Gotta Love a Monday

On Monday, I begin teaching a class of 15 year old students about the long and winding road towards finding their life's work.  From now until June, I will have a total of about 45 students in this ministry mandated course (not a huge selling point for the students...or me for that matter) about the study of Careers.


This is my ninth consecutive year teaching this course and not once has it been the same, by design.  Its evolution has mirrored my own and each year I get so pumped at the thought of seeing a tiny light of self-recognition go on for even just one student.


I'm not deluded enough to think that all of my lesson plans will be riveting for these born-wired adolescents but I'm pretty certain that the classes will be a tad different than the suits at head office had considered.  Less content dump, more learning how to learn.


We will work together at developing a deeper level of self-awareness through continual reminders to “notice”, practiced minutes of silent attending to the moment, journalling and self-assessment tests.   With the support of a guest teacher, we'll be working through some mindfulness-based stress reduction techniques especially for teens.   Where was this class when I was their age?


I've also developed a brand new unit on self-regulation, a concept quite foreign to many young people, especially the young men who's frontal lobes are still a tad doughy and need more time to finish baking!  They still struggle significantly with the idea of that their actions have consequences so goal-setting holds little meaning for them.  Impulse control and emotional self-awareness issues arise regularly in a class full of these still mushy-brained boy-types.  It only presents as behavioural in a overly structured environment like school when really much of the issue is neurological.  


As well as environmental.   Not many parents model attending to the moment nor do they create opportunities for their children to practise it.  Expecting a class full of teens to arrive already knowing how to pay attention is unreasonable and fuel for frustration.


Together with my students, we'll each set intentions and goals, plan actions to move us each forward, journal our observations, learn more about ourselves, learn how to learn, see what learning and work options exist beyond the school walls, and spend time in corporate, silent noticing.  I'm pretty sure by June, I'll know what I want to be when I grow up!


I doubt any of my students are having the same thought as me right now but I can't wait for school on Monday morning!