The Sun - Finding the Joy in Teaching

How do you know when you are experiencing the energy of the Sun card? When you feel joy, bliss, enthralled, positive, and absolutely in love with what you are doing. This sums up for me what it means to be "in the flow." Sun days just fly by. All of a sudden, the class period ends and you're like, "Where did the time go?" Everything just seems to come together - the kids are learning and you are going home with a smile on your face.

Obviously teaching doesn't feel like this every day. But imagine if it could? I'm trying to think of ways that I can have more Sun energy throughout the school year. Number one, I need to stop thinking about all of the negative things that are outside of my control. Number two, I need to find ways to create more positive energy in my classroom.

For example, I currently have two shells on my desk (to connect with Lord of the Flies) as well as a new miniature zen garden I received for a Mother's Day gift. Making your classroom have a more relaxing or positive atmosphere can really help.

But what about the learning? This term I decided to get experimental and it is going REALLY well. We are reading Lord of the Flies and looking at it through an archetypal lens. So to correlate with this, I decided to have them do some creative writing. So as we read the story and analyze the characters, conflicts, archetypes, and symbolism, we will also be incorporating those things into our own short stories! I gave each student a random archetype card. So far they have created internal and external conflicts as well as back stories for their characters. It's pretty awesome because they are learning so much more about the elements of literature by applying what they learn to their own creations. I would love to do this every term, but my school puts more emphasis on nonfiction/essay writing.

But the students are really enjoying the process and I am enjoying teaching the process. They are more engaged and I am thrilled to see them actively participating in class. This is exactly what the Sun card feels like to me.

I would love to know what you do in your classroom that reflects the energy of the Sun. Please feel free to share!

All my best,

Amy