Mind-shift

 Disruptions happen. 

A disruption by definition is a disturbance or problem which interrupts an event or activity. 

Disruptions are not fun, we don't like when they happen, and we often struggle to get back on track/come back from a disruption.

In the fall we learned about restorative practices. This blog, morning announcements, and resources available at school help us with mindfulness. Both restorative practices and mindfulness are great ways to help us and our students during a disruption and in the aftermath. 

Like a tornado leaves a path of destruction, so too can a disruption. 

It is not always easy, emotionally, to welcome a student back into class after they have caused a disruption. It is not easy, but it is necessary for them, for the other students, and for you.

Mindfulness is about being present in the moment and accepting it without judgement. Have you tried to embrace the disruption? That thought alone may have sent you into a tailspin. 

It isn't about accepting the behavior but rather accepting that the behavior is occurring and you cannot control it. Instead of searching for control in chaos, utilize the Mindful Pause.

A mindful pause is as simple as it sounds. When disruptions occur, pause. Ask students to pause. Take a deep breath in silence. A pause can help you and your students change from using your head to evaluate and start using your heart.

Most students are causing a disruption due to an unmet need. We can think about what need they might have that is going unmet. 

Instead of being caught in an assumption that a student is "bad" use a mindful pause to mind-shift.

The more you utilize a mindful pause during a disruption the more your students will notice. Students will follow the lead of an adult. The disruptive student will start to wonder what is going on. Once they are calmed is the time to utilize some restorative practices. 

It may seem to you that a moment of restorative practice will take away time from learning. Again, utilize a mind-shift and see it as a way to reduce hard feelings, create a sense of welcome, and restart and return the class to a calm before the storm. 

Students who have had a disruptive moment need to know that they will not be judged on it for the rest of the day.  Other students need the lesson that others should not be excluded. We need to create that welcome and mindful environment. 

Mindfulness and restorative practices can strengthen and inform each other and create a mutualistic relationship. 

After a disruption, mind-shift to restoration. Use mindfulness to help you and your students build the environment which help students be welcomed back after a difficult time.