Lessons enjoyed by all. Confident attitudes. Finished tasks. Test results getting better and better. A noticed reduction in bullying and disharmony. Enthusiastic and curious questions asked by shy pupils.
What’s YOUR version of YOUR perfect classroom?
As teachers we strive for positive improvement and to deliver for our students despite mounting pressure and curriculum changes, and yet, young people are struggling to connect with learning…
Over 92% of children are afraid of the ‘F-word’. Failure. They are afraid of getting things wrong and making mistakes. Faced with an ever demanding curriculum and a society that rewards good grades, good looks and popularity, many of our children are feeling anxious, overwhelmed and struggling to connect with their learning. They are afraid of making mistakes or getting things wrong and feel as though they are the only one who is ‘left out’ or who ‘doesn’t understand’.
Because of this they:
• Underperform
• Are afraid to take risks
• Are afraid of failure
• Have a lack of motivation within their work
• Attach their self-worth to the grades they achieve or the groups they are in - leading to reduced wellbeing and poor self-confidence, both in and out of the classroom environment.
As teachers we strive for positive improvement to ensure a high quality delivery within our teaching, wanting every child to succeed.
Imagine the impact it would have if children were able:
• To engage and connect with their learning
• To be willing to “have a go” and view their ‘failures’ as a positive experience
• Build on their strengths, focusing instead on what they CAN offer, rather than on what they don't or can’t
What difference would it make to YOUR classroom and YOUR school, if your pupils were more open and honest about their difficulties?
What impact would it have on their learning if they were more willing to tackle difficult tasks, willing to ‘have a go’?
What changes would take place if they were happier and more relaxed in their lives and with themselves?
ABOUT NATALIE
With over ten years experience in teaching and education, I am all too familiar with the struggles, pressures and demands that both teachers and children face. I have observed how easily children become disengaged when they are faced with a difficult task; how quickly they feel they CAN’T do something, simply because it’s more challenging to achieve; how anxious and overwhelmed they feel with the ever increasing demands from the curriculum and from society as a whole, feeling the pressure to conform to what everyone else is doing, the pressure to ‘fit in’.
I have witnessed children give up too quickly and beat themselves up because they have made a mistake and gotten things wrong. Their confidence is diminished because they did not get the correct score or they are not part of the ‘in-crowd’. I have seen children play small, unwilling to trust themselves to “have a go”, and as one child stated, “My worries make me feel as if I’m a tortoise stuck in a shell.”
I know that practical, insightful instruction is needed which is why I developed POWER THOUGHTS.
This is designed specifically to help children arrest their negativity and anxiety when it comes to their academic work and natural growing pains like making friends, their body image, dealing with conflict, moving on and making a change.
POWER THOUGHTS is a teaching, coaching and mindfulness based service which is aimed at empowering children to tap into the ‘power’ of their minds. Through our sessions they are taught how to become confident, resilient and robust, developing a ‘can-do’ attitude that allows them to flourish both in and out of the classroom setting.