Educators have many concerns in working with today's youth.
One concern that the message of this curriculum brings up for teachers is:
"How do you expect me to be compassionate when my classroom is maxed out and overcrowded?
"How can you possibly expect me to make time to deal compassionately with every problematic child I have in my classroom?
"There is not enough of me or time in the day."
It only takes three simple steps to accomplish a classroom where students collectively will become self-managing and highly productive.
Step 1: Change your mind and you change your relationships. If you currently see certain children as "problem children" then you are not seeing the inherent greatness in them that's trying to get out.
You are inadvertently making them feel like the enemy. When you allow yourself to be seduced by unskilled or hurtful behavior you miss what they are teaching you.
Children teach us exactly what we need to know ...if we will just pay attention.
Slow down and take a few moments to look past the behavior to see what's really going on.
It takes less than a minute. The willingness to be open to a shift in your perception will instantly lift your own energy and will change things for the better as you now reach out to connect to the heart and genius within each child.
Step 2: Think community. You must hold firm to the concept that your classroom is a safe haven. It's all about community, where every single child is included and is expected to show up and belong.
When you witness one student doing something verbally or attitudinally harmful to his classmates, i.e., his community, you simply and quietly take the child aside to address what's really going on, openly and compassionately.
At this pivotal moment, you only need to say one thing to individuals who have been hurtful or unskillful: "What's going on for you that you would do (or say) what you just did to so and so?"
That's it. This very specific technique interrupts what's happening and transforms any unproductive experience with anyone.
Try it at school, home with your spouse, children and /or teenagers. You will transform any situation quickly and once and for all!
Simply asking "What's going on for you" instead of "Why did you do it?" connects the dots to the heart of the matter instead of making up more cerebral excuses that never, ever get resolved!
It lets individuals know that, even though they've been unskillful in their treatment of others, they matter to you. They now have your full compassionate attention, and they know that you want to help them with whatever it is they feel they needed to strike out about.
Step 3: Repeat Steps 1 and 2 continuously for the next nine weeks and you will have a classroom of students that's a community where everyone is included and expected to show up and belong.
They will excel beyond any predicted level, and you'll reap benefits for holding firmly to this goal.
And now, here's the sampler of WEEK 4 of my 9-Week Make A Difference School Curriculum so you can see just how DOABLE this is!
You can DO THIS ... teaching is incredibly rewarding when students are actively learning and directly involved in each other's well being.
Reaching out to make a world of difference NOW!
makeadifference.com/Education
PS... Click here to invest in the 9-Week Curriculum Educator's Package with special 2 hour training with Mary as she walks you through step-by-step HOW to create COMMUNITY in your classroom within the first 9 weeks of THIS School Year so your students academic scores excel!
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