Since my inquiry is about mental-wellness, I thought a blog could be a neat way that people could access my information. As of now, I plan on keeping this blog private, but I love the personal feel it give my Inquiry. I am such a conversation-starter, that it almost feelings like I can see someone reading on the other side of this post. It’s like I am pretending I am writing a website column for people who need more information, or other teachers who are in a similar position as me. We all want the best for our students and I hope that this inquiry will give some insight on ways that I can help my future students enjoy being in the classroom, when they’ve got a hectic home-life going on outside of the classroom. I want to learn more about this space and also how to communicate my observations, new strategies, and coping techniques on an online platform, this is just the beginning.

What do I want to learn moving forward?

I want to use one of my classmates’ inquiry questions as inspiration for my learning and for my observations for the next ten-weeks. I want to try and model risk in my class to expose students to a more positive headspace. My theory is, if I can show students that I am constantly trying new things, that I am not always in the best of moods, and I am not always wanting to learn, maybe they will dive in and try new strategies that may allow for a more positive educational experience in my classroom. Additionally, it may give my students strategies and memories to look back on when they are in another classroom, moving forward with their education. If I can take a risk and show my students that I have to work to get into the right headspace somedays when I have other things going on, I can show them that I struggle sometimes to.

I want to continue using MindUp to give students opportunities to check in with themselves and learn meditation techniques. I hope to learn more strategies for relaxation, checking in, and getting in “the zone” through using the MindUP lesson plans. The learning objectives focus on being self-aware, being self-motivated, and being able to express your emotions in a positive way (MindUP). I hope to enhance my student’s knowledge of themselves, so they can use coping strategies to help them moving forward, not just in my class but in their daily lives and in other classes.

Taking a student-centered approach is what drives this inquiry: I want to learn about what the students find to be useful. I was thinking of talking to students who are comfortable discussing their situations and how they have gotten into the right mindset to learn the best that they could, in the classroom. This was a suggestion from the youth worker at my practicum school and I think that I could learn a lot of information from this.

What are some short-term goals?

Another area I will be exploring during my 10-week practicum is incorporating the Mind-UP curriculum into my lesson planning. I have created a HACE unit around “Coping With Stress” and I am hoping that this unit will provide strategies for my students and insight around headspace and learning in the class. By using Mind-UP I hope to provide positive experiences in the classroom and create a space that students feel safe, a space where my students want to share their stories and their strategies of being present during the school. I want to use MindUp, the resources I have accumulated, and the conversations I’ve had to make my classroom a space where students can learn and be in the right headspace. I am well aware that not every strategy will work for ever students, but if I can create a bank of strategies, students can pick and choose which ones work best for them. As a class, I hope to take a risk and start an online blog space with strategies that students can go back and look and when they are needing help or when they need to check in with themselves.

After the practicum:

Throughout my practicum, I’ve learned a lot. I’ve grown, I’ve cried, I’ve been pushed to my limits and I’ve failed. I failed a lot. I realized that I had a lot of learning to do and all the course work in the world could not have prepared me for what I endured in that 10 weeks. Those 30 students and my School Advisor taught me the hands on experiential learning that made this whole process real. They taught me to think on the spot, be flexible, be bold and to dream big. They failed with me and celebrated our successes together. It was an experience I will never forget and one that I will carry with me through my education journey. It was an experience of a lifetime.

Where to go from here?

What’s next for Ms. Ramsey you ask? Drum roll please… I will be relocating and taking on the challenge of teaching my own class. I’ll take all that I’ve learned and try it out in a new environment, where I know tweaks, changes, and new additions to my toolbox will be made. I am excited and I am ready for the upcoming year of trying new things, learning from my mistakes and most importantly, growing as an educator!