Nurturing Passion in your Practice - #Peel21stBlog Hop

Last week I was invited by a friend and colleague to screen the documentary "Most Likely To Succeed" at a local high school.  There were approximately 100 people there to see the documentary, which centers on educators in a high school setting in California called "High Tech High." The educators that work there fuel the passion and the work ethic of their students in a less traditional setting to engage them in their own learning.  So, I was asked.... 

"How can you support students in discovering their passions in your practice?"

A great question, and one that is not easily answered. To get started, you need to think mindfully about each student in your class, and get to REALLY know them as people, not just a student number. What are they passionate about? What do they excel at? What do THEY feel they are good at, and how can we fuel that flame? 

Once you have an idea of things that your students love to do and are passionate about, let them explore that. Just because it isn't in the curriculum doesn't mean you can't learn about it. More often than not, an aspect of their learning can be found within the pages of those hallowed documents we all love and cherish. If they love to draw, why can't they illustrate a book?  If they love science, why can't they initiate experiments and bring in things from nature?  If math turns their crank, why not let them teach a small group about addition or subtraction? If they can co-ordinate an outfit better than Kim Kardashian, then why not let them help with the dramatic centre to create a store or a fashion show?

The more we know our students, the more they trust us. And the more trust we have, the more we can learn from each other.

How do you support students and their passions? 

Check out some other #Peel21st blogs for more ideas and thoughts:

Amit Mehrotra		amit.mehrotra@peelsb.com	@AmitMehrotra78
Tina Zita		tina.zita@peelsb.com	@tina_zita

Professionally Developing an Authentic Mindset

Last Saturday I had the privilege of attending "February Flurry", which is hosted at Mohawk College by ASCY Hamilton. A few friends from Peel had talked about this conference a lot last year, so I thought I would attend. 

I was able to attend 2 amazing PD sessions while munching on some fabulous food and re-connecting with some Twitter peeps and colleagues. Susan Stacey, author of Emergent Curriculum in Early Years Settings, The Unscripted Classroom and Pedagogical Documentation in the Early Years was my first session. She is a dynamic speaker who truly loves her work and is mindful of her students and her colleagues and how each of them learns and creates. I learned a lot from her books and even more from hearing her speak.

My 2nd session was with Aviva Fudem and Simone Spiegl from Thinking in Education, or ThinkinEd for short. These ladies are amazing, vivacious and all around cool people. They are mindful of their audience and create workshops and programs that incorporate loose parts and the imagination of everyone in the room. Truly mind blowing and thought provoking. 

But, the biggest influence of the day - the one speaker that I can't stop raving about - is Drew Dudley. I had never heard of him until Saturday morning. But I was blown away by his ideas. (If you haven't heard of him, look him up on Ted Talks. Do it now. You won't be disappointed.)  

Drew has been researching and developing ideas around leadership. He has devoted his professional career to being authentically mindful about what leaders do and how we can promote leadership in everyone. I have begun to follow his advice about writing down my core values, defining them and then working on how to recognize other people's leadership everyday. 

One of Drew's questions, that I will leave as a little parting gift here, is this:

"Why do you matter?"

Think about this long and hard before you answer. And then make sure you do. And own it. 

Mindfully yours,

Pam

This is why I matter. To them. 

How are we mindfully helping our neediest kids?

This image has been floating around on Facebook and Twitter over the past few weeks. I  shared it with my friends, because I believe in it. I thank Alan E. Beck for saying it.

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs lists the following, in a triangle format, from smallest to largest needs:

Self-Actualization

Self-Esteem Needs

Love and Belonging Needs

Safety and Security Needs

Physiological Needs

Too often, we focus on the fact that the kids in our classes are struggling with the academics, and we tend to overlook the fact that many don't feel safe and secure at home. Some don't feel loved, or that they belong anywhere. And if we can't help students to find a place in our classrooms, then we need to re-think why we are in this profession.  I hope it's not for the worksheets. 

As educational professionals, we sometimes have to take a step back from our job and really look at the kids in our class. There will always be those that know how to push our buttons. But are they trying to make us push back, because then they feel accepted? Or do they have lagging skills and a low self-esteem? If we really are mindful of our students, and what they bring to the class every day, then the academics will come. 

How do you make Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs a priority in your classroom? 

Mindfully yours,

Pam