As per course,
"Watch:
What is Mindfulness
Mindfulness in the classroom and school community means being more aware of the impacts that stress has on our students’ abilities to learn and our abilities to teach. By acknowledging this, we can create safe and healthy spaces and know how to respond to stress to support out school community. Mindfulness can be a leadership attribute as it helps to strengthen the emotional intelligence of the multiple intelligences. When students are aware of their own feelings and the feelings of others, they are able to empathize with their peers and build stronger relationships with each other. Students and teachers can be role models for this by supporting and promoting mindfulness in their school community through mental health awareness and breaking down the stigmas that surround it. More collaborative activities in the classroom can help build emotional intelligence amongst the students and offering different options when assessing students can also help give students the chance to work on activities that they are confident in. Also, being flexible is a huge factor as students can have so many things that are happening in their lives like for example, extracurricular activities, jobs, taking care of younger siblings, providing income to support their families, etc.… By being mindful of this, teachers can help support their students and help to decrease the stress and anxiety that they may be feeling.
Thoughts to be Discussed:
What is mindfulness in the classroom and school community? How can you promote/support mindfulness? How and why can mindfulness be a leadership attribute? Demonstrate your understanding on mindfulness by creating a mindmap.
Review and comment on two other postings by your colleagues."
As per discussion,
"Mindfulness is an attribute of a leader because it shows the prerogative of a leader, it reveals and reinforces that process of work towards that vision as discussed in focus area 2.
Without leaning on an example too much, (I have already read and began reflecting on the focus area-I have seen that a lot of my experience and understanding of focus in this century/era is surrounding the gender discussions and developments within society (especially within schools/educational institutions), I would say that mindfulness of the government was demonstrated and paved a path for social justice efforts to become a serious point of focus for leaders in school communities across Canada-but specifically I am referring to Ontario.
We had a student once when I was in high school who decided to battle the gender norms and begin wearing a kilt to school. The guy wasn't not someone who identifies as anything other than male nor did he ever share outwardly with his friends (me being one of them), that he had a sexual orientation that he was trying to represent in this action. This guy just thought that gender conformity was being pushed rather than expanded. Rather than laying a suspension or even detention on him as some people thought would happen when the homeroom teacher sent him to the principal's office on the ground of indecent dress (uniforms were a sensitive issue in our school), he was told that he was heard and that his ideas as expressed spoke loudly. He didn't do it again, he never said why, it just became something that was joked about for awhile. Later that year we were surprised to hear about an unofficial GSA developing to support students who needed a place to sometimes be or speak to a professional/friend/peer-privately. We weren't surprised by which of our friends were apart of the initial initiative, but for some of what the media headlines were, it was interesting to see unravel. There were no protests or anything, nor did we expect there would be-we had a fairly open and friendly school community where faculty members were supportive and often advocated for students.
An example in my experience where mindfulness was not demonstrated was at the last school I worked at in which over the years there, about 2 students (I heard of) had attempted to take their life. At the time I posted concerns in regards to the school's reaction and lack of attention to student's mental well-being in a boarding school,
"Another one of our students tried to take their own life. This was not a "cry for help" sort of situation either, it was done with intention according to sources. This is not the first time this has happened. The school simply lacks the professional services and supports needed in order to accommodate and deal with students who are suffering or experience difficulties mentally overall or at certain points in time.
It's alarming to me, that after 6 years-no coordination from the school administration came out in regards to "how do we support students?"; yes academically we have an SBT team, but is that enough? A team of teachers and admin who meet once a week (if that now), and discuss the academic standings of students since its too early for teachers to really know how their students act on a regular basis? Chinese at our school are in some cases extreme introverts, and are not struggling with mental health wellness issues, but on the other hand-how would we know? Some students we have only meet and known for such a short time. How can minimal contact in an overpopulated class amount to a significant diagnosis of concern?
I don't know the student that tried to take their life-I know people who have. But it doesn't matter because 'I care.' No one should wake up feeling like they HAVE to be somewhere and HAVE to do something, its a school not a prison-there are many ways out. What was so horribly unavoidable that an individual contemplated and attempted the ending of themselves over jumping a fence? Calling their parents? Saying 'I quit'? Or even, 'I know, I'll call (insert name here)'?"
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