Welcome to Creating a Compassionate Classroom! Please share:
-Name
-Location/School/Role
-Emoji or gif that represents how you are feeling about this winter season
#moedchat
Hi! Michelle in STL - English teacher and ed tech. specialist turned current grad student and substitute teacher. My feelings towards winter right now... #moedchat
Hi! Hallie, 4th grade teacher in St. Charles tweeting from my couch. Although, I have a sick 7 month old, and since he's sleeping at the moment I won't be staying up too long. But wanted to say hi! Also - I'm ready for spring! #moedchat
I’m Lauren, and I’m actually in Illinois! But I love #edchats and I work with @sstokes_EVERFI ! I feel 😭 about my first winter in the Midwest—I slipped in ice last night and sprained my wrist!#MOedchat
#moedchat Absolutely! When kids thrive it's not because of curriculum, technology, or, gasp, administrators; it is the TEACHER who determines the quality of education.
#MOedchat
A1: We want them to be AWARE. Aware of self and aware of others, thinking outside of theor own bubbles. If we all just took a moment to think through the paradigm of another for a few...
I look at this this way -- in 20 years I have no idea what the students I have today will need to know. But I know they will need to have diversity of skills and adaptability to problems. We should be promoting agility in the way our students tackle tasks. #moedchat
Employers are looking for folks who are self starters and can tackle problems without a lot of front end training. These people are ALWAYS VALUABLE. #moedchat
I agree but as Terry Harris says, let's get away from calling them "soft" skills. To many, that makes them seem not important. I like to call them "Success Skills." #moedchat
A2: We need to teach them how to think outside of themselves. How to see something from someone else's point of view. Not sure how to measure progress - but not with a grade. #moedchat
A2 Empathy, to be able to put yourself in others' shoes. Give students a chance to 'feel' and explore how they feel about things they are learning, not just covering facts. This is where the arts can play an important part. #moedchat
#MOedchat A2: I think we need to teach/model to be genuine. So many times I see people doing a good deed because they want to "show it off". Do it from the HEART. (Character is what you do when no one is looking)
A2 Empathy, curiosity, attentiveness --- I don't know. This is something hopefully we are modeling in our classrooms every day so kids know what it looks like. #moedchat
A2- Somebody In Q1 said awareness. If students are aware of their strengths and opportunities for growth, they can use that awareness to set goals. #MOedchat
Students now are so quick to mock or ridicule. Meme culture. It feels like we don't do nearly enough to teach respect or how to work in groups. Can't lose sight of those important "life skills" either. #moedchat
And whatever we call these skills, more - most - important is that we find time to include them in our instruction and curriculum. Academic competence should be the floor, not the ceiling, of what we want for our students. #moedchat
A2 Was just discussing with a teacher this week. We cover the Holocaust but do students really get the opportunity to express how they feel. To really connect with what happened. Diving deeper and getting in touch with feelings about topics, so important. #moedchat
A3: We are the model, so we should be showing what this looks like every day. It's also about using those teachable moments to show how we can be compassionate. #moedchat
A3 Be compassionate. Don't minimize student concerns. Stop starting sentences with "You're all right." Be a model for what compassion looks like in your classroom. #moedchat
A3 I teach a class with no grades or curriculum, I work with kids to critique each other and themselves on what they do, it is just how we do it, we all work together for our own good #moedchat
Agree! We need to be role-models. We don't do SEL to kids; we do it with them. We need to learn along with them, getting out of our comfort zones too. #moedchat
A3 as educators, we’re with these kids 8 hours a day. Teaching compassion, empathy and growth mindset is so important. It’s also crucial that we model these skills with kids. Self-regulation is a skill that we have to model and actively teach #moedchat
A3b Also, listening. People are so bad at listening and DON'T EVEN KNOW IT. We don't spend enough time on how to listen to communicate with another person. #moedchat
K-5, the subject is "Innovation and Technology", I try to bring their gen ed subjects in with a focus on tech and creativity, lots of weird and fun stuff, also a lot of #cardboard, very unique class that all schools should have :) #moedchat
Practicing Empathetic Listening is something we should all do, whether we are educators or not, it is powerful stuff, could be a subject all on its own #moedchat
I like the idea of this, but it disappoints me when I see teachers boil these skills down to a community rubric or a Google Form you fill out for each peer. How 'bout we have a conversation? Let's ask each other a few questions about this. #moedchat
A3 One important role we have is to make amends when we slip up. Calling out the error we made and showing that we, as teachers, are real people who sometimes make errors can be a powerful learning experience for us and for our students #moedchat
There's a line in the Prayer to St. Francis that says "Help me to understand rather than be understood," and I think that's something we all need to work on.
#MOedchat A3: b more inclusive and diverse in our teaching approaches. If stduents are not exposed to opinions/situations outside of their "bubble" or comfort zone, how will they ever come to feel compassion? "There is nothing more frightful than ignornace in action" -Von Goethe
I am blessed with a very unique position, but I believe that if teachers are willing to take a risk, it can be done. They just need to let go of the teacher-intrinsic need to judge and evaluate. Do things for the sake of learning and not evaluating. Hard to do... #moedchat
Q4: How can you integrate teaching compassion into your daily instruction?
Share successes/struggles if you currently are integrating like skills into daily instruction
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Great point. As a teacher you are an incredibly influential part of your students' days. Like it or not, you are a role model. What you model matters. #moedchat
Admin needs to be supportive, teachers need to jump in and let go, not everyone is comfortable with it, but a safe environment focused on improvement rather than grades can be done for the betterment of the kid #MOedchat
A4: I like the idea of discussing literary characters to break down the actions of others. Not only does it help to point out how others treat each other, but it's also going into greater depths of characterization. #moedchat
A4: I like to point out when I see compassion. It draws positive attention and highlights an example for the class. Books are a great place to start the conversation. #moedchat
A4: I think those teachable moments come unexpectedly throughout the day. They can be seamlessly integrated into your teaching. Modeling the skills is the best way to teach them! #moedchat
#MOedchat A4: Each day just let all kids know that they are valued and set the standard how hurtful language is not allowed. #safespace I also have a Random Acts of Kindness Calendar in my room: https://t.co/hiPUYUDp37 to help encourage kids to help out others
Yep, and explaining what we are doing and how we are feeling is important. We've all used our grit some days, for example, but if we don't share that, our Ss are likely to think that things simply come easily to us. #moedchat
Tests aren't everything, but we have to be accountable, I get that but, any tiny little way you can implement this is beneficial because they probably don't get it any other way... squeeze it in #MOedchat
@sstokes_EVERFI late to the party but finally made it!
A4: As a former business teacher, I would “pay” the students in points for acts of integrity “on the job”. These were not for a grade, but could be redeemed throughout the semester during class auctions #moedchat
A4: I like the idea of discussing literary characters to break down the actions of others. Not only does it help to point out how others treat each other, but it's also going into greater depths of characterization. #moedchat
A4 A few people have mentioned #growthmindset earlier in the chat - focusing on that mindset in our schools helps students practice self-compassion, something with which many students struggle #moedchat
Q4: How can you integrate teaching compassion into your daily instruction?
Share successes/struggles if you currently are integrating like skills into daily instruction
#moedchat
Time to share!
Q5: What resources have you found effective with your students for teaching compassion?
What kind of resources are you looking for?
#moedchat
A4 It’s hard to teach these skills! I feel like we mostly teach this in 1-1 chats when difficult situations happen. But priming kids with the skills to handle those situations beforehand is so effective! Implementing direct lessons on SEL makes a huge difference #moedchat
#MOedchat A5: I teach a "Teen Leadership" course, and one of the best lessons is watching and then having a restorative practice circle about the ABC Family movie "Cyberbully". Ss really empathize and identify with the characters. Good eye-opening moments. #digcit
A5: "We Do Listen Foundation" (https://t.co/La7K2ODocV) has great videos/lessons for young students about listening, bullying, getting along with others, etc. #moedchat
A5: @EVERFIK12 has great no-cost digital SEL and mental wellness resources like The Compassion Project, Character Playbook, Honor Code, and Mental Wellness Basics. DM me if you want access. #moedchat
A5 Poetry, art, focus on 'making the world a better place' looking for solutions to problems others in our school, community, city, etc., are having. Students feel empowered to find and solve problems. Solutions may be tied into the curriculum through #PBL#moedchat
Time to share!
Q5: What resources have you found effective with your students for teaching compassion?
What kind of resources are you looking for?
#moedchat
