Tuesday, 4 September 2012

Connectivity


I recently attended a professional learning session on understanding the influences of self regulation on learning where Stuart Shanker (2012, Clam Alert Learning) asserted that significant learning takes place when we are calm and alert as opposed to being either hypo or hyper alert. As educators this resounds loud and clear because our work demands that we manage the daily ebb and flow of varying states of student engagement.  Sometimes we work to ignite a spark and other times we seek to sooth the roaring flame. Whether you’re a teacher, counselor or learning support, the first steps to engaging our students are the relationships we form that foster trust and understanding in our students.  For me, this professional engagement session provided a great segue to start the year!  As we move into the first week of school, it’s time again to reconnect with those students we know and even more important, to make connections with those students who are new to our school. For many of us, the relational bonds developed in school stay as memories for a lifetime. This is the magic of what makes teaching so intrinsically rewarding. Even more exciting, is the current research coming out now that supports relationships as being the cornerstones to building effective conduits to learning for our students.

The first few days of school, everyone is bright eyed and full of energy.  Schools buzz with infectious energy, with teachers cheerfully greeting students at their doors and everyone overflowing with excitement and anticipation. This is a very important time of the year because first impressions are crucial to how we choose to move forward. Terry Small in his (2012) presentation “Engaging Students” makes reference to the many ways in which we can engage our students in order to ensure they are ready to learn.  One particular interesting point he brought up was the notion that when we are busy paying attention to the tyranny of our tasks, we must be mindful of what we’re not seeing. Terry asserts that familiar paradigms and patterns stand out and are always easy to see.  The challenge for us is to look past what we’re comfortable with and see that which isn’t so obvious.  This thought brings me to the first week of school where we all find it easy to connect with familiarity, whether it is the usual crowd we run with, or the comfort and warmth brought on from finding the usual spot or table in the lunchroom.

Is this your paradigm?  If it is, what are you missing or not seeing?  Are you ready to take a chance and see what you’re missing?  If you are, then take the challenge and move beyond your comfort zone.  Make new connections, seek out unfamiliarity, move beyond your usual crowd; invest in a new circle. For the real brave ones, take a leap and let go of your usual routine and try a new setting, a new perspective; for staff, maybe even a new staffroom chair!

As we begin another year’s journey in our school, we embrace the sacred trust bestowed on us as we work with our community’s children.  We will ground ourselves in the belief that our relationships will foster a calm and caring environment where learning can flourish.  We are all proud to be teachers and we look forward to the intrinsic warmth brought on from really getting to know our students. The work isn’t easy, it takes patience, understanding and fortitude to take a class of students on a journey of discovery where the teacher is fully cognizant of each and every student.  For teachers who build effective, strong, mutually respected relationship bonds, the door opens to a wondrous place where synergistic, reciprocal energy flows. This energy is the heart and soul of what it means to be a teacher.

With great anticipation we are excited about moving forward this year with the belief that we’re all able to reach this sacred magical place where relationships develop and grow, where learning flourishes and where mutual respect is abundant.  A place where every child, every day, every chance is a reality.


Identify the stakeholders…       Trust the process…      Trust the people…


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