I recently came across this post on Facebook about teachers being tired. The author, Whitney Ballard, links teacher exhaustion to the enormous number of decisions we make on a daily basis. Man! Can I ever relate! Added to her already very good list of decisions teachers make are the ones CI teachers have to make immediately and on the spot: Why didn’t the class answer that question well? What should I ask next? How can I ask it in a way that makes it seem novel and not repetitive (because it’s repetitions we are going for, right?)? How can I make this compelling? We are also continually circulating through our rooms and physically acting out the structures we are teaching – many times, I am exhausted on Monday afternoon and wonder how I’m going to make it through the week. I know I’m not alone!
Students, too, are incredibly stressed. My levels 3 and 4 are taking a ton of dual credit and AP classes. We are a small school, so everyone is involved in everything: clubs, sports, band, choir and a whole lot of fundraising. Many also have jobs. If I have no idea how to calm myself throughout the day, it is a definite that students also struggle.
So, I started injecting small doses of meditation into my classroom routine. Using Calm.com (paid subscription) my students and I experienced our first guided body relaxation last week – in Spanish! I dimmed the lights, told students to take a seat on the floor and get comfortable. My only requirement was that they not disturb anyone else.
Of course, I cheated and peaked to see what they were doing. I was surprised in all classes to see that every single student had their eyes closed and was following the directions. We didn’t go over any vocabulary first, just jumped right in. When we finished, we talked about how busy our lives were and how much we all needed to unwind and to get our faces out of our phones.
What I noticed
- After 3 minutes of guided meditation, students were significantly more relaxed
- The atmosphere remained calm for that class period
- I was substantially more relaxed and therefore making those many decisions was easier
What students reported
- They felt more relaxed
- They really enjoyed the few minutes of relaxation since they don’t have the opportunity to do that in other classes
- They were better able to focus and think in Spanish
- (This one is my favorite) They were able to apply the deep breathing techniques to stressful situations like taking a difficult test
Spanish:
Spotify has this list available and here is a guided meditation for children on YouTube.
French:
Spotify has this list available and this guided meditation video on YouTube (and others).
German:
YouTube has this video and this video.
*I don’t speak French or German, so you should preview these links before using in class.
Mantras from Justin Slocum Bailey
Justin Slocum Bailey has recently introduced Tuned-in Teacher Mantras on YouTube. They are spot-on and extremely helpful for keeping focus. The videos are short and insightful. I highly recommend them!
Here’s to an intentionally calm school year. I encourage you to try one of the above links and report back the effects on your classes.
Happy teaching!
