Spirit Journey: SERENITY
Serenity – “mid-15c., “clear, calm,” from Latin serenus “peaceful, calm, clear, unclouded” (of weather), figuratively “cheerful, glad, tranquil.” How can we find serenity when…
There is a lot going on in teaching these days.
There is a lot going on in the world.
There is a lot going on inside of each of us.
Teachers, students, parents, administrators, the world…
EVERY ONE needs more calm and peace and serenity.
There is too much expected in too little time and too few resources or too little support or just TOO…TOO much, TOO little TO DO or TO BE. The perspective has changed from a place of abundance to a place of lack and Taking On Obstacles (TOO) that are constantly being placed before us.
Everything is a challenge to be overcome. There is struggle in everything we do. There is no natural flow of curiosity, gradual growth and exploratory learning. Where has all the joy gone? Why is passion now a curse in teaching?
The forecast in education is always stormy weather, stormy seas, dark clouds, high winds, lightening strikes and doom. Teachers feel like they are either in the middle of a tornado and have to escape to the shelter underground and hide or that they are being swept away and drowned by a tsunami-sized flooding of paperwork, meetings, to-do lists, checklists, deadlines, emails and expectations.
How can we as human beings, let alone super-human teacher beings, survive the stormy seas of education?
The ticker-tape message in education is “NEVER ENOUGH”!!! We want more, more, more. Our children are behind, behind, behind. Even in this pandemic, districts are expecting teachers and students to meet all standards and expectations. WHAT?!
All of this creates negative emotions and negative energy and subsequently taps into the shadow side of us. Nothing is done calmly or en-joy anymore. Behaviors either align to stressing out, acting out, shutting down or running away. All can be experienced in the course of a school day.
Everyone is rushing, racing, remediating, regimenting, reciting, regurgitating, remissing, regretting…rrrrrrrrr, like the cranking sound of an engine that won’t start because it is not getting enough fuel to its engine. There is no calm… just frustration, exhaustion, depletion and aggravation.
We have to make different choices. We don’t want to race toward “rest in peace”. Instead, we should LIVE IN PEACE so that we can savor every moment, every experience, every opportunity to learn and grow into the best version of ourselves. Then, when we reach the end, we can say that we showed up in this world exactly as we chose…no regrets!
The Serenity Prayer has long been associated with religious faith as well as some 12-step addiction recovery programs. I was hesitant to use it here for teaching because of these associations. However, I strongly feel there is great value is breaking it down and how it applies to teaching.
ACCEPTANCE-COURAGE-WISDOM
to set healthy boundaries and realistic expectations
especially during these overly demanding times of remote teaching and COVID.
The stress level of teachers and students is off the charts anymore due to the emotional (and physical) challenges they face every day in the classroom. Doctors and counselors are reporting more and more teachers and students as patients as a result of all the dis-ease that they are experiencing with the educational system. We need to change this and choose peace of mind, body and spirit for us and for our students/children.
When we invite more serenity into our lives, everything becomes more survivable and sustainable and sane.
So, what can we do to bring serenity, calm and peace into ourselves and into our classrooms?
- Set boundaries and limitations on everything you do. Enough is enough! You know your limits. You know the limits of your children. We do not have to be martyrs to education in order to feel our worth and value.
- Remember that “no” is a complete sentence. You can use it whenever you feel you need to set boundaries and practice self-care. No explanations, reasons, rationale, excuses needed. You always know in your heart when “no” is needed.
- Create a list of daily best practices that you want to make healthy habits that will support you and your students. Write them down and incorporate them into your lesson plans. Make them a part of your class expectations and share with parents, colleagues and administrators.
- Be clear about expectations and calm with responses, not reactions. Change your perspective and develop new lenses to take away any dark clouds and see things more clearly. Use Maslow before Blooms, social-emotional learning and mindfulness as the context for delivering your content.
- Create rituals of self-care both in the classroom and at home. What re-charges your battery, grounds you and makes your feel calm? Create mantras and affirmations that remind you and return you daily to your passion for teaching and what you want to pass on to your students. How do you want to show up for them and for yourself every day? How and what do you need in order to do that? Why?
- Finally, follow the spirit of teaching and incorporate SERENITY into your lesson plans each day. By doing this, you will be setting your intentions from the heart in the true spirit of teaching.
This is what it might look like in your plan book:
Essential question for the day: SERENITY
How can I create more calmness and peace in my life?
Can Do Statements:
I practice self-care daily and nurture my soul through my choices.
I focus my attention on the purpose of my being and allow my energy to flow from there.
I learn and grow from all experiences, positive and negative.
Best Practices for today:
Leave on time from school and limit how much time I spend at home on schoolwork.
Ground myself and re-charge my teaching battery by listening to soothing music while taking a bath.
Pause and plan my responses to students and not allow myself to become overwhelmed and react.
For more ideas, best practices and tons of resources to bring more SERENITY into your life, go here:
Inspirational songs:
Takashi Kokubo YouTube Channel – listen here
Three Hours of Serenity Music – listen here
Try the CALM app here
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