"When we learn how to teach, we must also consider what it will feel like to teach."
Chapter 11: Conscious Teaching
In this chapter, readers understand how being a conscious teacher will move one from being a good teacher to a great teacher, who calmly, and with patience, looks upon situations with an air of empowerment instead of reacting and then subsequently holding that negative emotion. Readers are guided through the psychological theory of the inner child and are prompted to consider deep, introspective questions regarding their personal triggers and reasons behind their behaviors. This chapter is meant to get those who feel stuck completely and without doubt unstuck, so they can begin to love teaching and serve as they were always meant to serve.
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When do you notice yourself feeling most emotionally triggered in the classroom, and what might these moments reveal about yourself? How could greater awareness of these patterns support a more empowered response moving forward?
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The inner child is a psychological theory that teaches us about our emotional state. When your inner child wants your attention, what emotions do you feel and where is that stress housed in your body? What do you typically do? After reading this far, what new strategy might you try?
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Provide an example of when you experienced empowerment in your classroom. What did it look like? What did it feel like? What were the outcomes?
ReflectionQuestions
QUOTES
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“Vulnerability is not inferiority.”
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“For teachers, the goal is to become a conscious person, who is also a conscious teacher.”
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“What emotionally affects us in our personal lives will somehow and some way come to us in our teaching lives.”
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“Recognizing and accepting our shadows and then working through them may seem like personal work, but it’s also part of teaching. It has always been. We just haven’t yet seen it this way.”
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“If you are the type of teacher who wants to teach and who enjoys teaching, but you keep experiencing tough situations that upend you, it is imperative you find what works for you.”
