June 2023
Kia ora koutou,
As we sit at the cusp of the winter equinox, the days are short and the nights are long. It is the time of rebirth for the sun and can also be a time for us to focus on our own rebirth. It is the perfect time for us to go within and focus on self, to follow our feelings and allow ourselves to put ourselves first. We can take this opportunity to reconnect with our deepest desires, remind ourselves of our inner gifts and how we choose to use these in the world around us.
How you do this will be different for everyone. What resonates with you?
Is it taking time to be in nature? Is it taking time to snuggle up with a good book at home? Or, is it committing to an exercise or meditation routine?
No matter what, the aim is for it to serve you in reconnecting to yourself and recognising who you want to be now and over the next six months as the sun begins to return and we too gather energy for the coming spring and summer.
This is also the perfect time to guide the children in your care to reconnect with themselves.
This can be through their Character Strengths. How can they use these to build their inner confidence and self-esteem? What are their gifts and how can they use these to empower both themselves and the people around them?
Or is it by taking a look at our Inner Voice and really recognising the messages we send ourselves each day? At the beginning of this term my class spent a couple of weeks talking about our inner voice and how useful it is. They were very quick to recognise that while at times our inner voice can be our biggest champion, at others it can be our worst critic.
How can we use this knowledge to empower ourselves and build ourselves up?
We can also take time to learn about Mindfulness and Meditation. How can these tools allow our tamariki to connect with themselves and begin to recognise their feelings and how to deal with them?
By explicitly teaching Meditation and Mindfulness we give our children tools that help them to be calm, allow them to connect with their feelings, and empower them to take some control in the situations they find themselves in.
Teaching these does not have to be boring and doesn’t just involve sitting quietly and not talking for extended amounts of time. There are many fun ways that we can introduce children to mindfulness and meditation, and let’s be honest, if it’s not fun then they probably won’t stick with it! There is no pressure at this young age for children to achieve anything from their practises, merely to learn the benefits of being able to calm their minds and be present in the moment.
Games such as Kim's game, Body Scan Battles, and Back to Back breathing from The Classroom Connections Project can be fun interactive ways to introduce mindfulness to your classroom. Not to mention, the ever popular mindful eating, mindful colouring and the balloon visualisation.
Remember that there is really no pressure on you, the educator, to get it right the first time. This is a process and the children will benefit from it regardless. If you are explicit in teaching them the reasoning behind learning to meditate or be mindful, share your own experiences and help them to recognise the benefits, then you are already giving them the tools they can use now and into the future. Be kind to yourself and remember you are doing this because you are a caring and kind educator who wants to make a change in the world.
Know that you are, one child at a time.
On a different topic, for those of you who have registered for the upcoming online course Learning to Flourish, keep an eye out in your emails for updates.
This course will come live on day one of term three and you will receive all of the enrollment information in the week prior to this.
I’m really looking forward to going through this process with you.
If you haven’t registered yet, spaces are limited so head to www.beingeducation.co.nz to register your interest and I’ll be in touch closer to the time.
Enjoy the last few weeks of term and have a fabulous holiday break.
Nga mihi,
Natalie
