When I get to the end of a term and fall ill I always reflect on the control the mind exercises over the body. The fact that teachers can pull out all the stops in the usual water-down-the-plughole-syndrome of the end of term, only to fall ill the moment we stop goes to show that the brain is much more than just matter and chemistry.
Our consciousness often determines what we experience. That is, positive thinking exercises seem to have a positive effect on the body. This leads me back to the fundamental value of high expectations. The caveat being that we can throw rhetoric at our young people but it is meaningless if they do not feel that it’s for them.
Monday, 21 December 2009
Tuesday, 8 December 2009
Student leadership
I listened very carefully when a very talented actor, after his first performance in this year’s Christmas play, said that the fact that he and his peers would not be around next year was the very reason the plays should continue because it was not about quality on stage but about leadership, appreciating teamwork, individual development and overcoming fears.
self discipline
We need to train students to be self disciplined and to be able to concentrate too. Both are fundamental for effective learning. I like to use listening, counting and backwards-spelling exercises at the start of a lesson to settle some of my most lively classes.
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