I have been prone throughout my life to attacks of anxiety. I may find myself happy one day, and then convinced the next day that everything is wrong. Needless to say I continue to work on this challenging character trait.
One of the things I’ve discovered over years of going through this is that something usually triggers the anxiety experience. While it’s helpful for me to know triggered the emotion, that’s not the most important thing. What is important is to recognize the moment when it’s happening.
At the point at which I feel the first twinge of panic, I have a choice. I can go down the road and follow it into feeling worse, or I can recognize it as subjective and insignificant and redirect my thoughts. I have successfully modulated my anxiety a number of times by catching myself going down that path and turning away.
It’s important for me to notice that first moment because it’s much harder to turn away once I’m down the path some distance. Numerous things help: being aware of the nature of the trigger, noticing my body posture before and during the twinge, having a repertoire of successful turning away experiences to bolster me.
Why do I share this personal story as a teacher? Because the skill I’ve learned, when applied to the classroom, is a powerful tool to model children’s choices. Especially in those freakishly difficult classes.
When the children first come in, if I am doing my job right, they are ready to learn. My best opportunity to direct their attention is in the first 30 seconds. Once they get away, it’s difficult to bring them back.
It’s noticing the little germ of trouble that leads them away that makes the difference. Is it a laugh from a student that makes me lose my temper? Is it two kids starting to fight because they’re bored or have been waiting for a chance to go at each other all day?
Whatever it is, if I notice the moment right when it’s happening, I can choose exactly how I want to respond to it. I can redirect whatever it is and take the entire class a different direction. I can catch myself getting angry or wanting to respond with a yell and instead move to something that will empower them to learn.
If I don’t notice, then I might lose my temper with the child that laughed. I might scold the entire class and lecture them about respect. Then the lesson is as good as shot for the day.
This is about more than just the success of my lesson. Many of these children have no idea how to redirect their feelings, and many of them will so badly need to do so as they mature. Some of them may have choices about whether or not to do something that will take them down a very dangerous path in life, and they will need a tool to recognize such moments as they are occurring and go the other way.
So I am not only ensuring success in my classroom. I am modeling a life skill for them. Practicing that skill benefits me, it benefits them, and it benefits us as a class.
Do you have strategies for avoiding chaos in the classroom? How do you handle your trigger moments? I’d love to hear your comments on this site!
One of the things I’ve discovered over years of going through this is that something usually triggers the anxiety experience. While it’s helpful for me to know triggered the emotion, that’s not the most important thing. What is important is to recognize the moment when it’s happening.
At the point at which I feel the first twinge of panic, I have a choice. I can go down the road and follow it into feeling worse, or I can recognize it as subjective and insignificant and redirect my thoughts. I have successfully modulated my anxiety a number of times by catching myself going down that path and turning away.
It’s important for me to notice that first moment because it’s much harder to turn away once I’m down the path some distance. Numerous things help: being aware of the nature of the trigger, noticing my body posture before and during the twinge, having a repertoire of successful turning away experiences to bolster me.
Why do I share this personal story as a teacher? Because the skill I’ve learned, when applied to the classroom, is a powerful tool to model children’s choices. Especially in those freakishly difficult classes.
When the children first come in, if I am doing my job right, they are ready to learn. My best opportunity to direct their attention is in the first 30 seconds. Once they get away, it’s difficult to bring them back.
It’s noticing the little germ of trouble that leads them away that makes the difference. Is it a laugh from a student that makes me lose my temper? Is it two kids starting to fight because they’re bored or have been waiting for a chance to go at each other all day?
Whatever it is, if I notice the moment right when it’s happening, I can choose exactly how I want to respond to it. I can redirect whatever it is and take the entire class a different direction. I can catch myself getting angry or wanting to respond with a yell and instead move to something that will empower them to learn.
If I don’t notice, then I might lose my temper with the child that laughed. I might scold the entire class and lecture them about respect. Then the lesson is as good as shot for the day.
This is about more than just the success of my lesson. Many of these children have no idea how to redirect their feelings, and many of them will so badly need to do so as they mature. Some of them may have choices about whether or not to do something that will take them down a very dangerous path in life, and they will need a tool to recognize such moments as they are occurring and go the other way.
So I am not only ensuring success in my classroom. I am modeling a life skill for them. Practicing that skill benefits me, it benefits them, and it benefits us as a class.
Do you have strategies for avoiding chaos in the classroom? How do you handle your trigger moments? I’d love to hear your comments on this site!