No Shame in being Vulnerable

Why should we practice mindfulness with our students? Why should we teach them heartful mindfulness?

If we took the time last week to look at the ACEs questions and think about our students than we are aware of the trauma that exists in our classrooms.

Brene Brown, a researcher on shame, vulnerability, and courage states that the number one casualty of trauma is vulnerability. Those who have experienced or are experiencing trauma do not know how to be vulnerable. Brene goes on to share that without vulnerability there is no courage.

We have previously addressed cultivating courage in our students. How can we help our students with courage if we first have not helped them be vulnerable?

We need to create classrooms in which our students grown their courage and vulnerability.

One of the greatest traumas stopping vulnerability for our students is, shame.

Students 5^th grade and younger will define shame as being unlovable and this results in shame causing trauma.

Shame is highly connected with bullying.

Brene’s research found that 85% of people can remember a time they were shamed in school and this experience made them question their abilities, limiting their courage. We as educators have the power to cause great heartache for our students when we use shame or allow shame into our classrooms.

There is some good news too. Brene’s research also found that 90% of people can remember a teacher, administrator, coach, or another school staff member who made a positive impact on their lives and helped them believe in themselves. We as educators are powerful forces in the lives of our students.

When asked to list the biggest influences in their life’s students list, in order:

1.     Parents

2.    Teachers

3.     Clergy

4.     Peers

Educators are the second most influential forces in the lives of youth.

This takes us back to our original questions.

Why should we practice mindfulness with our students? Why should we teach them heartful mindfulness?

We need to create what Brene Brown calls a Daring Classroom. We need to open the lines of communication and reduce the occurrence of shame. We are highly important in the lives of our students.

For this week lets utilize heartful mindfulness to express kindness and compassion toward our students and teach our students to show kindness and compassion to others.

Engage in a random act of kindness this week.

Take time to plan it out. Note everything that is important when doing an act of kindness for others. Model this act by doing a random act of kindness for your students this week.

Leave a note on their desks with a heartfulness message. “You are worth teaching.” “You are needed in this classroom.” “You belong with our class community.” “You are cared for and wanted here.” “You matter.” 

Being vulnerable toward your students opens a line of communication, teaching them that in your classroom it is not only acceptable to be vulnerable, but that it is encouraged.

Once you have modeled this Random Act of Kindness Mindfulness, help your class create an act of kindness of their own.

This is our last week of our month focused on Bullying Awareness, lets utilize this week to increase kindness and reduce pain, hurt, and shame.

For further information regarding a Daring Classroom by Brene Brown I encourage you to watch the YouTube link included below. It’s a half hour well worth your time and attention.

https://youtu.be/DVD8YRgA-ck