Hocus-Pocus Teaching in Scary Times
It is October, and things are heating up for teachers as the weather cools down.
FALL is in the air.
Teachers may feel like things are not “falling” into place or that they are “falling” down on the job because it is the end of the grading period, and they are having a hard time keeping up with…
…too many students trying to make up work they should have done weeks ago
…too many parents reacting negatively, and yes, even aggressively (bullying) because their child does not have the grade they want them to have and, somehow, that’s the teacher’s fault
…too many emails, meetings, papers to grade, parent conferences, admin visits for evaluation
…too many things to JUGGLE
Teachers maybe need a little bit of HOCUS-POCUS.
Did you know that the origin of the phrase HOCUS-POCUS is from the Latin phrase hicce es doctus, which means here is the learned man. (etymonline.com).
The phrase eventually became used by jugglers and magicians to refer to their craft/sleight of hand.
Nowadays, the phrase “hocus-pocus” conjures up the wildly popular Disney film of the same name, which has just released a part 2.
So, what do Fall, Hocus-Pocus, October, jugglers, magicians and teachers have in common?
Things get spooky in October. It is the season of Halloween, ghosts, goblins, witches, magic spells and tricks or treats.
For teachers, they are juggling way too much and feel the pressure to fulfill the role of “the learned man”.
They wish they had a magic potion or a magic spell they could cast on their students to open those magic books of learning and actually learn something.
Teachers feel like their “flame” is going out while at the same time they are desperately trying to light the flame on the “candle of knowledge” to resurrect their students and keep them from becoming zombies of knowledge.
Fears start to come up.
Things look scary and spooky and dark.
Some teachers start to hide behind a false mask of a smiling face and “I’m fine!”.
So, what to do?
Well, you could do like many, MANY other teachers have done.
Sign up for the weekly Sunday Spirit Spark here to chase away the Sunday Scaries that teachers experience the day before they have to go back to school on Monday.
(Read more about the Sunday Scaries here).
Each Sunday, you will get a newsletter of inspiration and exploration to help you re-energize and face the “Haunted House” in your mind so you can do things like:
***Don’t run or hide or mask up or become a walking Zombie. Find a way and go for the WIN (What’s Important Now?)
***As spooky as it may seem, give yourself permission to feel exhausted, overwhelmed and human. In this vulnerability, you will find what you need to take care of you.
***Don’t ghost your needs, but rather cast a spell of calm and well-being in your life. Figure out what the “best practices” are not only in the classroom, but also in your life outside of the classroom.
***Let go of what is haunting your mind with an incessant cry of BOO + WHO…boo as in I am not doing or being enough + who can I do more for rather than tending to my own needs.
***When things look dark, lean on all those people, places and things that support you to shine your light on the world without guilt, shame or blame.
No tricks, just treats. You can sample some inspiration here.
I invite all teachers…a.k.a. master juggling magicians to bring a little HOCUS-POCUS into your lives with Sunday Spirit Spark Newsletter so you can better chase away all those SCARY things in teaching you face on a daily basis.
The Spirit of Teaching loves you, sees you, hears you and supports you every step of the way in your teaching journey.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out to spiritofteaching@gmail.com for support
Also, please share the newsletter, website, podcast and all the Spirit of Teaching LOVE with all those you love. Thank you!
Inspirational songs:
A compilation by Good Housekeeping of the top 60 Halloween songs
Photo credit:
“Juggling Magician” by Franklin Park Library is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
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