I have written multiple times about the stress created by the fast-paced, technologically demanding position of today's educators. We are expected to keep up with the latest tools created to engage learners, app du jour being Breakout EDU, while simultaneously being guided by psychology professionals to step down the stress using practices of meditative gratitude and being present in the moment. I have not yet found the balance.
I mentioned this in a Twitter chat recently, and the moderator responded privately that she schedules herself extensively to be able to keep up with the demands of the profession in school and out. So does that mean I should also schedule my every waking moment, including down time? Doing so goes completely against the concept of living in the present, being in the moment. I keep thinking about this, trying to reconcile the seeming contradiction. Our society is definitely in a state of transformation, as is the economy. There is no doubt that the sense of uncertainty is influencing the level of discord and discomfort. Additionally, there is a sense of urgency this time of year when so many special programs are built into the few subject area teaching days that remain. I am, apparently, a "Type A" personality who can't just pack it in for the year and enjoy the ride. I have an intense need to make every day count, to use every class period to reinforce what we've covered so that my students can perform at their best for assessments. I find turning off my mental to-do list extremely difficult. The yogis tell us that this takes years of practice. No doubt.
So as I searched to find an image of Yogi Bear in a meditation pose to go along with that last bit, I got sidetracked by a vid that popped up on my side-bar. Blasted internet!! After watching it, (yes, I did) I realized that the side trips on the web are tiny moments of present-ness. My brain had switched gears from intense focus on the "work" to be done to creative thought, thinking only of what was before me in that moment. I was completely lost in the visual, unaware of my surroundings. About 90 seconds in, I realized what had happened. (The vid I watched is below.)
Now I am wondering, are the many side trips we take on the internet serving as unforced moments of downtime? They are distractions, to be sure, but is this a bad thing? Of course it is healthy to unplug. But what if these moments, which in my students appear as game-playing and video-watching, are actually our way of temporarily escaping the stress? Must those moments resemble a quiet room with new age music and dim lighting? Can the disengagement from our activities come in some other form - electronically?
I do know much has been researched about what being online is doing to our own wiring, see this article with feedback from teachers, and this one, about negative impacts in adult brains. The jury is still out over here, taking a much-needed break.
So as I searched to find an image of Yogi Bear in a meditation pose to go along with that last bit, I got sidetracked by a vid that popped up on my side-bar. Blasted internet!! After watching it, (yes, I did) I realized that the side trips on the web are tiny moments of present-ness. My brain had switched gears from intense focus on the "work" to be done to creative thought, thinking only of what was before me in that moment. I was completely lost in the visual, unaware of my surroundings. About 90 seconds in, I realized what had happened. (The vid I watched is below.)
Now I am wondering, are the many side trips we take on the internet serving as unforced moments of downtime? They are distractions, to be sure, but is this a bad thing? Of course it is healthy to unplug. But what if these moments, which in my students appear as game-playing and video-watching, are actually our way of temporarily escaping the stress? Must those moments resemble a quiet room with new age music and dim lighting? Can the disengagement from our activities come in some other form - electronically?
I do know much has been researched about what being online is doing to our own wiring, see this article with feedback from teachers, and this one, about negative impacts in adult brains. The jury is still out over here, taking a much-needed break.