January 2005
BEING IN JOY

This month I am addressing a topic dear to my heart. Although you may not be an educator, I am sure you will find relevance in your relationship with children and others as well.

Every day I cross paths of teachers who have lost the joy of teaching. Sure, there are lots of new ongoing stressors and situations in education that I find unacceptable. Teaching is not the same profession I entered 26 years ago. Yet, I still experience joy every day. I’ve become a “Thank God It’s Monday” teacher as I love the privilege of spending my days with the pure wisdom and authenticity of children, my greatest teachers of life.

I have observed that when joy is no longer present in the work you once knew to be your greatest passion, often feelings of discontent, disconnection and dissatisfaction reign. Frustrations increase and show up as anger, negative thoughts, perceptions and actions and thus feelings of hopelessness.

So what is joy? I experience joy as a state of exuberance, liberation, a heightened sense of pleasure and satisfaction, a beaming inner smile, laughter, being fully present experiencing the fullness and richness of the moment, a feeling of pure delight, a feeling of immense gratitude, an infectious energy, a connection with all that is.

How do I bring greater joy into my experience as an educator? I simply shift my perceptions. Simple, yet not always easy. This shift requires me to be my most present self not only with students but also with colleagues and parents. If my mind is centered on things to be done and things undone, I am not allowing myself to be in the gift of NOW. Breathe! It is a process. This is not about guilt or asking you to be more. Create your own unique pace and rhythm for allowing greater joy to bubble forth a little bit, then a little bit more, then a little bit more, etc. Each time you are bringing yourself into closer alignment with the truth of who you are.

What I know is that whatever I focus on expands! By changing my inner thoughts, my attitude, my focus, I change my outer experience. I choose to focus on strengths instead of weaknesses, what’s going well instead of what's going wrong, to look for the best in everyone, to receive children with an open heart and mind, and to view challenges as opportunities for learning. And most importantly, I never forget the value of a sense of humor and laughter. Of recent, as students were preparing for a math quiz, one of the most chatty students was complaining that there was too much talking going on for him to concentrate. The manner in which he made this comment (with a cute sly smile) had me in stitches. Soon, belly laughter filled the room! Magically, the children embraced a fresh new vitality. There was a lightness in the room that cleared away any prior doubts or concerns they may have had about the quiz.

Research shows that the emotional quality or state of an experience is recorded as part of the memory of that experience. If enjoyment accompanies learning to read or solving a math equation, each time a child repeats like activities, joy will be associated with those learning experiences.

Educators as facilitators can bring a contagious enthusiasm for content and learning. Pay attention to their interests and be willing to be spontaneous. My greatest moments of shared joy with students has been when the environment was abuzz with exciting self-created project ideas and implementation, sharing viewpoints and perceptions, purposeful interactions with one another, fully engaged in the love of discovery, learning and expanding possibilities, and active participation in choosing their own learning path. Moments like these create the foundation for the love and joy of learning.

What will you focus on today? How do you choose to experience more joy? What are you willing to let go of to experience greater sweetness of life each day?

Fill your life with as many moments and experiences of joy and passion as you humanly can.
Start with one experience and build on it. Marcia Wieder

In Joy and Gratitude,
Adrian Reznik

Nurture a Child “Nuggets”
See Me Beautiful!
This was written by Kathy and Red Grammer and is available on the CD entitled TEACHING PEACE.
This song nourishes the hearts and souls of everyone everywhere.
In addition to seeing beauty in children, be sure to see the radiant beauty within you!

See me beautiful
Look for the best in me
It’s what I really am
And all I want to be
It may take some time
It may be hard to find
But see me beautiful

See me beautiful
Each and every day
Could you take a chance
Could you find a way
To see me shining through
In everything I do
And see me beautiful.

Copyright © 2005 Adrian Reznik