STOP and Be More Mindful in 2018!

S is forSTAY in the present moment.

Notice your breathing. Inhale and exhale slowly. Whatever is happening at the moment will pass. Notice your emotions and remember that the only thing you can control is your reaction to the situation. Your willingness to be present will give you the space you need to gather your thoughts and emotions before moving forward. Take a mindful moment and just breathe.

T is forTHINK about what is working.

We often spend so much of our time thinking about what isn’t working that we fail to focus on what has gone well. Take a mindful moment to write a note to yourself highlighting all the successes so far this year. List what you are grateful for and acknowledge the strengths you bring to teaching and leadership. Be intentional about your goals for the new year. What do you really want?

O is for OPEN your heart to include other perspectives.

When we are stressed and challenged by situations beyond our control we often close our hearts and minds to others. It is a way to protect ourselves and our opinions. Take a mindful moment and think about a student or colleague who puts you on the defensive. Now instead of automatically taking your position and being right. Put yourself in that person’s shoes – just for a moment. What does life look like from that person’s perspective? Notice how keeping your heart open can minimize your stressful reaction and clarify your perspective.

P is for PRACTICE being non-judgmental.

We all have that inner critic who is constantly telling us what to do and what not to do. The critic not only judges our behavior it also judges the behavior of all those people around us. Judging takes time and is exhausting and can produce lots of anxiety and emotions that take our attention away from the joy in our lives. Lots of our stress comes from internal worry and expectations that we put on ourselves to be busy and to constantly be doing more. By being non-judgmental we clear our mind space so we can see the all the good that is happening in our lives.

In this new year let’s STOP reacting in ways that no longer serve us. Let’s stop being so busy that we miss the magic moments in our lives and classrooms; the moments that make us laugh or perhaps cry – in a good way. Let’s START paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment without judgment. May this New Year 2018 be mindful and full of joy!’

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Carol Pelletier Radford is the Founder and CEO of MentoringinAction.com. This team is a group of dedicated teacher leaders who offer expertise and resources in the spirit of paying in forward to support the success of students. The mission of Mentoring in Action is to empower mentors and novice teachers in realizing their full potential as effective teachers and emerging leaders. She received her EdD from Harvard University where she focused her studies on teacher leadership and professional development. Carol began her career as a public school teacher where she learned the value of student engagement, teacher collaboration, and using student voices to improve teaching practices. She served in higher education as a teacher, administrator, licensing officer, and alternative certification program director. Carol is the author of three books that support novice teacher and mentor leadership development. Two books with Corwin Press: Mentoring in Action: Guiding, Sharing, and Reflecting With Novice Teachers and The First Years Matter: Becoming an Effective Teacher, offer school districts a month-by- month curriculum. Her third edition of Strategies for Successful Student Teaching guides the student teacher through the practicum, the job search and into the first year of teaching. Dr. Radford is actively engaged in designing online mentoring graduate courses that use videos, reflective journals, and mindfulness practices. She is a passionate advocate of teacher leadership and the development of mentor leaders who can transform their district induction programs to bring joy back to the classroom.

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