Turning Wounds into Wisdom:

The Power of Transforming Pain into Strength

Pema Chödrön said it best: “We think that the point is to pass the test or overcome the problem, but the truth is that things don’t really get solved. They come together and they fall apart. Then they come together again and fall apart again. It’s just like that. The healing comes from letting there be room for all of this to happen: room for grief, for relief, for misery, for joy.” Letting there be room is allowing for a space, a sacred space, where we can be fully present with our pain.

There’s a lesser known Hindu deity named Akhilandeshvari, or The Goddess of Never Not Broken.

 This Goddess embodies the ability to come together and fall apart, over and over again. She is the personification of healthy annihilation, the archetype of vicissitude. She breaks apart in order to come back together as a more powerful entity. Indeed, it is exactly because she is able to break apart that she is so powerful.

What a shift in perspective! True strength isn’t wholeness but the ability to adapt to the change that comes from falling apart and coming back together again, from wholeness to brokenness and back. This is the epitome of transforming pain into strength. Falling apart is what happens when we experience trauma. Coming back together again is the scar left behind. Adapting to the new way in which we are put back together again is honoring the sacred wound.

 Like Joseph Campbell wrote, “Suddenly you’re ripped into being alive. And life is pain, and life is suffering, and life is horror, but my god you’re alive and it’s spectacular.” It may take an entire lifetime to complete the healing of our sacred wounds, but the point is to begin the healing – and there are diamonds in the rough. Those who become wise always experience the most pain. Falling apart and adapting to coming back together again in novel ways is the epitome of wisdom. Facing the pain is like looking into the abyss. It’s like having a staring contest with our inner-most demons. But with enough practice, with enough polish, we can transform those demons into diamonds.

We can transform that abyss into a mirror that reflects infinite growth. “Think of the birth of the pearl,” writes Bill Plotkin, “the tiny grit of sand within the oyster creates an irritation the oyster seeks to eliminate by coating the grain with successive layers of lustrous deposits, ultimately producing the jewel.” Just as the grain within the oyster can be transformed into a pearl, the pain within the human can be transformed into strength.

There is a saying in Tibet, “Tragedy should be utilized as a source of strength.” At the end of the day, life is pain. We must learn to experience pain well. Indeed, there is an art to cultivating sacred wounds that only the happiest people know. Like the Buddha said, “Pain is inevitable; suffering is optional.” When we resist pain we create more pain, which is called suffering. When we can embrace pain with a warm, peaceful curiosity, we gain the ability to transform wounds into sacred wounds, and we limit our suffering.

Like Leslie Fieger ingeniously opined, “Any fool can run toward the light. It takes a master with courage to turn and face the darkness and shine his own light there.” Let us have the courage to turn and face our pain, to shine our own light there and see how many demons we can mold into diamonds, how many wounds we can transform into wisdom, and how much pain we can wrestle into strength, in order to become multifaceted beings with the power to heal the deeper wounds of the world.

the week that wasn't

the week - KHDA decided to come to visit us.As teacher leaders and school administrators, you need the skills and understanding of a "Teacher of the Year," the insights and abilities of a "Human Resources Director", the management and leadership skills of a "Chief Executive Officer", the resources and savvy of a " Successful Politician," and the nurture and courage of a "Loving Parent." Never before have educators and their leaders be held accountable for so much by so many. Measures and assessments come from state standards and tests, district evaluations, career ladders, state and national teacher certificates, and grade level and subject knowledge scores to name a few. With so much at stake, it is important to understand the nature of supervision and evaluation of instruction, to value and respect its place in education, and to accomplish its goals for the sake of the students. To do that we must know more than the specific criteria cited on an evaluation form; we must know what constitutes professionalism, effective planning and teaching, positive learning climate, and appropriate assessment. Then we need to be able to identify each one when it occurs and knows when a piece is missing. Our decisions must be informed by these findings in light of objective data and sound research.

Being Head

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When I became a head of the department, I was thrilled. From my early days in teaching, I had seen the appeal of being a team leader, able to communicate my enthusiasm for my subject not just to the students I taught but, through the rest of the department, to all those studying the subject across the school. I have to say this seemed far more attractive to me than the responsibilities of senior leaders, some of whom appeared to spend several days investigating who threw the first toilet roll on the school bus.

And I did enjoy being a head of the department. But I don't remember very much by way of preparation and support in advance of taking up the role; I think the view at that time was that if you had enough about you to get such a post, you had enough about you to work out how to do the job effectively.

I recognised early on that to do the role well you needed to work hard on relationships and communication. This was all about trying to get the best from each individual member of the team, respecting their different skills so that the impact of the whole was greater than the sum of its parts. A good team was composed of people with complementary skills, and when appointing a new team member it was important to consider what each candidate would bring to the group, not to gravitate naturally towards someone you recognised was like you.

There were administrative tasks, but I could see that the best departmental leaders were so much more than efficient and effective administrators; their skills lay in helping others to be the best they could. It was all about the success of the team and making their particular domain as strong as it could be.

The best heads of the department didn't even need to be the best teachers in the team – though they had to be good enough to be credible. What they were really good at was seeing the best in and getting the best from others. It wasn't about ego; they saw the true sense of the Harry S Truman quotation: "It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit".

The best team leaders struck the right balance of support and challenge – helping and guiding the members of their departments but not afraid to hold them to account too, as they themselves should be supported and challenged by the senior leaders within the school.

They didn't over-protect their teams, defend them at all costs and fight their corner to the exclusion of all else. The best heads of department were committed specialists, with impressive expertise and passion for their subject, but they also had a wider perspective and could see the big picture of the students' whole educational experience. They didn't spend their time railing against the system and moaning about "the management", either. They used their communication and relationship-building skills to ensure their particular domain was an example of excellence, and this then gave them the credibility to lead change from that position – they were respected and listened to by the senior leaders because they were seen as successful middle leaders who were responsible for co-ordinating the achievements of strong teams across the school. I learnt from these positive examples, rather than having any formal training, I think.

 But I did try to spot talent, identify potential in aspiring team members and help them to clarify their vision of the kind of leaders they wanted to be, and then to make that a reality.

Once I had the "right people in the right seats on the bus", as Jim Collins puts it in his book Good to Great I tried hard to give them the right balance of support and challenge and to trust them to do their job, a job which has the greatest impact on the standard of teaching and learning across the school.

Why Good Employees Quit

“People work for people – they do not work for businesses”          – Donn Carr

This has been my mantra for as along as I can remember. The message is so simple, full of truth and direction, yet it is consistently ignored by human resource departments, managers and owners alike and they wonder why their turnover is so high or they are always having to look for new people. The problem is with the managers – and seldom the employee or the quality of the workforce. This has been proven and well documented by study after study.

I don’t think this happens on purpose, most managers I meet have never been taught the art of developing people. Many rose to the rank of managers simply because they outlasted the last one and this lack of people training leaves the new manager with the only experience they know – to mimic the old boss.

This does make perfect sense when you think about it. All I should have to do is mimic the actions of the outgoing boss or the one above them. It should not come as a surprise when we see our managers yell or threaten their employees, make promises they won’t keep, or lead by the old adage “Do what I say and not what I do” failing to set the example or even clearly give expectations. After all, that is what the old boss did.

If you or your organization is experiencing high turnover or even more turnover than you would like, start with examining yourself and how you interact with your team. Here are nine proven reasons guaranteed to cause good employees to quit. Any one of them alone starts the process - if you find three or more you have some serious work ahead of you to correct. 

1. The Employees are Over Worked. In start-ups this happens all of the time and the managers simply do not see the handwriting on the wall. Talented employees love to contribute and will produce more, however if you plan on having them do more you best be prepared to increase their status as well. Talented team members will not stay if their job suffocates them in the process.

2. Employee’s Contributions Are Not Recognized or Good Work Rewarded.  I cannot emphasize this one enough. Never underestimate the power of a pat on the back, a thank you, or a “great job” comment. This is especially true with your top performers who are self motivated. It is much too easy to take their drive for granted – don’t.

3. The Wrong People Are Hired or Promoted. Good, hard working employees want to work with like-minded professionals at all levels. Promoting the wrong person is one of the worse mistakes that can be made. When employees work their tail’s off only to get passed over by someone who glad-handed their way to the top, it is a massive insult to the good employees. 

4. Employers Who Don’t Care About Their Employees. More than half of people who leave their jobs do so because of their relationship with their boss. Bosses who fail to really care will always have high turnover rates.

5. Employer Fail to Develop Their People. When managers are lucky enough to have talented employees it is up to the manager to keep finding areas in which they can improve and expand their skill set. This is a managerial sin of the most grievous kind. This developmental process does not belong with the human resource department; it falls squarely on your shoulders as the manager. You have a responsibility to continually challenge and grow that person. Failure to do so and your once talented employee will become bored and grow complacent.

This leads me to the next reasons good employees leave that are too often over looked:

6. Employees Creativity is Not Engaged. Talented employees seek to improve just about everything they touch. They take pride in what they create. The moment their ability to change and improve things is removed they begin to hate their jobs. You are caging up this innate desire to create and contribute. This limitation not only limits the employees – it limits managers and companies as well.

7. Employers Are Not Challenging People Intellectually. A great boss will challenge their employees to accomplish things that may at first seem inconceivable. Rather than setting mundane, incremental goals, the great manager will set lofty goals that will push people out of their comfort zones.

… And now the two final managerial sins guaranteed to run off good employees:

8. Employers Don’t Honor Their Commitments. Integrity and honesty are two traits that every employee will expect  of their managers. If you say you will do something – do it.  Keeping your word and your commitments tells the employee everything they need to know about you and the type of person you are and if they can trust you.

9. They Don’t Let People Pursue Their Passions. Of all of these, this is the most simple and can mean the most, but it does require that you listen to your employees and observe. Talented employees are passionate. Find out what those passions are and work towards giving them challenges that fill their passionate needs. It just may surprise you what they can do when you let them out of that little box you have kept them in.

If all else fails, simply remember this: 

“People work for people – they do not work for businesses” – Donn Carr

Are Lesson Plans that important?

Are Lesson Plans that important?

Lesson planning is essential to the smooth running of a class session. It is also one of the responsibilities that most educators least look forward to. The truth is that lesson planning can be time consuming and a bit tedious, especially when there are so many other things to focus on. Yet, it remains the most effective way to achieve maximum results from your lessons.

What is the point of a lesson plan?
A lesson plan is an educator’s road map of what students need to learn and how to do this effectively during class time. It offers a detailed description of the course of instruction for one class. It helps to maintain focus on the particular subject/topic. It provides the educator with a solid account of what has been taught. It allows the educator to track students’ progress as well as the various teaching techniques, learning aides utilized and the efficiency with which all were used. Having a lesson plan means that there is an actual outline with thought out goals and objectives, some of which may have impacted the learning experience in meaningful ways. This tells you how to proceed for your next lessons because your lesson plans have given you a clear picture of where your students are and how you can improve them learning particular topics going forward.
How to approach lesson planning
Lesson planning is similar to creating a story. You begin with what your motivations are. Why are you planning your lesson? Is it to improve knowledge of a particular topic or is it to reinforce something that was already taught? How badly do you want your class to grasp what you are teaching? These are easy questions to ask yourself when you are about to begin your planning. Educators who have students who take a while to understand particular topics will need to get creative and realistic with their objectives, goals, instructional materials and the activities that are used to explain and reinforce what is being taught. Students are great at providing feedback on lessons based on their facial expressions and body language during the session in addition to what is presented by them in evaluative exercises.

What do educators get from lesson planning?
Many educators are good with teaching a particular topic without the use of a lesson plan. However, these same educators, lesson plan in tow, are a pleasure to observe in the classroom. Their planned lesson allows them to show off their skill in the classroom as well as their accomplishments. It also gives them something tangible that may benefit their colleagues. Their creativity and imagination come to life as their lessons unfold and even if adjustments are made; it is still highly rewarding to their students.
What are some of the lessons in lesson planning?
It is easy to say that students are the ones who benefit most from lesson planning. Educators also learn a lot during a class session even with a lesson plan that they wrote. Here are a few points that highlight some of the lessons in lesson planning:

A lesson in patience – Even the best lesson planner has to spend some time doing research and marry the appropriate teaching aid/materials with the goals/objectives for maximum results from the lesson. Research also includes being acutely aware of each student’s learning ability and potential in order for each to get something from the overall lesson.
Ÿ A lesson in knowledge – Often times, educators surprise themselves with new discoveries when prepping for new topics through research. This allows for their lessons to be interesting and meaningful not only for the students but also to them and/or colleagues that they may share their discoveries with. Students can be great teachers of something new at points in time. A well-executed lesson will reward both the educator and the students in the process. It almost always furnishes those present with a new discovery or several.
Ÿ A lesson in individuality – Sometimes a class of eager faces is grouped as just that. They are individuals with different learning abilities despite having a myriad of similarities. There are a few students who are good at learning complex topics easily and then there are others who take a bit more time. Added to this, each student has his/her own personality and experiential background that may impact the rate at which he/she learns. Once an educator understands the individual potential of students, he/she will know how to best plan lessons.
A lesson in planning – Most take the idea of lesson planning and apply a similar approach to life events. Educators, who love to plan, understand that even if changes are made to the plan, it can still work. This helps them to adapt to changes in their personal life a lot easier. The time and effort placed in doing research affords them a wealth of resource persons and material to draw on.
In conclusion, it always helps to have a plan and to make that plan worthwhile. Students are great at detecting un-preparedness and they will act on that especially if they are very alert. Once there is a solid lesson plan in place, educators easily cut down on distractions during the lesson, improve upon what has already been introduced and can effectively manage the class time.

THE UNSUPPORTIVE CO-TEACHER: WHAT IS THE ROOT?

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Teamwork: one of the values that we, teachers, always impart to our students. We always insist the importance of its value when dealing with students in and outside the class. Everybody must agree that everywhere, teachers sometimes struggle because of teamwork issues in the faculty.

The lack of teamwork is a common problem that school faculty deal with all the time.

·       ‘a teacher bringing down her fellow teacher’

·       ‘a teacher unhappy for her colleague’s promotion’

·       ‘a teacher giving disagreeing remarks to her fellow teacher who has just received an award’

·       ‘a teacher giving no support of participation in a school activity proposed by her fellow teacher’

The situations listed above are just among the hundred concerns that we often hear about.

WHY IS IT HARD FOR OTHER TEACHERS TO SHOW SUPPORT TO THEIR FELLOW TEACHERS?

Teachers are different from each other. We all have our own personal issues and we all have our own grief and our own success and failures that contribute to how we will behave or get along with our fellow teachers at the workplace. There are teachers who get along with each other and there are teachers who don’t. Why? Well, this roots to many things like:

1. INSECURITY and ENVY

SITUATION:

Ms. Angel has been teaching for a year in LLEGO ACADEMY, which is the first ever, school she has worked in. This academic year, she will be working with some newly hired teachers in the Science department. Ms. May, one of the new teachers has been in the field of teaching for 5 years and it is very evident that she can share so many ideas and teach what she has learned in her previous job experiences to the teachers.

During the faculty meeting, teachers were asked to suggest activities for the opening of the new academic year. Ms. May have proposed several suggestions, which the teachers agreed on. Everybody was impressed except Ms. Angel who frowned at the corner. On the opening day of the school, all the teachers were assigned to finish their own task assigned to them during the meeting. Ms. Angel and some teachers closest to her chose not to participate and didn’t do their task, as they hated how Ms. May took over the last faculty meeting. They thought that Ms. May was bragging her experiences and was trying to tell all the teachers that she is excellent in everything she does.

As the result, the activity on the opening day of the school turned unsuccessful−, as the other teachers didn’t do their task. Because of this, Ms. May felt bad and some members of the faculty even gave her comments that emphasize how the activity didn’t work. Though some still encouraged her. Ms. May then decided not to voice out ideas every time they are asked to suggest good activities for the school.

Whenever I encounter such situation, I wince deep inside me, not because I can’t take criticism, but because of the lack of support we show to our fellow teachers- especially teachers who want to think “outside of the box” the public put us in. This type of pessimism toward teaching isn’t good for teachers and it’s the same behavior that allowed people with no experience in education to come in and make policies that has made teaching more difficult.

2. TALENTS AND ABILITY

We don’t support our fellow teacher because we see their talents and ability as a threat. We are afraid to admit and accept that they can do better than us so as a mechanism, we say that his/her talent or ability is lacking so our colleagues will think that there is more to improve on her talent.

Of course, being a teacher means showcasing your talent and using it to the point that students are being influenced to mold the talents they have. In our field, being able to do many things is plus point. Not only students will be impressed but also the superiors. If you can sing, dance, act, write and speak in front of the public, then you are the perfect person that program organisers in the school look for whenever there is a particular school activity. Sadly, when you are always chosen, some of our fellow teachers start to think that you are the favourite and that you are a grandstander or a show-off. This kind of mentality is very common and it is unavoidable. It is a shame there are teachers who know nothing but to criticize someone who is on stage but cannot do even better than the person they criticize.

To deal with people who have a very big issue about favoritism or envy, you just have to keep quiet and it is better not to talk about your assignments to anyone except to your work colleagues that you trust the most.

3. STUDENTS APPROVAL

Some teachers do not support their fellow teachers, as they are afraid that their students might like their fellow teachers more.

Sadly, some teachers consider themselves effective based on the number of students who like them. It is so wrong as all teachers and students are different. There are teachers who are willing to cry in their class and open up to the students their problem with their co-teachers just to get the sympathy of the students. Not knowing that they are already wrecking the reputation of their co-teachers. This will result to distasteful consequences. Involving the students will ruin the image of the teachers. It’ll make them think that it is just alright for them to fight with their fellow students as they see the same thing from their teachers.

With this, I’d like to leave a simple message: TEACHERS ARE MODELS. EVERYWHERE AND EVERYTIME.

4. SENIORITY ISSUES

What I despise the most is the “I-AM-BETTER-THAN-YOU-BECAUSE-I-AM-MORE-EXPERIENCED” mentality. Of course, we, teachers must not think that we are better than anyone else. Even our students can be better than us. We can learn something from everyone so we must always be open to the suggestion of others. We must support the others when they suggest things, which will obviously help the whole school community. Even if it means that they will get more applause than us.

Teachers must work as a team. If we always emphasize the value of teamwork to the students, we to must exercise it. Working as a team means considering the benefit of all. So if we want a better working environment, we should all support one another.

Why is it so hard for fellow teachers to support one another?
Why do we respond negatively to a positive thing done by our co-teacher?
Why do we feel envy when our co-teachers achieve something big instead of feeling happy?

How many times has a student in your class found a way to make her classmates solve a problem or understand a reading text? What would happen if another student (upon hearing his answer) rolled their eyes and shot down what this student had worked on to think about? I don’t know about you, but I would have pulled the negative student in the hallway and given him or her a nice little “talk”. So, if we can correct this behavior with students, why is it so hard for us to do the same with our fellow teachers?

Thank you!