This is the time of year when we have a lot of work going on. We have new studies, and projects in just about every subject, and there is no time to waste. Working in class is essential to ensuring students stay on top of things and get everything done, with as little stress as possible. Or at least that is the message I tried to impart to my students first thing this morning as we began our day.
Everyone was back in school today, and while my students listened quietly while I spoke, as they almost always do, I can't say for sure they heard me. I am pretty certain the majority had different priorities, primarily getting over their fatigue, which this morning was visible in just about everyone. Once they got over the shock of the state of the room in the middle of being painted, and realized that we would continue to learn even though the painter was in the middle of the job and there were two different colours on one wall, they settled in, and there were a bunch of tired, blank faces looking up at me as we started the morning.
Within moments of turning off the lights, every head in the room was down and there was not a sound, from the beginning of the six and a half minute song until the end. I moved through the usual prompts, but it was clear I didn't have to say much today. What they needed was to rest and to breathe. And so I quieted pretty quickly, and closed my eyes and enjoyed the silence with everyone else.
As the track ended nobody moved and had I let the next track continue they would have been happy to keep resting, but I brought them back gently as we had a book to finish. Everyone seemed more refreshed as we opened our books, and just about everyone participated reading a little bit aloud. We finished the book just as break began. It was a nice start to the day and a good ending to the reading.
My switch class came for period 4 and it was a different story. They arrived after gym and I had been in the office photocopying, and since each clock in our building is its own time zone, I didn't realize how late it had gotten. When I got back to my room the clock read 5 minutes later, and everyone was waiting for me. With a short class together I was annoyed to lose the time, but there was nothing to be done, but get straight to things.
I gave an abridged version of the spiel I had given this morning, emphasizing the projects ahead, the new study in French, and the need to focus and work in class. Though this class was not as tired, I am pretty sure my words fell on mostly deaf ears, but it was on that note that we moved into the meditation.
With one period, it was a shorter, five and a half minute track, and as usual it was quiet but not silent. Once again, I didn't feel the need to talk a lot, this time to maximize the time spent in silence. At one point during the silence, Student 1 started tapping his fingers underneath the table. From where I was sitting I couldn't his hands, but it was still obvious it was coming from him. I let it go for a few seconds hoping he would stop on his own, but when he didn't, I gave him a stern look and the noise stopped. Though he tried to put an innocent look on his face, it was clear he knew he had been caught, and as I kept looking a him, he settled and didn't make any more noise. I was grateful and took a few more breaths with everyone else before the track ended and I closed the meditation.
We got to work and the class was over shortly after that. The focus carried into the work and learning in the afternoon, and just like that another Monday was done.
Hopefully the rest of the week will go as smoothly. Hope your does too
Everyone was back in school today, and while my students listened quietly while I spoke, as they almost always do, I can't say for sure they heard me. I am pretty certain the majority had different priorities, primarily getting over their fatigue, which this morning was visible in just about everyone. Once they got over the shock of the state of the room in the middle of being painted, and realized that we would continue to learn even though the painter was in the middle of the job and there were two different colours on one wall, they settled in, and there were a bunch of tired, blank faces looking up at me as we started the morning.
Within moments of turning off the lights, every head in the room was down and there was not a sound, from the beginning of the six and a half minute song until the end. I moved through the usual prompts, but it was clear I didn't have to say much today. What they needed was to rest and to breathe. And so I quieted pretty quickly, and closed my eyes and enjoyed the silence with everyone else.
As the track ended nobody moved and had I let the next track continue they would have been happy to keep resting, but I brought them back gently as we had a book to finish. Everyone seemed more refreshed as we opened our books, and just about everyone participated reading a little bit aloud. We finished the book just as break began. It was a nice start to the day and a good ending to the reading.
My switch class came for period 4 and it was a different story. They arrived after gym and I had been in the office photocopying, and since each clock in our building is its own time zone, I didn't realize how late it had gotten. When I got back to my room the clock read 5 minutes later, and everyone was waiting for me. With a short class together I was annoyed to lose the time, but there was nothing to be done, but get straight to things.
I gave an abridged version of the spiel I had given this morning, emphasizing the projects ahead, the new study in French, and the need to focus and work in class. Though this class was not as tired, I am pretty sure my words fell on mostly deaf ears, but it was on that note that we moved into the meditation.
With one period, it was a shorter, five and a half minute track, and as usual it was quiet but not silent. Once again, I didn't feel the need to talk a lot, this time to maximize the time spent in silence. At one point during the silence, Student 1 started tapping his fingers underneath the table. From where I was sitting I couldn't his hands, but it was still obvious it was coming from him. I let it go for a few seconds hoping he would stop on his own, but when he didn't, I gave him a stern look and the noise stopped. Though he tried to put an innocent look on his face, it was clear he knew he had been caught, and as I kept looking a him, he settled and didn't make any more noise. I was grateful and took a few more breaths with everyone else before the track ended and I closed the meditation.
We got to work and the class was over shortly after that. The focus carried into the work and learning in the afternoon, and just like that another Monday was done.
Hopefully the rest of the week will go as smoothly. Hope your does too
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