Sunday, October 14, 2018

TLF Chapter 1: Keep the Peace


Fast forward from sunny, green-grassy August days when school wasn't in session to brisk, leaf-strewn October days when the end of the first quarter is almost here.  Time flies!   But I've been thinking about Finland a lot lately because, in our district, tensions over loss of academic teaching freedom are at an all-time high and I wish I could escape to Finland. Good thing I have this book to lift my spirits.


Chapter 1 concludes with the idea of 

Rauha means peace in Finnish.  But, in the Finnish culture, there are many types of peace.  Stop and think about that.  Different types of peace.  I love this idea.  Among them, ruokurauhais or 'food peace'.  I think I’m going to explore this idea further on my own.  

So rigorous versus peaceful.  Which would you choose?  As a parent, I choose rigorous because I want my child to be ready for the next grade level.  As a teacher, I want both.  And, as it turns out, research suggests and supports that both are possible and both actually need each other.
For more on this, check out an article by Olga Khazan “How Noise Pollution Impairs Learning”from 2016.  

Here is a list of ways that we can increase peace and learning at the same time, like is the norm in Finnish schools. Keep in mind that you are probably already doing many of these (pat on the back), maybe you fall out of routine with them from time to time or maybe they’re new.

·     Rules: establish, together, how to achieve 1. Respect for self.  2. Respect for others and 3. Respect for the learning environment. What does it look like, sound like, feel like. Involving students in this is crucial and the rules (chart) can be referred to throughout the year.
·     A noise-meter, created by the class, to help provide them feedback on the aforementioned idea.  One of thebest items I’ve ever purchased for my classroom (in my second year of teaching) is a Yacker Tracker.
·     Strike a balance between noise and quiet.  During a quiet work period, for example, offer a spot in the classroom for kids to go who need to talk about what they’re working on.
·     Incorporate the practice of mindfulness.  It’s a buzzword in education today and you only have to Google it to start finding information and resources.  But the book Mindfulness for Teachersby Patricia Jennings has some great ideas for teachers.  Her point is that mindfulness is “intended to promote self-awareness; foster cognitive, emotional and behavioral self-regulation; and reduce stress.”

All of this is a wonderful no-brainer and “makes my heart happy” but when your day is scheduled and structured down to the minute (unfortunately true in my district) and you have to choose between using the last 30 minutes of the day for either social studies, science or SEL “my heart is so sad.” 


Chapter 2 is up next and is all about belonging.  I'll share the ideas Timothy Walker proposes that help "cultivate that sense of connectedness in our classrooms."



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