Teacher Self-Attention and the Classroom Culture

Teacher Self-Attention and the Classroom Culture:

Mindfulness/Self-Attention: 

I am currently still using my Calm App to help me practice mindfulness after my five minutes in the morning, I noticed that it helped me have a better start to my day I was more relaxed not as tired. In the evening before bed, the breathing exercises helped me have a better night's sleep my body was more calm and relaxed for bed. 

Reflection on your experience with the daily self-attention ritual (6-7 sentences):

Why do you think it is important for teachers, in particular, to take excellent care of their mental and emotional health especially as it relates to creating cultures in the classroom setting that are kind, respectful, and engaging?

Teachers must take the cause of their mental and emotional health because teaching can be very stressful at times. There are going to be moments where you are mentally and emotionally drained. Sometimes we can let our emotions get the best of us and we don't even realize it. A teacher who feels mentally balanced is more likely to model kindness and resilience. A healthy teacher is better able to handle classroom challenges and manage stress, creating a calmer, more supportive classroom with students. When a teacher feels positive and calm, they naturally contribute to a classroom culture that’s kind and respectful. Students pick up on this energy and are more likely to reflect it in their own interactions. But, when teachers feel stressed anxious overwhelmed, and drained the classroom environment can become overwhelming and students can become unfocused and then the students will not be learning like they need to. 

Emotional wellness is also important it allows teachers to be more connected with each student's individual needs which will create a sense of belonging. When teachers take care of their mental and emotional health they are making a classroom that is full of kindness, support, community, and respect from both teachers and students.

Teacher's mental and emotional health benefits themselves not only personally and professionally but also benefits the students in their classroom as well. When teachers can be their best selves it can benefit the students emotionally and academically. 

What have you noticed about yourself in creating a daily habit of self-attention and self-care?

What I have noticed about myself in creating a daily habit of self-attention and self-care is that I am more focused and not as overwhelmed. When I am practicing my self-care it helps me have control of my emotions, reducing my stress and anxiety. Before I used to hold everything in and just continue to push myself until I finally burnt myself out. But, now that I am practicing self-care and self-attention I am not as anxious as before. I realize that I don't put much energy into negative things I just let it go and not let them take over me. 

As I continue to create daily habits I realize that I am getting healthier with myself meaning not being so hard on myself about things that as long as I am doing my best and trying everything is fine. 

Response to the Jennings & Kohn reading:

What was your favorite section from Jennings's "Chapter 6 - Orchestrating Classroom Dynamics" in terms of how you desire to create a vibrant culture in your classroom setting?

My favorite section in Jenning's Chapter 6 is when Jenning talks about power, "When students don't think they are getting the attention they deserve, or if they feel that attention is not providing the sense of self-worth they crave, they may come to believe that they need power to be valued and resort to engaging in a power struggle" (Jennings, 2015, P. 170).  The reason I liked this section is because I connected it a lot with the site I am currently at. We have students with high behaviors this may be because it's their way of communicating, and some may be because of academics meaning the students are either under grade level or just losing focus because they are far behind from their peers. 

When students are seeking attention some students may do it in ways where some staff see it as "bad" when really they are just looking for a staff member to acknowledge them, and this is important as a teacher because each of our students is unique and deserve to be loved and cared for by doing this we have to build connections with our student and make a community with each other. 

As will, teach our students how to express their emotions instead of them expressing them in a way that might be difficult for others. As a teacher, there are going to be times when our attention will not be focused on every student and we have to community with our students and find tools and resources to help them so they do not have big reactions. 

In the quote below from the Kohn "Beyond Discipline" piece, how do you believe mindfulness helps a teacher to "give up some control to facilitate the tricky, noisy, maddening, unpredictable process whereby students work together to decide what respect means or how to be fair?"

Quote: "To 'manage' students' behavior, to make them do what we say, doesn't promote community or compassion, responsibility or reflection. The only way to reach those goals is to give up some control, to facilitate the tricky, noisy, maddening, unpredictable process whereby students work together to decide what respect means or how to be fair" (Kohn, 2006).

I believe mindfulness helps a teacher to "give up some control to facilitate the tricky, noisy, maddening, unpredictable process whereby students work together to decide what respect means or how to be fair" By that we don't know what our day as teachers will be like. We might have everything planned out lesson plans, and activities but all that can change depending on the mood of the students and how the students come into the classroom. As teachers, we sometimes have to give up little control and let our students lead the way. 

When we set our rituals and routines allow the students to let us know what respect is and ways we can show it. 

Sometimes we have to let students take charge. There was a time when a classroom teacher was teaching and the students just kept talking over the teacher and being really rowdy. The teacher gave many warnings but the students kept talking finally the teacher just sat and waited. It took 3 other students to say something to the rest of their classmates because they saw their teacher waiting for them to listen. Sometimes as educators, we have to do and let the kids take the lead and make choices on their own. 

OBSERVING the Culture of a Classroom

• In what ways and how does the teacher's approach to management and instruction help him/her/monitor engagement within individual and group tasks

This image was taken in another first grade classroom with all the assignments. This shows management by allowing easy access to assignments that will take place throughout the week, but also it allows students to help the teacher by grabbing the assignments that are for that subject, or when it is group work one of the students can grab from the bin to get the paper they will be working on. I believe this is an effective way because if a teacher is working in a small group she could ask one student to grab the next set of papers out of the color code bucket. 

• 
  In what ways and how does the teacher develop norms of interaction that support collaborative learning with individuals and share responsibilities

This image was taken in a first grade classroom, and it illustrates the way the teacher strategically organizes grade-level books to increase engagement with students to easily access books at their proper reading level. I believe this is an effective way to get students actively reading because it gives the students the freedom to pick and choose a book of their liking but also it is at the student level and the student can physically see the level letters, so they can easily access the books. Students appeared to be able to go into the reading corner and pick books of their choosing and still be able to read them that best fit them as students.