Category: Resources

Linda Markley

Are You Listening?

calling to make a difference, communication, creating community, Learning Lessons, making connections, Maslow before Blooms, Passion, Podcasting, professional development, Resources, Spirit of teaching, Teacher Appreciation, teacher hero, teacher self-care, teacher vulnerability, Wholehearted teaching

Along with all of the resources provided by the Spirit of Teaching, I have also been doing a podcast called Teacher Tales.

The purpose of the podcast is to let teachers share their stories or “tales” of teaching with the hope that their stories, insights, words of wisdom and experiences will serve as lessons as well as sources of inspiration to other teachers.

It is also a form of advocacy and legacy-building effort for the profession as these stories serve as insights to what it is really like to be a teacher. The public often has a skewed viewpoint, and the podcast can help those who are not teachers see things more clearly and realistically.

As each podcast guest teacher shares their story, a theme of main ideas and some really inspiring lessons seem to come through for the listener.

For example, in Teacher Tales Episode #5, I talk to Meredith, a dear friend and fellow conference “junkie”. Meredith is an amazing teacher and human being whose positive energy, authenticity and sense of humor lifts you up and takes you away on a magic carpet ride to a “whole new world” of teaching (a little Aladdin-style), but at the same time she reminds teachers to stay real and set one priority in this moment that will help us find balance and sustainability in what we do.

It is a little like reminding us that wherever we go, Abu is always along for the ride. You remember Abu, right? That mischievous little monkey who is a kleptomaniac, gets frustrated rather easily and hates to be made a fool of. At the same time, Abu is loyal, unselfish, big-hearted, empathic and benevolent.

Hmmmm, sounds like a metaphor for teaching. As teachers, we want to take those students on that magic carpet ride of learning. We want to help them see the world in a whole new perspective that will uplift their efforts and their view of themselves.

However, we also need to remember Abu is always with us on that journey.

What, you say? How is that? (more…)

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Linda Markley

Teacher Inosculation

calling to make a difference, Can do's, communication, creating community, Learning Lessons, making connections, Purpose, Resources, Spirit of teaching, Spirit practices, Strategies, teacher self-care, teacher vulnerability, Wholehearted teaching

I came across an article recently entitled “Nature’s Eternal Embrace: The Extraordinary Bond of Inosculation” by Hasan Jasim. 

You can read the article here.

I have found myself longing to be outside in the healing context of Mother Nature.

But alas, it has been so hot, buggy and uncomfortable to spend more than five minutes outside. So, I have found myself hibernating and somewhat isolating in reading things and also in my thoughts.

First of all, it reminds me of how we do this as teachers in our classrooms.

For whatever reasons, we isolate in our classrooms with “our kids” and don’t get outside much to interact with our colleagues or teammates.

I witnessed the danger of this firsthand when a first year teacher in my school struggled to adjust to all the demands of teaching, and isolated herself in her classroom. She was afraid to get help because she felt she would be judged as not enough or incompetent.

After three months, she had a nervous breakdown and had to leave the profession.

This had a HUGE IMPACT on me.

I felt I had not done my part as a “seasoned veteran teacher” to help her.

Small things such as…

Stop by her classroom and see how she was doing.

Ask her how I could support her in her new teacher role.

Encourage, inspire and uplift her…just listen and offer hugs and words of affirmation.

Something, somehow to let her know she was not alone and that we had ALL been there (and maybe some of us still were!)

I decided I needed to do something to help connect with these new teachers and build a supportive school community…as much for the newbies as for those of us who were perhaps struggling with burnout and our own form of isolation.

Now, what does all of this backstory mean and how does it connect to Mother Nature, teachers and this new word “inosculation”? (more…)

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Linda Markley

Please help a Teacher

calling to make a difference, Can do's, creating community, Joy, making connections, Passion, Purpose, Resources, Spirit of teaching, Teacher Appreciation

It is that time of year when teachers and children are going back to school.

A new school year.

A new beginning.

When we start something new, we may need help, support, encouragement, inspiration, resources and materials.

We are building bridges to new connections, new relationships, new learning adventures, new pathways, new opportunities…and so on.

And we may need help doing this.

Teachers do this every.single.year.

They have a reset, restart, renewal to start building those bridges, connections, relationships, etc. again.

They need help. They are “looking for the helpers”, as Mr. Rogers says, for support, encouragements, inspiration, resources, materials, and so on.

Please HELP A TEACHER.

Here are some suggestions:

(more…)

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Linda Markley

Imperfections

calling to make a difference, communication, creating community, i am enough, Learning Lessons, Maslow before Blooms, Passion, Purpose, Resources, Spirit of teaching, Spirit practices, teacher vulnerability, Wholehearted teaching

A little like Bruno, from the Disney film, Encanto, we don’t talk about imperfections in the classroom.

We are all aiming for and expecting that A+, perfection, right?

Even though we say “C” is “average”, we don’t accept nor strive for average.

Everything is about competition and being the BEST!

In the movie, Encanto, which, by the way is a brilliant film with so many underlying meanings and symbolism (like most Disney films) there are several themes addressed: identity, power dynamics, family, generational trauma, healing and forgiveness.

Just a side note, Disney films originated with taking fairy tales, fables and myths from other cultures and turning them into films for story-telling purposes of teaching lessons (like the original intention of these genre of literature).

So, let’s talk about Bruno, even though “we don’t talk about Bruno”!

Bruno represents the perceived “imperfection” of the Madrigal family, and he is willing to talk about it. 

Unfortunately, he is perceived as “not a good person” because of that and is villainized by his family. So, he exiles himself from the family and lives in fear of his own potential.

Identity crisis, power dynamics, generational trauma…

Think of how much this plays out at home and in the classroom every day…with students and with teachers, especially since the pandemic.

Why don’t we talk about these issues? Why can’t we be vulnerable?

When we perceive that we have imperfections or we are told that we do…repeatedly…

we begin to believe them.

Then, what?

(more…)

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Linda Markley

Travel as Teacher

Essential questions, Learning Lessons, making connections, Passion, professional development, Resources, Spirit of teaching, Spirit practices, Strategies, teacher self-care, Wholehearted teaching

School is out for the summer, and there is a massive movement of people heading out on vacations all over the world…especially teachers!

Travel is one of the greatest teachers there is. 

I never traveled until I was eighteen-years-old, which is hard to believe in this day and age.

No, I didn’t grow up in the Stone Age when travel consisted of putting one foot in front of the other. Ha! 

However, I did travel the Camino de Santiago in Spain, which was one of the greatest and most life changing experiences of my life. 

It was basically putting one foot in front of the other.

BUT…it was also about getting out of my head, out of fear and into faith and believing in myself….that I could figure things out and overcome all obstacles.

I once read that travel does that, and that is why so many people love to travel and do so often. 

It makes us use all our senses to live in the present moment in order to take in all the sights, sounds, sensations, emotions, etc. and to experience life to its fullest.

So, how does that work? 

AND more importantly, do I have to travel far or internationally 

or even physically to have this life experience?

Of course, as a language teacher, I am a big fan of travel internationally in order to experience and learn more about culture and language. 

That kind of travel has taught me a lot, both personally and professionally.

But it is costly, and I have been fortunate enough to take student groups abroad and share this travel with them as a sort of second line of “teacher”.

They learn so much more from these experiences than I could ever have taught them in the classroom and from a book.

A lot of teachers travel during the summer in order to learn and gain more experiences that they can then use as resources and as inspiration for lessons in order to pass this knowledge on to their students and broaden their horizons, so to speak.

But what if one can’t afford to travel far or have no one to go with or no resources to do so?

We can travel in other ways, which clearly is not as effective.

However, and more importantly, perhaps taking advantage of the opportunity to travel in our minds and in our souls…to experience and learn more about ourselves…is the more important lesson and the real teacher.

For example, on the Camino, I met a lady who was really lost in life and miserable. 

One night, in the middle of the night, she came across the movie The Way, which is about the experiences and both the inner and outer landscapes of four pilgrims walking the Camino.

She felt the connection. She longed for similar experiences…to get out into Nature. To walk more. To meet more people. To find herself again.

So, she saved and saved until she was able to finally TRAVEL to Spain and start walking the Camino. It was life-changing, as it was for me.

What about books, especially adventure books that travel to faraway lands or even just travel to our inner dimension and get us in touch with our feelings?

LeVar Burton and Reading Rainbow encouraged children to do this:

Butterfly in the sky
I can go twice as high
Take a look
It’s in a book
A reading rainbow

I can go anywhere
Friends to know
And ways to grow
A reading rainbow

I can be anything
Take a look
It’s in a book
A reading rainbow (A reading rainbow)
A reading rainbow (A reading rainbow, a reading rainbow)           (credit Reading Rainbow)

We can travel in our minds through meditation or yoga or tai chi or forest sound baths and visualizations.  I actually do this with students and teachers in workshops using a scenic picture and asking them to close their eyes and imagine they are there. 

Next, I ask them to describe what they see in the picture and how that makes them feel. Then, we go bigger picture, and we talk about where that place is, how to get there, what would we say when we get there, who would we meet, what would we do?

Check out some of the resources I have here for these kinds of “spirit/soul” travel experiences.

So, this summer, I hope you are able to travel somewhere and somehow in order to tap into your inner and outer landscape of life experiences and grow from there because travel truly is the greatest teacher!

Perhaps you would like to travel to Spain on the Camino by reading my book, Learning Lessons.

It is available on Amazon, B&N, BAM and all other major booksellers. I hope you check it out!

 

Image credit:

“Globe-Map-Suitcase-Travel-1800×2880” by Will Spark is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.

 

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Linda Markley

May Days

calling to make a difference, Can do's, i am enough, Intention, Joy, Resources, Spirit of teaching, Spirit practices, Strategies, teacher self-care

May is a special month.

It is the end of another school year for most.

It is a beginning of the summer break, warmer temps and travel.

May is not just the fifth month of the calendar year, however.

It is also a verb, from the Old English mæg “am able”.

We use the word “may” also to ask permission…an old favorite of teachers everywhere.

Student – “Can I go to the bathroom?”

Teacher – “I don’t know, can you?”

After a confused look or eye roll from the student, the teacher then replies: “Yes, you MAY go to the bathroom”.

So, why am I going on and on about the word “may”?

Because I want to send teachers off into their summer with 
some permissions, abilities and “may days” (as opposed to “may daze”). (more…)

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Linda Markley

The Teacher SPIRIT

calling to make a difference, Can do's, creating community, Essential questions, i am enough, Intention, Introspection, Intuition, Joy, Learning Lessons, making connections, Maslow before Blooms, Passion, Purpose, Resources, Sincerity, Spirit of teaching, Spirit practices, Strategies, teacher hero, teacher self-care, teacher vulnerability, Wholehearted teaching

Like so many educators today, I left the educational profession because my school “SPIRIT” was suffering.

I didn’t know what that meant at the time or exactly how to describe it because really I was focused on my poor health and inability to walk very far without my legs giving out on me.

I left the profession “broken” both physically and mentally.

I literally had “fallen”, and I could’t get up.

I was lost with no sense or real direction(s).

So, when I walked across Spain on the Camino Francés, with each step I took and each person I met and each experience I had, I learned a lesson.

And these lessons eventually led me back to my true teaching SPIRIT.

I wanted to share the lessons from my journey with others, especially teachers, to somehow help them find their way back to their true SPIRIT.

I founded The Spirit of Teaching, created a website of resources and started a podcast called Teacher Tales in which teachers can tell their stories of teaching and what makes up a true teaching SPIRIT.

Of course being a teacher and in the field of education, I developed an acronym to help remember the qualities and aspirations of a true teaching SPIRIT (which is why it is capitalized and really should have periods in between each letter).

They can be found on this website and shared with others.

Check them out here.  

Print them out and put them in your plan book.

Journal about them.

Post the mantras and “yellow arrow” guides around your classroom, home, office, car, etc.

There are even more resources that can help guide you and keep you on your intended path.

Check them out here.

You also might want to purchase my book Learning Lessons which is a real treasure trove of insight, resources, guidance and activities that you can use to help inspire and guide you back to your own True Self and the teaching SPIRIT in all of us!

Link to purchase Learning Lessons.

 

Photo credit:

created by Linda Markley in Canva

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Linda Markley

Learning Lessons

calling to make a difference, Can do's, Essential questions, i am enough, making connections, Maslow before Blooms, Resources, Spirit of teaching, Spirit practices, Strategies

I have witnessed so many changes in education, especially in the past few years and most definitely since the pandemic.

More and more teachers are leaving the classroom.

Teacher burnout, anxiety and health related issues are at an all time high.

As well, fewer and fewer people are choosing to enter the teaching profession.

You can check out some of the stats and data here:

Reluctantly, I left the teaching profession due to a serious illness brought on by the stress I was experiencing in my position.

It took me a few years to recover physically, however, I still needed to heal mentally and in my teacher spirit.

So, I decided to walk across Spain on the Camino Francés, alone!
It was a pilgrimage of the body, mind and spirit with each step I took (usually 15-20 miles per day!)
Time for reflection, soul-searching, self-discovery, interpersonal connections and many, MANY lessons that would heal the deep wounds I had experienced on my life’s journey, both in and out of the classroom.

How do we learn lessons in life?
What are the best ways for students to learn lessons in the classroom?
And finally, how do the lessons we learn create our path in life?

I discovered the answers to these questions (and so many more!) during my walk across Spain, and I would like to share the lessons I learned with all of you.  Please read on… (more…)

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Linda Markley

I Beg to Differ

calling to make a difference, Can do's, communication, Maslow before Blooms, Passion, Purpose, Resources, Spirit of teaching, Spirit practices, Strategies, Wholehearted teaching

Happy New Year 2024!

As we move into a new calendar year and the second half of another school year, I wanted to reflect a little with you about our differences.

The great Fred Rogers once said:

“Something else children need is the understanding that 

every person is 

DIFFERENT.

With that understanding can come children’s appreciation

of their own differences and the courage to 

be who they are – 

each one different from everybody else.”

Sometimes variations of this word DIFFERENT can get confusing in education and in how it is implemented into a school’s best practices.

There is an enormous focus and demand for DIFFERENTiation in the classroom as a result of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and ESSA (Every Student Succeeds Act).

We need to meet a student where they are. Then, we can figure out and accommodate all the different ways that child learns and succeeds. We don’t want to leave any child behind, and we do want them to succeed. 

However, I feel that what is said and what is practiced in education sometimes are very far apart. In fact, they are usually quite opposite.

I am a like a broken record now with voicing my perspective that we are preaching out of the box, differentiated and accommodating strategies for learning, YET…we are standardizing everything and expecting every child to jump into the same box WE have created for them.

AND, there is now a current trend to allow for fewer and fewer differences among children. 

There is even legislation being passed to not allow children to see something or someone different from themselves because of fear of indoctrinating them to a different way of thinking or being.

It is a fact that our brain is wired to see differences first before similarities. Perhaps that is so that we can be curious to learn more about those differences rather than be afraid of them?

Or is it for survival – what is different is a threat to my safety, well being, etc.?

As Fred Rogers says, it takes COURAGE, and as we know, there is a lot of fear permeating the walls of the classroom today.

So, how can we differentiate as well as allow for differences in the classroom 

in order to create a more nurturing, supportive learning environment 

for children (and teachers, for that matter!) and therefore,

MAKE A DIFFERENCE?

(more…)

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Linda Markley

Happy Endings

calling to make a difference, Can do's, creating community, Essential questions, i am enough, Intention, Introspection, Intuition, Joy, making connections, Maslow before Blooms, Passion, Purpose, Resources, Sincerity, Spirit of teaching, Spirit practices, Strategies, teacher hero, Wholehearted teaching

The end of the first semester of classes is upon us.

We have all been working hard for almost 18 weeks now trying to teach, learn and achieve goals.

We have had good days.

We have had bad days.

We have had ups.

We have had downs.

We have had fun.

We have had drama.

We have been sad, happy, angry, frustrated and all around the emotional block many times…in one day even!

Just like a story playing out in a movie.

The classroom is a reflection of life and the world we live in.

The question is…will we make our story this semester into a horror story, a drama, a comedy, a tale of super-human powers or will we choose to make it a love story with a happy ending?

It IS the season of Hallmark movies, you know!

There is a lot of push-back about toxic positivity in education.

There is also a lot of push-back about calling teachers heroes.

Nonetheless, I will always be in the positive charge for energy in the classroom.

AND, I also know a lot about the Hero’s Journey as described by Joseph Campbell, and I will always believe that each and every one of us is the hero of our own story and journey in life.

So, how can we have a happy ending to this first semester, even though it may not have met all our expectations or we haven’t met all our goals or the students have not measured up to our standards? (more…)

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Linda Markley

Overwhelmed?

calling to make a difference, Can do's, i am enough, Maslow before Blooms, Resources, Spirit of teaching, Spirit practices, Strategies

Most of us know the definition of overwhelm.

Most of us, who will admit it, have experienced the feelings of overwhelm.

This word, OVERWHELMED, is probably one of the most common words teachers use to describe teaching today.

Teachers are overwhelmed.

Students are overwhelmed.

Administrators are overwhelmed.

Parents are overwhelmed.

The etymology of the word overwhelmed is from Old English overwhelmen

     over = to turn upside down +  whelmen = to submerge completely

Yep, that pretty much describes life in the classroom today.

Everyone and everything seems turned upside down, and life as we know it in the classroom will never be the same, especially since the pandemic.

AND, everyone feels like they are submerged and drowning and not even treading water anymore.

etymonline.com states that “perhaps the connecting notion of being overwhelmed is a boat, etc., washed over, and overset, by a big wave. In a figurative sense of ‘to bring to ruin’ is attested from 1520s.” 

I’m getting a visual…stormy, rough seas, small boat, alone and adrift with little to no crew to help keep the boat upright, a big wave of walking the plank-jumping ship-betrayal-mutiny, the feeling of being in the doldrums with no breath of inspiration or compass of hope to guide us safely and surely to our destination.

How do we keep from getting overwhelmed by everything going on outside of the classroom and outside of ourselves?

How do we navigate the stormy seas of teaching (and life)?

What can we do about the tsunami that keeps us submerged with feelings of drowning and gasping for air or the feelings of abandoning ship or the feelings of mutiny and betrayal that can come up in our daily interactions with students, colleagues, admin and especially with parents? (more…)

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Linda Markley

Classroom Behavior

calling to make a difference, Can do's, creating community, i am enough, Intention, Introspection, Intuition, Joy, making connections, Maslow before Blooms, Resources, Sincerity, Spirit of teaching, Spirit practices, Strategies, Wholehearted teaching

There are many reasons teachers are leaving the profession.

One of those reasons is classroom behavior…BOTH teacher and student behavior.

The pressures, demands, excessive expectations, negative and hostile culture in which many teachers and students find themselves these days are causing behavior in the classroom to also get out of control.

In a school district in Florida, a large group of teachers quit stating that student behavior was out of control and unbearable. 

Since then, many prominent persons in the district, including the sheriff and local school board members have publicly stated their opinions about students in the district. These opinions have included many “childish” behaviors such as name calling and suggestions for “whipping students’ a****”.

As adults, we must be the role models for children, and this kind of behavior is just not acceptable.

Teaching is the hardest job there is nowadays!

So many critics and so little respect. Too many expectations and not enough support.

 And being a kid is hard too with all the pressures from social media, high stakes testing and socio-economic challenges at home.

All of these pressures are playing out in the classroom and manifesting in extreme human behaviors like violence, insolence, aggression, belligerence and defiance stemming from human emotions such as anger, frustration, anxiety, depression, sadness, grief, fear, jealousy, rejection and especially an overwhelming feeling of not being or doing enough.

What can we do as teachers, as parents, as ADULTS to help turn
this classroom behavior around from a negative to a positive?

And YES…IT STARTS WITH US!!!

(more…)

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Linda Markley

Rules and Rulers

communication, creating community, Essential questions, Resources, Spirit of teaching, Spirit practices, teacher vulnerability, Wholehearted teaching

Words are powerful!

The etymology of words is so fascinating and fun and can give us great insight and inspiration to life’s challenges as well as rewards.

According to etymonline.com, the origin of the word rule is “ from Vulgar Latin *regula, from Latin regula “straight stick, bar, ruler;” figuratively “a pattern, a model,” related to regere “to rule, straighten, guide” (from PIE root *reg- “move in a straight line,” with derivatives meaning “to direct in a straight line,” thus “to lead, rule”).”

 Rules are a big part of the classroom culture and a teacher’s foundation for managing that culture. However, rules and the rulers who implement them can sometimes create an imbalance in power that controls and suppresses rather than “guides” or “directs in a straight line”.

Usually the teacher has their rules listed on a poster in the classroom, hands out a copy of the rules to the students and goes over them on the first day of class. 

Sometimes the rules are in the form of “Don’t” as in “don’t talk when the teacher is talking”. 

Sometimes they are in the form of “Be” –  “Be quiet and respectful”.

Sometimes they are in the form of “Do” – “Always do your best”.

Sometimes they include absolutes like “never” or “always”.

Whatever form they come in, rules are intended to regulate the culture of the classroom.

Culture, in terms of world languages instruction, is defined as the “products, practices and perspectives” of the people that make up a community.

Notice that the word for ruler also comes from regula as in a straight stick to measure/guide.

So, what can we glean from the etymology of these words, as teachers,

that can help us with our classroom culture? (more…)

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Linda Markley

Hocus-Pocus Teaching in Scary Times

calling to make a difference, Can do's, creating community, making connections, Purpose, Resources, Spirit of teaching, Spirit practices, Strategies, teacher vulnerability, Wholehearted teaching

It is October, and things are heating up for teachers as the weather cools down.

FALL is in the air.

Teachers may feel like things are not “falling” into place or that they are “falling” down on the job because it is the end of the grading period, and they are having a hard time keeping up with…

…too many students trying to make up work they should have done weeks ago

…too many parents reacting negatively, and yes, even aggressively (bullying) because their    child does not have the grade they want them to have and, somehow, that’s the teacher’s fault

…too many emails, meetings, papers to grade, parent conferences, admin visits for evaluation

…too many things to JUGGLE

Teachers maybe need a little bit of HOCUS-POCUS.

Did you know that the origin of the phrase HOCUS-POCUS is from the Latin phrase hicce es doctus, which means here is the learned man. (etymonline.com). 

The phrase eventually became used by jugglers and magicians to refer to their craft/sleight of hand.

Nowadays, the phrase “hocus-pocus” conjures up the wildly popular Disney film of the same name, which has just released a part 2.

So, what do Fall, Hocus-Pocus, October, jugglers, magicians and teachers have in common?

(more…)

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Linda Markley

Helpers in the Classroom

i am enough, Intention, Introspection, Maslow before Blooms, Resources, Spirit of teaching, Spirit practices

I really love birds.  I also really love watching birdcams. One of my favorites that my daughter introduced me to is this one of the albatross Tiaki on the cliffs of New Zealand.

Tiaki and the other fledgling albatross are facing some pretty strong wind as they try to take off and fly.  However, they learn quickly to ride the wind and use it to help guide them safely back to the ground and to their nests.

Watching this video, I thought about what teachers are still going through even as a new school year has begun. 

Even after a year of teaching in a pandemic, teachers are still struggling in this new school year with all the challenges, stress, obstacles and Herculean demands that are being made on them. 

So many teachers I know are having major physical and mental health issues. Addictions are on the rise.  Every day is an emotional roller coaster of frustration, disappointment, anxiety, anger and guilt.

Teachers feel as if they have the proverbial “albatross” around their necks.

What does this mean? (more…)

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Linda Markley

Curiosity

calling to make a difference, Can do's, making connections, Resources, Spirit of teaching, Spirit practices, Strategies

Curiosity comes from the Latin word, curiosus, and is akin to the word “cura” or care/cure.  According to Etymonline, to be curious means to be “careful, diligent and to inquire eagerly”.

When one hears the word “curiosity”, people often think of the expression “curiosity killed the cat”, which totally does not conger up a positive image or motivation to inspire one to become more curious.

But if we think about cats and how they are inquisitive, yet careful, when something new is introduced into their environment, the concept is magical. 

How many cat videos and memes have been uploaded and viewed on the internet as a way to seek calm, practice self-care of de-stressing and to get a dopamine hit of “ahhhhh, how cute!”?… especially during the pandemic!

In any personal or spiritual growth practice, the first step is to get curious. What is coming up? How am I feeling? When does this happen? Who is involved? 

This is what I call the “WWWWWH?” We can’t pounce on a problem or challenge or situation like a cat who is not practicing curiosity. Maybe that’s when there are dire consequences.

We need to be careful, yet diligent and inquire eagerly at all angles through WWWWWH?

WWWWWH? = Who? What? When? Where? Why? How?

These are the basics of Bloom’s Taxonomy for learning and growth.

But in the real world, it is just the basis and foundation of living and moving forward one step at a time.

We have to find the answers to the WWWWWH? of life for ourselves. No prescription, no multiple choice, no true/false, no “one-size-fits-all”. 

So, what does curiosity look like in the classroom, 

and why is it the essential and critical first step on the learning journey?

(more…)

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Linda Markley

Love

calling to make a difference, Can do's, creating community, Essential questions, i am enough, Intention, Maslow before Blooms, Purpose, Resources, Spirit of teaching, Spirit practices, Wholehearted teaching

This is a really, REALLY tough time of year for teachers and students. 

They come back from Spring Break only to face testing and admin in overdrive and red-lining their list of demands to “wrap things up” for this school year. *note – the definition of redlining is: “drive with (a car engine) at or above its rated maximum rpm or revolutions per minute”

Yep…sounds about right! Teachers and students are being driven to their maximum limits.

As a result, anxiety, anger, frustration, shaming, blaming, screaming and all other kinds of negative and “ugly” human behaviors are raging through schools.

And in a pandemic… well, that is just adding gas on an already out of control, raging fire!

So, what can teachers, students, parents, admin and everyone do right now? 

Remember that love conquers all…love makes the world go round (revolutions)…all you need is love…

and the epitome of all quotes on love…

Love is love is love is love is love….  such simple, yet powerful words spoken by Lin-Manuel Miranda at the Tony Awards in 2016 following the Pulse Night Club shootings in Orlando, FL.

You can watch the speech here, but I’ll warn you…have a box of tissue handy!

This gets me every.single.time because it touches a place deep in my teacher heart about loving ALL children just they way they are, as Mister Rogers taught us.

Love them ALL…no matter what!  There are days when it is so hard to do this in the classroom because of too many demands made on us as teachers. 

Too much stress due to too many demands.

Too many emotions to process and deal with because of too many demands.

Too much testing and judging and shaming and blaming and… you get the picture.

Everything is too much, and yet not enough. It echoes through the halls and permeates the walls of every classroom, that is, if we will allow it to do so!!!

There are preventive measures, however, which are at the heart and spirit of teaching. I will be exploring some of these preventive measures and powerful antidotes in my upcoming blog posts. I actually started with the last post on kindness.  You can check it out here.

What does LOVE look like in the classroom?

(more…)

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Linda Markley

SPIRIT Journey: Intention

calling to make a difference, Can do's, Essential questions, Intention, making connections, Maslow before Blooms, Resources, Spirit of teaching, Spirit practices, Strategies, Wholehearted teaching

Once we dig deeper into our souls through the practice of introspection, we must then become consciously aware of the essence of who we truly are and, from there, set our intentions.

It is all about alignment and balance.  

We are able to make an action plan to align our actions and words with the essence of our being…who we truly are and how we want to show up in the world.

Ask Deepak Chopra teaches us, “where our intention goes, energy flows”. 

It is a basic principle of our True Spirit. And keep in mind, it is applicable to both positive and negative energy. 

From etymonline.com:

…..“Intention” from “late 14c., entencioun, “purpose, design, aim, object, will, wish, desire

…..noun of action from intendere “to turn one’s attention,” literally “to stretch out” 

…..In Middle English “emotion, feelings; heart, mind, mental faculties, understanding.” 

So many meaningful and powerful words here behind “intention”.

 

If my attention is on who I truly am, my purpose, my wishes and my heart, 

then I CAN CHOOSE 

a conscious and well-meant (intended) response as opposed to a reaction.

“Response” comes from Latin “responsum” meaning “an answer” or “a promise in return” or “to pledge back” 

As opposed to “reaction” which is “an action in resistance or response to another action or power”.  

 

When we set our intentions from who we truly are and we respond with a choice from there, from our soul, from our True Spirit, we are setting a promise to ourselves to bring things into alignment with our integrity and maintain balance in our lives. Remember the origin of “integrity” being from “whole” and “pure”?

However, when we choose to react, like a knee-jerk reaction, it is an automated response from a conditioned painful place that is residing deep in the shadows of our subconscious mind.

I find it real interesting that the term “reaction time” came into our lexicon during the late 1800’s when the great psychologists like Wundt, Freud, Pavlov and Jung began exploring the psychology of humans.  Were they onto something? 

Reaction time is the “time elapsing between the action of an external stimulus and the giving of a signal in reply” 

So, it is in that magic moment of time 

between the EXTERNAL STIMULUS and the INTERNAL SIGNAL 

that makes all the difference in the world.  

In that magic moment of time, the power behind our intention rules the outcome and determines the experience we will have.

Our intentions create our reality!!!

Let that sink in a minute, and then, let’s dig deeper… (more…)

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Linda Markley

SPIRIT Journey: Introspection

calling to make a difference, Can do's, Essential questions, Introspection, Purpose, Resources, Spirit of teaching, Spirit practices, Strategies, Wholehearted teaching

When I was deciding on what concepts each letter of SPIRIT would represent, I considered “reflection” as one for the “R”. However, the more I pondered my experience on the Camino and the lessons I had learned in life, the more I realized that reflection was not enough. There was a deeper learning; a deeper journey; a deeper knowing.

So, like any teacher, who is also a lifelong learner, I did some research. I also asked some friends what they thought about their learning journeys. This is what I discovered.

Some people use the terms self-awareness, self-reflection and introspection interchangeably. There has been a lot of research done on all three, and it has been determined that they are really not the same. My personal and professional experiences tell me they are not the same either.

According to Positive Psychology, 

     “Self-reflection is one’s ability to willingly examine one’s thought and feelings and reflect on what they mean”.

     “Introspection is the examination of one’s own conscious thoughts and feelings”.

     “Self-awareness is the achievement of practicing self-reflection and the exercise of introspection.”

Clear as mud, right?  Stay with me here because it is a process that, when understood, leads to a more spiritual and fulfilling path to peace and bliss. Also, it is one of the greatest lessons I have learned in life. (more…)

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Linda Markley

SPIRIT Journey: Resilience

Can do's, Essential questions, making connections, Maslow before Blooms, Resources, Spirit of teaching, Spirit practices, Strategies, teacher hero, teacher vulnerability, Wholehearted teaching

“Resilience” is from Latin resiliens, “to rebound, recoil, to jump, leap” Also, used in 1800’s to mean “elasticity”.

For me, resilience means to move forward even when faced with challenges, obstacles and shortcomings. However, it does not mean to keep pushing and pushing to the point of burnout.

Resilience is not measured in terms of suffering. 

It is not about reaching a goal no matter what toll it takes on us. 

It is not about the price we think we have to pay 
or the sacrifices we have to make to move forward. 

There has been so much research done on resilience to determine what makes someone “succeed” or “triumph in the face of adversity”. As well, there have been many connections made between our level of happiness and well-being as correlated to our level of resilience. 

You ask most people what they want most in life, and they say “to be happy”.  And, for me, there are as many definitions and pathways to happiness as there are people in the world. Perhaps that is what I finally found on the Camino was true happiness…bliss.  I found my way back to my True Self and the core of my (well) being.  

But the truth is that since returning from the Camino, I have lost my way a couple of times when there were big life changes and challenges. Fear came up again, and I had to be curious and discover new ways to cope with those fears by getting out of my mind and checking in with my heart through courage to find the “right” answers that would work for me. 

I was stretched beyond my comfort zone of beliefs and best practices, but through courage and all the aspects of SPIRIT lessons that I am always talking about, I have been able to take leaps of faith to bounce back from all adversity. SPIRIT creates the elasticity I need to cope, survive and overcome so that I can take that next step into my well-being and find my way back home.

What does it mean to be “resilient” and  “triumph in the face of adversity”?  Here are some interpretations of this expression through my “lentes”.  (more…)

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