Ah-ha!!

Follow up to my last post. Finally found some calm in the chaos of teaching 9 year olds yoga. My friend and fellow yogi Elliott stopped by last week to observe my class and offer me support and feedback. It was great just having a fresh perspective. If I have learned anything from studying Buddhism this year it's that things are not always as they appear. What I construe as reality may not actually be reality but rather a by product of my own opinions and ideas towards it. Elliott observed my class and helped me realize a few things that helped the next few classes go much smoother.

1) Silence is Golden- Me going silent is much more effective than asking them to get quiet (or yelling). The teacher standing at the front of the room still, silent and giving the death glare is a very effective tool for getting students attention. Usually one or 2 students notice and then the other kids notice that things have stopped and it immediately sends a ripple through the room as everyone tries to figure out if the teacher has gone cuckoo for cocoa puffs or what.

2) Let Them Talk- This age group is particularly energetic and full of ideas and opinions. Give them opportunities throughout the class to share some of those ideas. Also just to let them get some of the chatter out, ask them to repeat things. With the yoga language being in Sanskrit, use it as an opportunity to teach them the pronunciations. Demonstrate the pose, say the word, have them do the pose and also repeat the word.

3) Let Them Show Off - I noticed that even the kids that are the most difficult like the opportunity to show what they know. Instead of demonstrating every pose I told them we were having a pop quiz to see who could remember what we learned. I would say a pose (Tadasana) and point out the first few kids who were able to jump right into it. They like the attention and it gives my body a break from demonstrating everything.

4) Get Off The Mat- As the teacher instead of staying glued to the mat, walk around the room. The last class I didn't even get a mat for myself. I started at the front of the room and then kind of roamed around and would stand by whoever was causing difficulties and do the poses from there.

5) Don't Be Afraid of Consequences- In life there are positive and negative consequences for our actions and of course that goes for on and off the mat. In class I was trying so hard to be loving and tolerant that I forgot that being stern is okay too. For the students who have a hard time staying under control, I ask them to leave the main floor and sit on the sidelines. They can use that first opportunity to get under control and then they can return to the floor. If I have to ask them to leave the floor a second time they are done for the day and I give their name to the classroom teacher. Most of the kids want to play like the are Jo Cool and nothing bothers them but they really don't want to get into trouble.

6) You Can Only Change What You Can Change- I have this horrible space change in the middle of my classes. We start off in one room and then about 20 minutes into our 45 minute class we have to switch rooms. It's awful and I hate it but I don't have a choice about it. So I can choose to keep being really pissy about the situation or I can just deal with it and make the best of it. I can't change the room change but I can change my approach and attitude towards it.

So I think those are some pretty fab realizations that my yogi Godmother Elliott helped me realize. I'm so appreciative and thankful for her help. These suggestions have helped me tremendously and I know I can continue working and growing as a teacher. It's all a process right?? Until next time, love and lollipops.