Mindfulness As a Tool for Self-Knowledge

 

Socrates said it best, “Know Thyself”!  These two simple words are loaded with timeless wisdom that have such profound impact on our lives.  Consider for a moment just a loose run down of a “typical” morning in the life of an educator; it includes, early mornings of preparing for a classroom full of students in the midst of faulty copy machines, last minute coverages, and an overwhelming cascade of email requests and demands.  Add to this the required flexibility to deal with whatever arrives in your classroom at any given moment, not withstanding the surprise observation on the day everyone is anxious to leave for vacation.  There are many circumstances in the work day that are outside of our control, and a critical step to reclaiming power over our lives is remembering that we are not victims to external forces and have the ability to shift our awareness  to our inner experiences.

 Parker J. Palmer proclaims a simple premise in his book “The Courage to Teach”- “good teaching cannot be reduced to technique; good teaching comes from the identity and integrity of the teacher.” As I reflect on my training and hours of professional development, identity nor integrity had been an area of focus or reflection.  However, in this space we can absolutely focus on aspects of who we truly are at the heart of why we choose to teach. Palmer goes on to describe that identity and integrity aren’t just about who we are in our most sincere attempts to be good people, but also our shadow aspects of who we are; our limitations and weaknesses. So who is this self?  Who is the self that experiences all of the not so great (and great……because they do exist for sure) things that happen throughout the course of a day, week, month, school year, or career? Take some time to reflect on the feelings and sensations that arise as things happen throughout the day.