Kindness as a Superpower

When I first became a teacher, I made a conscious decision to always teach with kindness.?Little did I know at the time, the impact that decision would have on my students.?Or on the teachers I would later train, lead, and coach.

A traumatic childhood experience left me with social anxiety which I suffered from well into my adult life.?Alone, I worked through and overcame my fears, and what remains today is a deep sense of empathy, and a passionate desire to help others.

Managing Students with Kindness

Some people equate kindness with weakness, but it really isn’t.?As a teacher, I have very high expectations of my students.?I manage my classes by being engaging, giving well-deserved praise, being consistent … and through silence.?

In fact, in every new class my students understand my expectations before I’ve even said a word.?On that first day, before I even greet them, I step into the front center of the class and simply stand there, silently, until every student is quiet and focused on me.?

Thereafter, whenever I want my students’ attention, I silently take my place front center and within seconds, I have their attention.?I have had absolute success with the silent technique with all ages and all class sizes – even those I taught in China with 60 students in a class.

I smile throughout my lessons, I treat every student like they’re the most important person in the world, and my students and I find something to laugh about in every class.?I talk to my them – I’m interested in their lives.?I listen when they speak.?I ask questions.?I welcome theirs.

My students are excited to come to my classes.?They work diligently and always give me their best.?But isn’t that usually the case??That students learn better from teachers they like and respect?

But more than that, they find me approachable.?Many students (and parents) have shared their challenges and problems with me, as well as their successes.?

Personal Experiences with Kindness

A bi-polar teen, Xander, felt safe enough to share his suicidal feelings and plans with me, and together with another teacher and ultimately his family, we were able to get him the medical attention he required.?He was diagnosed and put on the medication he needed.?He’s graduating from college this year and is excited about his future.

In a class where Oscar, a middle school student who is slightly on the spectrum, was being bullied repeatedly, I had gained not only his respect, but his tormentors’ respect too.?When I shared my personal experiences with bullying as the strange kid at school who never spoke, and how it had made me feel, all the students empathized – their expressions showed that.?

I ended by telling them I was very sad to know that some students in the class were making other students feel the same way I had felt, and that in every situation they had a choice – to hurt, or to help.?And they should always choose to help.?

Even though I haven’t seen Oscar for years, I still connect with him and his mom on social media, and she has reported that Oscar’s tormentors were his biggest protectors and best friends all throughout high school.

I worked at a school where the teachers were particularly cruel to their students.?Being a foreigner, I had no rights to make them stop.?All I could do was show them a different way (although I didn’t realize it at the time).?When I left the school a few years later, even the cruelest of the teachers was kinder – I even saw her hugging an upset student once.?It was then that I realized the incredible power of kindness.

I’ve had so many amazing experiences!?Connecting with disillusioned, rebellious teenagers and watching their barriers coming down as they begin to take interest again.?Shy students coming out of their shells and integrating successfully with their peers.??Meeting with students and their parents and helping to resolve challenges at home.

Kindness really is a superpower that changes lives!

Leading Teachers

As a teacher trainer and in the middle and upper management positions I later held, my teachers responded similarly.?Feeling fully supported and validated, teachers who’d grown complacent regained their passion and creativity for teaching.?New teachers quickly gained confidence in their abilities.?Teachers and TA’s worked better together.?A sense of team spirit developed within the school as staff became unified.?Empowered teachers empower students, and this reflected in their classes.

Lie Coaching Teachers

As a life coach, I specialize in working with teachers.

I have developed a life coaching program which I offer directly to schools, where I work with teachers and also school management.?My aim is to empower teachers, students and managers and my ultimate goal – to uplift the education system as a whole, creating more positive learning environments for all students, and helping teachers to achieve higher levels of output and attain a deeper sense of vocational satisfaction.

The program follows a 3-in-1 approach:?Participate, Educate, Facilitate.

PARTICIPATE

Teachers and managers participate?in the?10-workshop program, benefitting from actively applying the techniques in?their own careers and?lives.

EDUCATE

Teachers educate their?students by presenting the?same techniques?in their?classes, empowering their students, and providing them with valuable skills with which to navigate their lives.??

FACILITATE

On completion, teachers?and managers are certified?to facilitate the same?program – and in this way the program can be offered in-house for all future teachers joining your faculty.

Program Launch

We are officially launching this powerful program with our first workshop on 31 January 2023.?In order to reach more schools, teachers, and students, we are keeping our prices low.?But if you register for the program before 26 January, you’ll receive a 10% discount too.

There are various options, so please visit DM me for more information and prices, or to set up an appointment to meet and chat.

I look forward to empowering your teachers, students, and managers, and uplifting your school!