Mindfulness

Last month, I was honored enough to be asked to speak to a group of potential new teachers about my experiences as a 504 Plan kid and how that propelled me to go into teaching. One of the stories that I told was how there was a disconnect between myself and my teachers. Many of my teachers told me that I was a horrible writer, demonstrated low comprehension, and many of them treated me with an air of frustration. Little did they know their feedback did not align with the truth. I went home everyday from school to write in my blog about philosophers, historical events, and even got into heated debates with grown ups about foreign policy decisions. Truth was, I just did not care about the things they wanted me to do and I felt much safer exploring the skills they were teaching me in my own ways on my own terms.  This is why I never ever want to think I know where a kid is at or where they can go based on what I see in my class. There is more to people than what you see. People show wha

I wonder sometimes if we set up ourselves up for disappointment. Maybe it is the fact that I am teaching the main principals of Buddhism and Confucianism in my classes, but this point has been stuck in my head for awhile. There are many people who are in bad situations who never get out of them. Either because of economic barriers or institutional racism, but also to some degree our own psychology getting in our own way. I have been told many times growing up that I need to get out of my own way, and I find myself wanting to tell some of my students that as well. There is what we cannot control and there is what we can. Sometimes we give our own control away, because what we cannot control overwhelms us or we convince ourselves there is no other way. Truth is there is always another way. Always. I have faith in that. "We build statues out of snow, then weep to see them fall." - Walter Scott  How much of ourselves are in our failures and how much can we blame other p