Compassion
is our Moral Focus virtue this month. Teachers are known for being amongst the most compassionate of
professional workers. Being compassionate brings many
benefits not only to those on the receiving end of the compassion, but also to
the person who is compassionate. However, teachers are prone to compassion
fatigue, a condition that affects up to 40% of teachers.
Teachers
start to feel resentful rather
than resourceful, detached rather than delighted, and exhausted rather than excited.
If you have reached this point, you may need to actively work to redevelop
COMPASSION in your life. Here are a couple of strategies to try:
Intentional Compassion
– First, direct compassion to someone you like. ‘Practice’ using compassion first toward someone you have good feelings
toward: a good friend, helpful coworker, or co-operative student.
– Next, be compassionate with someone a bit more neutral: the cashier at the grocery store, a neighbor you don’t know
well, or a coworker you don’t see often.
– Then, take it up a notch by directing compassion toward someone you have trouble with: a student that has behavioral challenges
challenges, a parent that is difficult, or a coworker that you usually avoid.
– Finally, turn your compassion to all those in your life
– First, direct compassion to someone you like. ‘Practice’ using compassion first toward someone you have good feelings
toward: a good friend, helpful coworker, or co-operative student.
– Next, be compassionate with someone a bit more neutral: the cashier at the grocery store, a neighbor you don’t know
well, or a coworker you don’t see often.
– Then, take it up a notch by directing compassion toward someone you have trouble with: a student that has behavioral challenges
challenges, a parent that is difficult, or a coworker that you usually avoid.
– Finally, turn your compassion to all those in your life
Acts of Kindness:
Another way to
develop compassion is to do five different random acts of kindness all in one
day. The effort and impact of doing these all in one day can be life-changing.
A few suggestions for acts of kindness include:
–
Write a note or card
– Bake cookies for someone
– Give a compliment
– Take a meal to someone in need
– Donate food or money to a local homeless shelter.
– Pay for the order of the person behind you in the drive-thru or checkout line.
– Do a chore that is usually your spouse or child’s responsibility
– Bake cookies for someone
– Give a compliment
– Take a meal to someone in need
– Donate food or money to a local homeless shelter.
– Pay for the order of the person behind you in the drive-thru or checkout line.
– Do a chore that is usually your spouse or child’s responsibility
(Amy
Curletto, Stanfield District)
As
with anything we want to teach our students, we must model what we want them to
develop. Take some time this month to model and talk about COMPASSION with your
colleagues and students.
No comments:
Post a Comment