Teacher as Transformer

Life’s Purpose

Posted on December 1, 2012 by ivonprefontaine

Professional development days at school leave me wanting so much more. It is a pretense of doing something, but is busyness personified. I am left tired, unsatisfied, and with a bit of headache. I just want a choice. What fuels my spirit?

Day’s end arrives,

Quiet seeks me out–

Busyness dissipates;

A frenetic pace abates–

No hurry,

No frantic pursuit of something;

Whatever that thing might be

Remains uncertain…

Unclear,

Lost in a mist

Focus a little off–

I remain unsatisfied

Until, I wonder aloud:

What is life’s purpose?

Or is life its own purpose.

12 Comments

Posted in Education, Leadership, Mindful Life, Poetry, Reflective Moments and tagged education, Educational Leadership, eloquent questions, leadership, Mindful Practice, poetry, teacher as transformer, teaching. Bookmark the permalink.

Posted on November 30, 2012 by ivonprefontaine

This is a great quote with an excellent story. The last line resonates and echoes the words of Zen masters such as Thich Nhat Hanh and Senryu Suzuki.

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Medicine Wheel

Posted on November 30, 2012 by ivonprefontaine

Medicine wheels are part of many First Nations’ cultures. They serve to connect people to the environment and reflect our interdependence with nature and each other. They signal the need for balance required in our lives and ground us with and in our world. I took the picture on Bowen Island and began to write the poem.

I feel welcomed–

At home,

I found my way–

Linked to the universe,

With each being

Inseparably bound–

I could not lose my way

A voice gently beckons,

“Cross the hearth.”

Bask in its warmth–

Refresh with its water–

Breathe its sweet air–

Let the earth ground–

Replenish here;

No magic–

Only magical.

23 Comments

Posted in Mindful Life, Photography, Poetry, Reflective Moments and tagged creativity, environment, Mindful Practice, nature, photography, poetry, spirituality, teacher as transformer. Bookmark the permalink.

Posted on November 29, 2012 by ivonprefontaine

A beautiful scene that allows life to flow by with each moment fully captured.

TINY LESSONS BLOG

Waiting for winter

ice cover and sparkling snow

life floating past slowly.

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The Panther

Posted on November 29, 2012 by ivonprefontaine

I had a great day today. The beauty of mindfulness is I am learning that good and not so good pass and flow into another moment. I waited more than 1/2 of my life, I hope, to learn this lesson. The day was long, but sharing tea and conversation at the end completed it so fully.

Today, as I reflected on yesterday’s ‘trials’ I recalled Rainer Maria Rilke’s poem, The Panther. I felt like that yesterday. When I let go, I felt so much better; I no longer pacing behind bars.

From seeing the bars, his seeing is so exhausted

that it no longer holds anything anymore.

To him the world is bars, a hundred thousand

bars, and behind the bars, nothing.

The lithe swinging of that rhythmical easy stride

which circles down to the tiniest hub

is like a dance of energy around a point

in which a great will stands stunned and numb.

Only at times the curtains of the pupil rise

without a second … then a shape enters,

slips through the tightened silence of the shoulders,

reaches the heart, and dies.

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Posted in Mindful Life, Poetry, Reflective Moments and tagged creativity, Mindful Practice, poetry, Rainer Maria Rilke, teacher as transformer. Bookmark the permalink.

Posted on November 28, 2012 by ivonprefontaine

This post and the video are very important. What are we doing in our schools? I wonder? No one is particularly interested in my wondering; at least not those who are in positions of power. Creativity and innovation are the buzzwords of the early 21st Century, but are we more creative or innovative? We have more tools or weapons at our disposal, depending on our viewpoint, but is that the message in the video? I certainly don’t think so, but have been outvoted to date by a plethora of bureaucrats, autocrats, and technocrats who are more concerned with their job than the education of children. What is the next fad and what will it do to quash creativity?

Transition to Balance

Doing what you like is a very important key to success and to your state of balance. Do schools kill creativity? Not only is Sir Ken Robinson talking about serious things: how we educate (and unnecessarily medicate) our children, but he’s also being very funny. Remember that laughter boosts your immune system. Also remember that your approach to your children’s education may greatly affect their lives.

Excerpts from the transcript:

“If you ask people about their education, they pin you to the wall. Because it’s one of those things that goes deep with people, am I right?, like religion, and money, and other things.”

“But now kids with degrees are often heading home to carry on playing video games, because you need an MA where the previous job required a BA, and now you need a PhD for the other. It’s a process of academic inflation. And it indicates…

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My Status Quo

Posted on November 28, 2012 by ivonprefontaine

Is it a full moon tonight? The classroom and beyond was full of energy and it was not always healthy. I was a little frustrated and visibly annoyed part way through the afternoon. I taught one more year and wanted to teach these students so it hurts when they are disrespectful. On the way home I realized I need to set the pace. My ability to influence is my ability to shake up my status quo and walk into the fire so to speak. I chose to have a dog in this fight so what am I going to do. Even weeds of a tough day have purpose. They fertilize and increase the yield of a crop: children’s learning. This is not lost on me.

transformation–

my status quo defenseless;

an ongoing quest

seek a vision

unearth the true self

one digs deep

rest in sureness of the heart.

transform–

polish the gems of self

right speech! right action!

be confident

challenge my status quo,

influence others seriously

your time has arrived.

25 Comments

Posted in Community, Education, Leadership, Mindful Life, Poetry, Reflective Moments and tagged community, creativity, education, leadership, Mindful Practice, poetry, teacher as transformer. Bookmark the permalink.

Posted on November 27, 2012 by ivonprefontaine

What a wonderful way of seeing the world?

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A Stranger’s Voice

Posted on November 27, 2012 by ivonprefontaine

When Monday rolls around and I spent Sunday disconnected, I find things quite loud and hectic. I even find my voice loud and my mind hurried and harried, but I do find I am increasingly able to recognize this is the case in that moment.

I heard a voice–

At once, both

Familiar yet unfamiliar.

This voice–

Somehow too loud

Intruded upon the day.

Tried to lean in

Attempted to recognize

Where had I heard this stranger?

Suddenly,

Without warning

I recognized it!

It was mine–

Out of place

After a spacious silence.

14 Comments

Posted in Mindful Life, Poetry, Reflective Moments, Sabbath and tagged creativity, Mindful Practice, poetry, sabbath, teacher as transformer. Bookmark the permalink.

Posted on November 26, 2012 by ivonprefontaine

Here is a good, yet simple set of instructions to be thankful each day.

Mike Saporito

Thanksgiving is a holiday like no other – the food, the football, the family and friends. It’s a time to unwind, reconnect, and give thanks.

But according to a survey conducted by the John Templeton Foundation, don’t expect to hear many “thank you’s” at the office. As reported in the Wall Street Journal, only 10% of adults say “thank you” to their colleagues everyday. Ouch.

While I’m surprised by this statistic, I’m not shocked. Here is the good news though: there’s a major opportunity to build a culture of appreciation on your team or in your office. And it begins with you.

When You Give You Get

When you express gratitude, you acknowledge the benefit you’ve received from another person or a situation. You show humility by recognizing you’re not the sole source of your fortune.

The field of positive psychology continues to unpackage the science of…

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