Category: Sincerity

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

Modeling

calling to make a difference, communication, creating community, Intention, Purpose, Sincerity, Spirit of teaching, Spirit practices, Wholehearted teaching

As a Spanish teacher, I often told my students that I was going to be their “modelo” and then, I would jokingly “strike a pose” as in Madonna’s song, Vogue.

They got a kick out of that, but honestly and truly, I felt that I was a model for them in everything that I said and did every day.

The word “model” can mean many things today, but mostly we use it to refer to someone in the fashion industry or when we refer to cars/appliances/ technology.

One of the definitions of “model” is “a system or thing used as an example to follow or imitate”.

The etymology of the word is from Latin, modulus, meaning “a standard for imitation or comparison.”  (etymonline.com)

So, as teachers, we are setting a “standard for imitation” for our students to follow. 

Our words, our actions, our tone, our body language, our choices, our everything.

So, this could go either way.

If we yell, disrespect and dismiss our students, we are modeling and setting a standard for them to imitate and do the same to us and others.

If we speak kindly, thoughtfully and see and hear our students, we are modeling and setting a standard for them to imitate and do the same to us and others.

This happens everywhere, not only in the classroom. 

As teachers, we are not just role models to children, but also as humans, we are role models to other humans.

Let me give a few real world examples I have experienced. (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

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

Teacher Professional Development

calling to make a difference, creating community, Introspection, professional development, Sincerity, Spirit of teaching, Spirit practices, teacher vulnerability

Attending professional development training is a requirement for teachers to renew their teaching certificates every five years.

Even though it is still summer break, teachers are already either attending professional development over the summer. Or they are already planning for their professional development in the upcoming year during pre-planning or during the designated district PD Days.

I have noticed a trend in social media posts that are lashing out about trainers or mentors for professional development who have not been in the classroom in recent years.

I can read the frustration and resentment between the lines of these posts and totally understand and respect them.

In fact, much of the overwhelming negativity that comes from teachers I can understand and respect. I get human nature and the life of teaching, no matter what decade we are talking about.

HOWEVER, as some teachers become more and more aggressive about voicing these frustrations, I am compelled to offer a different perspective.

For some teachers, their Ego tells them: “I already know everything I need to know and no one else is going to tell me how to teach.”

For some teachers, their anxiety tells them: “I have so much to do and am barely keeping up with what I already know how to do. I can’t take on another new trick or another new thing on my plate.”

For some teachers, their resentment tells them: “Not many professions require employees to spend their time seeking professional development in order to keep their license and/or credentials, so why should I?’ 

For some teachers, their anger tells them: “You don’t know me or the kids I teach, so you can’t offer anything that is going to help. You are just wasting my time.”

I could go on, but you get the picture.

So, what could possibly be a perspective that would help allay the negativity that is associated with attending a professional development day/session, especially one led by a teacher who has not been in the classroom in the last several years? (more…)

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Linda Markley

SPIRIT Journey: Transformation

calling to make a difference, Can do's, Essential questions, Intention, Introspection, Intuition, Maslow before Blooms, Passion, Purpose, Sincerity, Spirit of teaching, Spirit practices, Wholehearted teaching

“Transformation” means “to change form; trans = cross over, to go across”.  

What we learn should transform us. It should empower us to cross over any boundaries or obstacles in order to get to the other side. 

It should give us the “lentes nuevos” (“new lenses”, which is a reference to past blog posts) that we need in order to transform and see more clearly…that which we need to change, that which we do not need to change and to acquire the wisdom in our hearts to know the difference.  The Serenity Prayer, basically.

Like all things in life, we have gone full circle in our SPIRIT journey. We have gone through the SPIRIT process, step-by-step. And through that process, we have crossed over many barriers and overcome many obstacles. 

But, transformation is not the end of our journey. 

We are still not perfect. The world is not perfect. There are just new obstacles or problems. 

And most of us, honestly, are really good at re-cycling or hunkering down in past obstacles and problems. We have not crossed over into any new form of being and doing in the world. 

So, we will find ourselves back where we started our SPIRIT Journey with serenity because we are overwhelmed and overcome in our minds by the problems and obstacles. And we just circle back to journey through the process again…and again…and again because we are human, and we are not perfect and change is a part of life. Everything is dynamic.  

The human learning journey both in and out of the classroom is a spiral…we learn a little, grow a little wiser and get a little better at living our life each time. 

Learning is not a “one-’n-done” deal. 

We never really master anything. 

The concept of seeking mastery or worse yet, perfection, is 

one of life’s biggest deceptions and cruelest ironies. (more…)

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Linda Markley

SPIRIT Journey: Trust

Can do's, Essential questions, i am enough, Intention, Introspection, Intuition, Maslow before Blooms, Passion, Purpose, Sincerity, Spirit of teaching, Spirit practices, Strategies

Oh boy, this is a BIG one! 

It all starts the minute we’re born. And it ebbs and flows as we move through Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs in life.

Base level of Maslow’s Hierarchy = are our basic physiological needs being met? Food, water, shelter, clothing, rest…

As children, if we are left to cry when we are hungry or there simply isn’t enough food available to eat, what does that teach us about trusting the adult who is supposed to help meet our needs?

Next level of Maslow’s = are our basic safety and security needs being met? 

Do we feel safe physically, emotionally and psychologically? As we are learning our way in the world, how do others support us? Do they guide, encourage and celebrate our efforts or do they use guilt, shame and physical punishment as a method to control us?

We learn and develop trust through our experiences in the world
...good and bad.

That means all our experiences with people, places and things…ALL the nouns.

PLUS the actions that go with the nouns.

Then comes all the feelings and emotions, the adjectives and adverbs, that describe our experiences and create the memories and the stories that we associate with those experiences.

 

Good experiences = good feelings, memories and stories (and therefore, I should trust them?)

Bad experiences = bad feelings, memories and stories (and therefore, I shouldn’t trust them?)

(note that when it is a REALLY bad experience = trauma, which is a whole other topic to explore. I just want to mention here that there is a lot of attention on the trauma sensitive classroom these days, and with reason. Again, to be explored more at another time).

 

So, maybe instead of looking at trust as something that is developed through good and bad experiences, such as a good experience means I can trust the person or what has happened and a bad experience means I can’t trust the person or what has happened, maybe we can explore trust in another way.

Perhaps we can look at trust as a contract that is established

 between the two parties involved: 

the first party who has the needs and 

the second party who is meeting the needs of the first party.

 

Sounds so legal and not my usual heart-centered, emotional, Vagus-nerve flowing approach, no?

Stay with me here as we explore this a little more. Or should I say, trust me?  (more…)

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Linda Markley

Spirit Journey: SINCERITY

Can do's, Essential questions, Sincerity, Spirit of teaching, Spirit practices, Wholehearted teaching

The word “sincere” is from the Latin word for “whole” or “one growth”.  An often repeated folk etymology proposes that sincere is derived from the Latin sine = without, cera = wax.  According to one popular explanation, dishonest sculptors in Rome or Greece would cover flaws in their work with wax to deceive the viewer; therefore, a sculpture “without wax” would mean honesty in its perfection.

Perfection. How many of us fall victim to this luring illusion that seems to promise us a feeling of wholeness and completeness? How many of us expect this from our students?  We are all shooting for that 100%, right?

Why are we afraid to be vulnerable and flawed? Why can’t we be authentic and true to ourselves?

Some of the greatest teachers I know embody authenticity and vulnerability 
and model these characteristics for their students. 
As a result, profound relationships and learning flourish and grow in these classrooms.

No “waxing over” things and filling in holes, cracks or gaps in children or teachers in order to create an illusion of perfection. The cracks or holes are the parts of us that let the light shine through.  The cracks/holes/flaws are what is authentic about each of us, and it is through these cracks and the cracks of others that compassion seeps out and creates a coating of loving kindness. No wax necessary!

So, how can we bring more sincerity into the classroom?

(more…)

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