Teachers get paid to teach a pre-determined curriculum to our children however we all recognize that their role is far broader and more important than the course material. They are the adults that influence, mentor and support our children. They are on the playground when children are bullied and in the classroom when students struggle for answers. They are charged with teaching children who come to school too tired, too worried or too stressed to learn. And teachers are human, bringing to their stresses and triggers to work. Teachers inspire students to discover and learn but they are also known to react to the stress of the classroom in ways that may deter learning. It is a profession that shapes our future generation and they need our support.
Logosynthesis® offers a great opportunity not only to help teachers deal with the stress of their jobs but to enhance teacher-student interactions. Teachers and guidance counsellors can learn the specific process to guide students, helping dissolve the energy from the triggers to their stress. The process is not complicated but it requires that we move away from our rational explanations and allow ourselves to feel our stress, notice the sensory perceptions that trigger the reactions and process these imprints using specific sentences. Based on the triggers and the level of stress identified, students could be recommended for additional professional support.
I understand there is a valid argument that teachers don’t have time or training to provide this support but as we learn about this process, we may discover ways to work with it. I believe that the time it takes to work through this process could be similar to the time that is currently being used for teacher-student conversations, with the possibility that this may help to resolve some of repetitive issues. In addition, teachers could refer to guidance counsellors for more focused support. If teachers are interested and engaged, training should not be the barrier. In the book Practical Wisdom: The Right Way to do the Right Thing, the authors Barry Schwartz and Kenneth Sharpe talk about how society’s focus on rules and incentives have deteriorated the professions by reducing their ability to use their intuition and wisdom. I propose that we encourage our teachers to use their intuition and wisdom – and that we work together to learn new ways, such as Logosynthesis®, to enhance the learning of our future leaders.