Highway...to...the...Comfort Zone......

Life begins at the end of your comfort zone. -Neale Donald Walsch

To quote Dinah Washington, "What a difference a day makes." And what a day it has been. The winds of change swept through my current school location and for once, I didn't back down. A critical friend (who also happens to be my husband) tells me frequently that I live in my comfort zone. I don't like to try new things very often (unless it's food). I am very happy in my own little world I have created for myself with my happy people and my happy work and my happy children and my happy life. 

A few days ago, I decided to shake things up a bit. I approached my administrator with an idea that I thought would never happen. I was sure nothing was going to change, but I would at least feel better about having explained myself. Well, my idea became reality today. 

So, my comfort zone has stretched a little today. I guess my life is going to be begin again on Monday, when I enter a new school after declaring myself excess at my present school. I will have to start anew. But you know what? I feel good about it. I feel it was the right choice to make. And for once, I can say that I am trying something new on my terms. And that feels like a mindful thing to do. 

Mindfully yours,
Pam

Winds of Change.....

You can feel it in the air.... the winds of change are coming. A new school year, a new classroom, new students and you may feel like this picture - the calm before the storm.

(Fairlain Lake, Penetanguishene)

But then, it happens. The unexpected. The proverbial wrench in the works. And the winds of change shift and blow and nothing seems to be the same.

(Fairlain Lake - 12 hours earlier)

How we handle change and stressors say a lot about who we are as professionals. Do you retreat into our favourite jammies and hide under a blanket until it passes over? Do you face it head on, your hair whipping in the wind a la Captain Dan from Forest Gump shouting at the sky, "Is that the best that you've got?? Come and get me!!!" Or are you laid back and let the chips fall as they may? 

When you are mindfully in the moment, and are aware of what the winds of change can bring and the excitement they can hold, do you embrace it, or do you run?  What can you do as a professional, to support the winds of change in your school? Or in your classroom? How can you harness the power of the wind to provide energy in the wake of chaos?  Keep these things in mind during a turbulent day or week in your school to see how you can be mindful and authentic to yourself and to your profession. 

Mindfully yours,

Pam

So...... after many months of humming and hawing, thinking of excuses and generally avoiding this, I have decided to start writing. I'm still working on the exact purpose of this blog. There are a few different reasons that I have been thinking about, in no particular order:

1) In order to stop all of these thoughts from rolling around in my head and interfering with my dreams and sleep habits, I can write them down and have them for others to ponder as well;

2) It will keep me accountable to myself and to my profession;

3) It will help me to engage in more professional dialogue with colleagues around the province and around the globe;

4) It scares the living bejeezers out of me and I am told repeatedly that I need to step out of my comfort zone.

5) My friend and colleague Tina (misszita.wordpress.com) issued a challenge entitled      "The #20hourproject" and it sounded to me like she was calling me out to try something new. 

A word about the name/title of the blog - somewhere in my trolling/perusal of the Twitterverse, I came across the term "mindful authenticity".  Those 2 words sparked something in me that had me thinking. So I looked up the definitions of both words:

Mindful - paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgementally

Authenticity - truthfulness of origins, attributions, commitments, sincerity and intentions.

I put the two definitions together and came up with this:

Mindful authenticity - Paying attention in the present moment to the truthfulness of origins, sincerity and intentions in a non-judgemental way.

This definition speaks to me and the way that I teach in my classroom. Each and every day, I want to pay attention, in the present moment, with each child, to his or her origins, sincerity and intentions in play, without judgement.  Easier said than done, I know, but not a bad goal to strive towards either. Posted in my classroom is the question, 

"Why this learning, for this child, at this time, in this way?" 

I try to be cognizant of this question when I interact with my students and look at ways to help them become successful. 

So, here it is. I am not guaranteeing any mind-blowing, earth shattering knowledge. I'm just writing what's on my mind and sharing interesting things that I come across that relate to Inquiry based learning, Kindergarten, Reggio-inspired learning or things that I think are kind of neat. 


Thanks for checking this out!

Mindfully yours, 
Pam