Thursday 29 December 2011

In Love with stress

stress, stress, and more stress

i think i might be in love with stress
or stress is in love with me
stress always seems to find me
relocate to be with me
and send me
straight over the top

every circumstance brings stress
and when you let it in, it won't leave
stress is in love with me

i want to get everything done
and stress is in my way
over here and over there,
sending my pressure higher
causing me more despair

stress, stress, and more stress

i think stress is in love with me
all day at work,
teasing and pleading
asking and begging
let me in, let me in

my stomach is in knots
my fingernails are low
my heart can't take it anymore
i think i'm in love with stress

can't eat, can't sleep
trying to get over you,
but i can't, i won't
and the medicine won't help me

stress, stress, and more stress

i think i'm in love with stress,
or stress is in love with me 

(By Michael J. Burt)

Children are Children


It has truly said that “Children are Children”, no matter where they live or whose class they are in. Today’s students expect much more animated, interactive class and much less dogmatic classroom atmosphere. Definitely, the chances of getting class into chaos would be quite high in such situation.  Implementing classroom management techniques requires practice for both the teacher and the student. By employing these techniques, a teacher will be able to create an atmosphere conducive to learning.

Ask students to make four to five essential agreements, provoke them, probe them and help them in framing affirmative statements. Write and paste them on wall along with Procedures and Routines until students make them habits. Ensure they understand the essence of it and reinforce the same repeatedly. Establish expectations right at the beginning, as to what kind of behaviour in the classroom is acceptable and which will not abide.    

Be prepared with all the resources before taking the class. Always keep some filler worksheets/ planned activities/ manipulative/ comics/ reading material etc. for the students in class. Engage the students in learning process. One-way lecturing will sidetrack them, which will ultimately distract other students and teacher as well. In order to engage them, plan some creative learning activities. These can be as simple as brainstorming exercise.

Despite your best efforts to engage your students, there will be such times when one of them behaves in an unacceptable manner. Therefore, devise a strategy for dealing with such difficult students and therefore you need to plan.  Also, ensure to have student of the week, student of the month.

Wednesday 28 December 2011

Kids learn how to handle stress from you...


                          
Being a parent is indeed a very joyful and rewarding experience. But parenting can be very stressful. As there are times in everyone's life where you have some different priorities/committments to work on, and life becomes full of hassles.The stress of caring for children makes parents feel angry, anxious and stressed out.

Most parents do have high expectations of how things should be - we all want perfect family and worry about how our children will turn out. Here, let us remember one thing that there are no perfect children  and no perfect parents. All children misbehaves sometimes. Parents can make mistake. Therefore, have a realistic attitude, spend some time to understand your children, develop good relationship, learn to recognize the symptoms of stress and how can you cope up.

Coping with the stress of parenting starts with understanding what makes you feel stressed. We all have reactions to life's events which are based on personal histories. But irrespective of our emotional tension or worries, we need to remember that its not our children's fault. We need to learn to keep our stress reactions under control.
For that matter, you can make time for yourself, read good books, exercise daily, have good/healthy food on time, do not skip your meal, avoid fatigue, have good sleep, take short naps when you can, share your worries not only with your friends or someone whose close to you but also with your children in a very polite and calm manner.

Wednesday 21 December 2011

Hear me!


Recently, I came across a case where the child and the teacher were actually struggling with their own emotions. The relationship between a child and the teacher was not healthy. The teacher was actually not prepared enough to take the class and the child was seeking for attention and care. The teacher wanted child/students to listen to her and the child demanded to be heard. The teacher was upset; as the child was fussy about writing. She was frustrated, as according to her, the child was not manageable. The child was not able to adjust, neither in the class with peers nor with the teacher. One day, the teacher in her frustration, pulled his hair and nagged him for writing. However, the child...!
Finally, management decided to go to the root cause of the matter, and started investigating, counseling the parent for the same. They even concluded that the teacher is trying and learning to overcome her limitation and that the parent needs counseling. 

Well, in this situation the person who really suffers and struggles is a CHILD. What did he actually asked for? Was listening and talking to a child is that difficult? Giving child a comfort is really hard, complicated or thorny?

Is it really about bad parenting or a lack of classroom management technique?
Trust me, listening and talking about the concerns can reassure the child that he will be safe. Children react to stress at their own developmental level. Encourage child to ask questions. Listen to what he has to say. Provide comfort and assurance that addresses his specific fears. Communicate with the child in a way he can understand. Do not get too technical or complicated. Find out what frightens him. Encourage the child to talk about fears he may have. Focus on positive things. Appreciate him openly for every small deed. Develop a good, strong emotional bank account with him. Give him responsibility; make him feel responsible and capable of doing anything and everything.

In education, intellectual development is not enough. Education must be both intellectual and emotional. The aim of education – in fact, the aim of life – is to work joyfully and to find happiness. Happiness means being interested in life, or as I would put it, responding to life. Education must be geared to the psychic needs and capacities of the child. Discipline, dogmatically (strictly) imposed and punishment creates fear; and fear creates hostility. This hostility may not be conscious and overt, but it paralyses endeavour and authenticity of feeling. The extensive discipline of children are harmful and thwarts sound psychic development.

Tuesday 15 November 2011

Handle me with care!

Every child is unique and must be treated accordingly. What actually explains or talks about behavior problems in one may not be in another. What treatment works for one, may not work for another.
Is bad behaviour the result of bad parenting, spoiling a child, lack of discipline, anxiety, depression etc.?
I guess, understanding the root cause of behaviour problem in a child is critical yet very important too. Many people make mistake and too often adopt the old standard theories and treat the child with a purely “behavioural approach”
Disciplining methods such as rewards, consequences, bribes, negotiations, time outs and manipulation are actually at times the least effective methods for disciplining a child.Sitting your child down for lecture and trying to force him to take responsibility are actually not the right method to teach or train your child for manners, respect or good behaviour.

Behaviour problems are something all the parents and teachers across the world are dealing with. Many children exhibit anger, aggressiveness or violent behaviour typically to release stress. Tantrums can often have healing effect on excessive stress. Behaviour problems in children typically stem for stress, unhappiness as well as slew of psychological reasons.
The natural response for a child who observes something is to act out what they see. He/she is like an open vessel, who absorbs, learns and act out of what he/she observed.

It seems like common sense, but do respect your child, understand and go to the root cause of the problem and help your child to fight with his own emotions.
A child asks just for love, care, emotions and affections. And simply expects and says
Handle me with care”

Last but not the least, it reminds me of few lines by John Watson
Give me a dozen healthy infants, well-formed, and my own specified world to bring them up in and I’ll guarantee to take any one at random and train him to become any type of specialist I might select — doctor, lawyer, artist, merchant-chief and, yes, even beggar-man and thief, regardless of his talents, penchants, tendencies, abilities, vocations, and race of his ancestors”.

Sunday 13 November 2011

The CHANGE

It is rightly said,"What comes out of your mouth is determined by what goes into your mind". Our society is more negative than positive. Our conversations at home accentuate the negative. Unfortunately, a negative thinker activates the world around him negatively, and every bit of negativism he sows produces a bumper crop. Albert Einstein said we have to have seven positive influences to overcome one negative one.

Change emphasis - change results. Take one day and after each encounter jot down the gist of the conversation. I promise you, by the end of the day your comments will be more positive than they were at the beginning. Once we become aware of what we are doing, the solution is on its way.