Teaching from a Heart-Center

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what our children are going through in these difficult times and just how important it is for them to feel connected, and to have a sense of belonging and hope. These are so important to them as developing human beings yet they are missing in today’s classrooms in the current landscape of physical distancing due to the Pandemic. I watch my grandson, who is in 2nd grade, struggle with the lack of structure, social connection, and all of the challenges that come along with schools trying to deliver learning virtually.

Our schools have a huge learning curve and this has pushed teachers, students, and families way outside of their comfort zones, creating stress, worry, and frustration. It is disheartening to see my grandson, whose eyes typically light up when he is engaged in learning something new, so disillusioned with school. It isn’t uncommon for him to put both hands on his forehead, slouch forward, and tears to well up in his eyes. I know that he is not alone in what he is experiencing. He is eager to go back to the classroom and reconnect with his classmates and meet his teacher face to face. When I ask him how he likes school online he responds, “it’s not learning.”

I’ve been a teacher educator for many years now and truly believe that there is no such thing as the consummate teacher. We are always learning and growing with every encounter, every experience, every success and every failure. I also believe that it is so easy to lose sight of what is most important in the sacred work of teaching children. We lose sight of our heart-center and as a result fail to make an authentic connection with our students. When we encounter incredible challenges that pull the rug out from under us, we are forced into survival mode which makes it difficult for us to act from a self actualized place. We forget that our students need to be held as learners. We fall into dehumanizing practices even when our intentions are good. We become preoccupied with our own survival and lose sight of the student experience.

Now, more than ever, it is so important for us to focus on the social emotional needs of our students. We need to be weary of getting into a pattern of checking off boxes and focusing solely on the academic needs of our students. They are complex, unique beings with complex and unique needs. Among these is the need to create and to contribute, which allows them to find a sense of meaning and purpose. Through the act of creating (highest level of Bloom’s Taxonomy), they develop a sense of agency and self efficacy, and they find an outlet for their voice. As students create, they are able to express themselves and to share all that is unique and beautiful within them with others and the word. According to Spencer (2017), both teachers and students are curators:

“As teachers, this is what we do. We help students grow in wisdom. We’re curators. But that’s also what we want with our students. We want them to have both an excited passion and a nuanced care for what they are learning. We want them to pay attention to context and purpose in the information they consume. We want them to make connections and provide their own lens.”

Source: https://medium.com/@spencerideas/our-students-need-to-be-curators-3908fd7f8d67

Thomas Armstrong, in his book Awakening the Genius in the Classroom talks about the unlimited and often untapped potential of children as learners and how all children are geniuses. We are all born with various genius qualities that we need to tap in the classroom, including qualities such as joy, wonder, curiosity, inquisitiveness, and playfulness. The unfortunate thing is that these genius qualities get shut down in various ways and for various reasons. As teachers, we need to be conscious of the things that can shut down children’s genius in the classroom. We want to channel it, engage it, and leverage it in powerful ways. Creating spaces for students where they can reflect on who they are, where they came from, what they believe, and how they can contribute to the world in a positive and impactful way is not something that is written into the curriculum. As teachers, it is up to us to create these spaces. Let’s not forget that we, as teachers, are also geniuses and curators, and our genius gets shut down now and then for various reasons. When was the last time you were curious, playful, or inventive? We need to be conscious of our own need to reawaken the genius in ourselves as well.

As teachers, one of the greatest gifts that we can give our students is believing in them so that they will believe in themselves. We do this by setting high expectations for them and providing the robust and individualized support that they need to achieve these expectations. In so doing, we communicate, “I believe in you and your potential.” We also make room in the classroom for students to have a voice in their own learning. This occurs through offering choices and providing different pathways for students to engage in the content. We also approach teaching content and meaningful and relevant ways tapping the prior knowledge and experiences of students and, in so doing, communicating that their own ways of knowing and being in the world are valued and valid. Foundational is our ability to see our students through a strengths or asset-based lens, viewing their unique traits and learners as humans as strengths to leverage and build on in the classroom vs. deficits to fix. In the words of Howard Gardner, “It’s not how smart are you; it’s how are you smart?” We need to help our students discover their many strengths and talents so they can further develop them. One of the saddest things I see in education is when a child’s talent go unrecognized and untapped.

Circling back to the heart-center and what that means in teaching; it means that we take a human first perspective, and the curriculum is secondary. We honor the individual journeys our students are on and where they are along their pathways. We meet them where they are at and support them along their unique learning journeys. We start with the human first every morning, by checking in with every child allowing them to speak their truth. We give them various opportunities to tell their story, to share their hopes, dreams and fears with us and with each other, building community and connection in the classroom. We listen to what their hearts are telling us. We attend to their social emotional needs first. We speak with kindness from our hearts. We are patient with our students as we know they are struggling through this time of separation in ways we cannot even begin to imagine or comprehend. We realize that they are longing for connection and love.

So, what does this look like practically? I know that all of us have our students’ best interests at heart and we want them to feel held in these difficult times, Some ideas that come to mind for me in terms of creating this heart-center follow:

• Do a Monday check-in. Be cautious of the questions you ask. Some of our kids do not get out or do fun things over the weekend. Ask questions they ALL can respond to, even if they didn’t get to do a fun outing over the weekend. These questions can help us learn more about our students and what they are experiencing so we can better respond to them. Questions like, share something that is special to you? What is one wish you have? Draw a picture of your favorite something.
• Do a daily morning check-in. Have students draw an Emoji to let you know how they are feeling. If you don’t have class time to do this, you can create a Padlet and have them share how they are feeling and upload an image that expresses this. They can comment on each others Padlet posts.
• Do a check in at the end of the day – ask students what they liked, what was challenging for them, and ask them to give you feedback. Exit tickets are great at the end of the day as they allow for student voice and self-expression.
• Provide opportunities for students to connect with each other and support each other (outside of synchronous class time). Create a Padlet board for them to share their “Happy Place” and upload an image. Give them different prompts to share about themselves and learn more about each other. This builds the community and connection that is so needed in this time of physical distancing.
• Provide students with outlets for creative expression. Incorporate art and music as much as possible into your learning activities. Rather than filling out a worksheet, have them draw, create a diorama, create a poster, create a collage…have them work in groups on these types of creative artistic activities. Art provides them with the ability to express themselves and work through their emotions. Students can share their art in a virtual gallery (shared Google Slide Show, Padlet, or Flip Grid Videos). When having them share their creative works, provide opportunities for them to see each other’s creative works and provide positive comments.
• Create a weekly Flip Grid, where students can record videos, share them with each other, and respond to each other. Flip Grid can be a great way to do “virtual discussions” and again, create that connection that kids need.
• Have students keep a digital journal that you can read and respond to – this provides that personal connection with each student and allows each child to be heard and cared for. This will provide you with a window into your students’ story and experiences, helping you to develop a more authentic connection with them.
• Do mindfulness activities with students, to help them cope with the emotions they are working through.
• Facilitate meditations with students and ask them where they want to go in these meditations. I do meditations with my grandkids and we’ve gone under the sea, into space, and even visited a magical forest – take them on an adventure or a happy place. Kids just love this!!!
• Provide students with audio or video feedback on assignments (another opportunity to make that authentic connection with them).
• Give students students opportunities to learn about themselves and who they are as learners (helps them develop agency). I LOVE Joni Kincher’s Psychology for Kids. It has some child-friendly assessments to help kids learn about their learning styles, personality styles and more.
• Incorporate movement during live class lessons. Get kids moving, dancing, and doing those brain-based learning activities.
• Above all, cultivate joy in their hearts and minds. They need this more than anything.

In closing, I hope you found this helpful in returning to a heart-center. As a lifelong educator, there have been many times when I have been in survival mode and it hindered my ability to truly connect with my students from a heart-center. This heart-center is what I strive for as a teacher, leader, mom, grandmother, wife, daughter… This excerpt from Haim Ginott really helps to ground me in the power we have as educators to influence our students and the sacredness of working with children:

“I’ve come to a frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element in the classroom. It’s my personal approach that creates the climate. It’s my daily mood that makes the weather. As a teacher, I possess a tremendous power to make a child’s life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration. I can humiliate or heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or de-escalated and a child humanized or dehumanized.”

Haim Ginott – Teacher & Child

Please share ideas you have for teaching from a heart-center!