that experience. While much of the activities and ideas below are things that I’ve incorporated in my classroom with all students, last year, Cynthia and I thought about trying to take it a little further with a small group of students who were willing to dig in with us and really spend some time thinking about their own wellbeing and worked to create their own physical tool kits filled with strategies and tools. Below, I’m outlining some of the tools that I’ve used in the hopes that it might help if you’re thinking of starting your own wellness club or thinking of trying some of these activities in your class with students.

Meditation Apps

Stop, Breathe & Think is an app that I’ve used with students centred around meditation. In the past, there was only one version but in the past couple of years, they also have an app specifically geared towards children. Students particularly enjoyed meditations connected to their breathing as well as the Body Scan. It offered them a chance to just pause and reset if needed. We also took the mindful walking meditation outdoors with speakers and students considered ways in which they might utilize mindful walking as they travelled from one pace to the next. There is a link to some of the resources that they have but I haven’t used any of them with students.

Sitting Still Like a Frog is another meditation tool that has a book with activities. Visualization was another tool that I used with students and the A Safe Place meditation was one that students quite enjoyed.

Resources

Zones of Regulation was also a resource that I used in my classroom. I found it super helpful for getting students to identify what they are feeling and consider their own triggers and strategies for what they might do to move back to the green zone. The language is great in not valuing one zone over the other but thinking about how we can get back to being optimal if and when we identify that what we are feeling is impacting what we are doing and our interactions with others.

The Mindup Curriculum is also a great resource that I have used in the past with my whole class. I like that it starts off with talking about the science behind what we might be feeling and our responses to stressful situations.

I found this great book list with some mindfulness books that I’ve used to talk about mindful eating and some of the other activities that I have done with students. Your Fantastic Elastic Brain is also a great resource.

Just Breathe is a great video for opening up the conversation about naming what we are feeling as being a powerful part of being able to determine steps to change the feeling if things are not where we would like them to be.

Wellness Toolkits

 Screenshot 2019-04-29 at 4.49.31 PMWhen building out toolkits, students used ideas from our discussions and activities from our sessions together to help build their own physical kits. We started off with ziploc bags and students decorated them with duct tape. This really was an idea from one of the students who had used it in the past to create her own pencil cases and she thought it would be a great – and inexpensive – way to personalize our own toolkits. Once the toolkits were designed, it was time to think about the items that they wanted to include.  

Some of the items included:

Mindfulness colouring – We picked up a few from Dollarama. Some students also worked to create their own doodle books when given a blank scrapbook.

Inspirational quote books – We also found a few at Dollarama but some students were given their own scrapbooks as well to gather their own book of quotes that served to uplift them when needed an extra bit of encouragement.

Mindfulness Jars – A quick and easy visual for helping students to be able to understand that sometimes we have a lot swirling around in our minds and that by taking some time to be mindful of this fact, we can work towards calming some of those thoughts. Some students even like using them as a way to regain focus as they watch the sparkles settle. We used this recipe but there are so many more. I like the explanation on this one but didn’t like the idea of using glue.

Stress Balls & Slime – One student lead 2 sessions for our Wellness Club around using stress balls or slime as something tactile that sometimes help to manage stress. We did have conversations around making sure that it was something that was needed vs. something that we just enjoyed playing with in the classroom.

Screenshot 2019-04-29 at 4.49.45 PMWellness Journal – Students had their own journals – simple notebooks that they decorate the front of after we covered them with construction paper. We used these as a check-ins for themselves or prompts that they could use to write about how they were feeling.

Some of the prompts included:

  • Today I feel… because…
  • I’m grateful for…because…
  • One thing that I can do today to make it fantastic is…
  • Draw yourself as a superhero. What powers do you have? What powers might you like to work on further developing?
  • 3 ways in which I can help make someone’s day great are…
  • Write down three I am statements that define who you are. Take a few minutes to think about each one. Which quality feels the best? Why?
  • When you’re feeling confident, what emotions do you experience?
  • Who can you compliment today? Why? Find the time to make sure that the person hears what you have to say today.
  • Write three things that make you happy. How can you spend more time on these things each day?
  • The best day ever would be…
  • One thing that I learned about myself this week is…

Other Mindfulness Activities

Nature walks – Quiet walks in a small group in the neighbourhood to just take some time to notice. Some students captured items along the ground that they wanted to include in their journals. Some focused on sounds that they heard when they took the time to stop and truly just be in the moment.

Music – Sometimes having the opportunity to select the type of music or having ambient noise was helpful for some students as they worked and also to change their mood.

Yoga/Mindful movements – Cynthia was great in leading us in Yoga or mindful movements. A few years back, a colleague had the Yoga 4 Classrooms resource which we sometimes used to get us moving and stretching when we needed it. I also had students lead the Circle of Joy, which is also a mindful movement activity that is easy to learn and just helps to refocus.

These are just some of the tools I found useful when helping students to create their own toolkits of wellness strategies. As I mentioned before, stress is all around us. I think that helping our students determine which strategies work best to help them manage the stresses is an important part of helping them to be successful.

Michelle Fenn Advocacy for public education, Challenging Topics, Mental Health, Mindfulness, Professional Judgement, self reflection, Teacher Wellness, wellness, Wellness, Why unions matter

Teaching in Uncertain Times

When I graduated teacher’s college it was the beginning of the “Harris years”.  Teachers were being declared redundant all over Ontario. I spent three years teaching outside of the province.  Since then I have been through many rounds of collective bargaining-both as a teacher and a local ETFO leader.  I have seen how Ontario’s Provincial governments have continually eroded our collective bargaining rights, stripped our benefits and made working and learning conditions steadily worse for teachers and students.  As you well know, they’re at it again. I’ve been asked, what can new teachers do to make a stand for education while still keeping a focus on our classroom in these uncertain times?

1. Take care of yourself  Anxiety abounds in times of uncertainty and scarcity.  Focus on the present moment as much as possible.  Make sure you have the facts you need but try to stay out of the swirling vortex of unproductive conversation and speculation.  Take time when you need time, do something for yourself that isn’t school related, eat healthy, exercise, if it is something you do-meditate, and get some sleep.  Take one day at a time.

2. Don’t believe everything you hear in the staff room  Well meaning and passionate teachers will discuss the political situation.  Some of the things that you hear will be true and some will not.  The correct information will come from ETFO Provincial office, local ETFO  leadership and your school Steward.

3. Social Media  Social media is a great a source of information but also one of anxiety.  Remember to follow reputable sources such as ETFO and other Ontario Education Unions and get the information you need from reliable sources.  As always, be cognizant of who could be reading your social media posts and pass on correct information.

4. Attend Union meetings and ask questions  Collective bargaining and political legislation can be daunting.  Sometimes it is assumed that everyone in the room knows exactly what is being discussed.  Ask questions when you need clarification.  You might find there are others in need of such clarification too.

5.  Follow the advice of your Union Your Provincial ETFO has a plan of action that is communicated to all local ETFO leadership and ETFO members.  As a new teacher you may feel powerless, but there is strength in members taking action together.  Read your emails from your stewards and participate in political actions when asked.

6.  Support one another These are uncertain times for all teachers and education workers.  It is important to be aware of your own mental health and that of your colleagues.  Check in with your mentor and friends on staff when possible.  A note or a treat in a mailbox, an email or a visit at recess might make the difference in someone’s day.  Remember, other education workers in your school, whether they belong to a union or not, feel the same pressures.

7.  Your students  When the learning begins, your students will always need your full attention.  They will sense the anxiety that you are feeling.  Try to leave the uncertainty and politics at your classroom door as much as possible.  Concentrate on the students that you have in front of you for the next three months.  The students are at the heart of what we do as educators and we will get through this together.

 

Michelle Fenn Challenging Topics, Constant Learning, Inspiring Teachers, Mental Health, Mindfulness, Professional Learning and Growth, Resilience, self reflection, Teacher Appreciation, Teacher Wellness, Teaching as a public profession, Wellness, wellness

Let’s Talk About Shame

Author Brené Brown from her book “The Gifts of Imperfection” writes that there are three things that people need to understand about shame:

1.  We all have it.  Shame is universal and one of the most primitive human emotions that we experience.  The only people who don’t experience shame lack the capacity for empathy and human connection.

2.  We’re all afraid to talk about shame.

3.  The less we talk about shame, the more control it has over our lives.

While reading this it resonated with me as a teacher.  How many have you experienced Professional Learning Shame?  I’m a professional learning hoarder.  I consume professional learning whenever possible and yet, often I feel shame while experiencing professional learning.  I listen to another teacher who is courageous in sharing strategies and ideas that are meant to help me in my job and ultimately I end up thinking that I must be a poor teacher because I don’t do those things in my classroom. Often I come away feeling worse about myself.  I’ll think, “Well great, obviously everything that I’ve been doing has been ineffective and I need to add THIS onto everything else.” or “I haven’t been doing THAT in my classroom. Clearly I’m not working hard enough. What must my colleagues think of me?”

Shame makes us think that we are somehow not worthy.  I know that I’ve convinced myself of not feeling worthy when I compare my work to other teachers in my school, on Twitter or (cringe)…Pinterest.  I find it difficult to look at myself professionally through an asset lens.  The best way to stop feeling that shame is to talk about it.  Once shame is talked about it tends to lose power and it is easier to let it go.  So, I’m talking about it in a public forum so I can work on building up that resiliency.

I’ve felt shame as a teacher in social situations with people who aren’t educators.  I’ve felt judged, compared and found unworthy.  More than once I’ve heard, “Teachers are paid too much and have far too many holidays and benefits and they’re really just babysitters.”  Whenever a Provincial Government talks about making cuts to education, it sends a message that teachers aren’t worthy of maintaining the current working conditions and fuels the public perception held by some that teachers are unworthy of what we earn.

In our school, whenever EQAO results are returned and we have our fall meeting to talk about the school improvement plan for the year, we celebrate for a nano second the areas in which the student have succeeded and focus intently on the shortcomings.  As a school we know that we all share in the responsibility for the cumulative education of students and feel shame when we look at where we didn’t succeed, but some of my grade 3 and 6 colleagues have told me about how they feel solely responsible for EQAO scores and consequently, feel shame.

Well, this is a downer of a subject, get over it Fenn.  What can we do?  It’s the nature of our job right?  Nope.  There are some great pointers that Brené Brown shares about becoming shame resilient:

1.  Understand when you are feeling shame and recognize what messages and experiences trigger shame for you.

2.  Remember not to equate being imperfect with being inadequate.

3.  Share your stories with people you trust and own your stories.

4.  If you feel shame, name it.  Talk about how your feeling and ask for what you need.

Teachers are constantly in receipt of feedback about their job; from parents, students, administrators, colleagues, the public and themselves.  Staying open to criticism and feedback is what helps us improve education for our students.  We need to take risks to remain open so that we can experience improvement.  However, what we should also try to remember is that everyone is flawed and imperfect but that doesn’t mean that we are lacking.