Justice Spread for Teachers

What is blocking me from being more fair in the classroom? The Solar Plexus Chakra
What can help me be more fair in the classroom? Listen (The High Priestess)

I felt like using my new Psychic Tarot for the Heart Oracle Deck by John Holland for this reading because I am completely addicted to it. It is such a beautiful, insightful, and gentle deck.

So what is blocking me from being as fair as I would like to be in my classroom is the Solar Plexus Chakra. This yellow chakra correlates with self-esteem and confidence. I think a lot of what holds me back from bring my own version of Justice into my classes is not being confident enough to do it. It can be very hard to deal with 150 different personalities a day, especially when they are all concerned with their own level of justice that they are experiencing. They all want to be treated fairly but they are also busy looking at what everyone else is being given or being denied. It can be really difficult to be in the position of power and have to make tough decisions. But this is part of the role of being a teacher - it means being an authority figure who makes rules and sets boundaries. But it also means being compassionate and understanding. So I need to get more in touch with my own vision of Justice and then strengthen by Solar Plexus so that I can do what I believe is right and just in my own classroom.

Listening will help me be more fair in the classroom. Sometimes it is just easier to want to shut down and just say "this is the way it is." But I think it is important to make the time I can to hear students out. It doesn't mean I have to bend a rule, but sometimes students just want to be heard. So instead of just speaking my piece and putting them in their places, I really need to make more time to listen to their side of the story and see how we can work together to come to the most fair conclusion.

All my best,

Amy

Justice - Differentiated Instruction

The concept of justice fascinates me. It is a concept, like love, that we begin to form ideas about during our earliest days on the planet. My toddler is very focused on what's fair vs. what's not fair. If I have a glass of chocolate milk, he thinks it's only fair to be given a cup of it as well. The ideas of justice, fairness, and equity play out in various ways in our daily lives. A student may wonder why she didn't make the team or why he didn't get cast in the lead role. A teacher may wonder why another teacher always seems to get the best schedule. I am starting to realize that a lot of our ideas about justice stem from our own concerns about what other people are getting compared to us. Many of us are constantly concerned that other people are getting preferential treatment instead of just keeping the focus on ourselves and what we already have that others may wish they had!

I could go on and on about the philosophical debates regarding Justice, but I would prefer to keep this particular post focused. So I have decided to discuss the Justice card in relation to the educational premise of differentiated instruction.

Differentiated Instruction is based on the idea that all students learn differently (think multiple intelligences and such). Therefore, it is our duty as educators to make sure that we create quality instruction that caters to a variety of learning styles so that we can ensure that all of our students learn. This may mean providing graphic organizers for visual learners or incorporating movement into a lesson for kinesthetic learners. The possibilities are endless. So how does this connect with the energy of the Justice card?

For starters, many educators complain about differentiated instruction. They say, "well, when I was a student, education was on size fits all and if you didn't get it, oh well!" Or, "This is so time-consuming and difficult! Plus how is it fair when in the real world people have to learn to conform and adapt to different situations?"

They don't seem to be listening to what they are saying! One sized fits all isn't fair to the students. It wasn't fair when we were students and it isn't fair now. So when you know better, you should do better. It also doesn't have to be time-consuming or difficult. In fact, many people have a variety of learning intelligences, so by committing to differentiated instruction, you are giving all of your students a better chance at learning more about what you are trying to teach. Isn't that the goal of teaching - to help students learn?

I understand that society wants one-size fits all norms and rules to keep our society running smoothly, but I don't think this is very just considering that we are all individuals who experience very individualized circumstances. So where do we draw the line between holding everyone accountable to the same standards and rules while still acknowledging and dealing with situations on a case by case basis?

I know I am now veering off of the topic of differentiated instruction, but try to bear with me. Think of it this way. We all have classroom rules and procedures that students are expected to follow in order for the classroom to run smoothly and not fall into chaos. But what happens when there are extenuating circumstances that arise? Do you stick to the rule and say "Well, that's the rule, sucks to be you?" Or is there wiggle room for negotiation? I am very interested in your ideas on this topic.

Please feel free to share your ideas about Justice in education and in the classroom. How to you balance being fair to the students as a collective entity and as individuals? Do you apply the same rules for everyone 100% of the time or do you approach things on a case by case basis?Please feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below!

But my final thought on differentiated instruction is this: I think it's only fair that we do our very best to ensure that all of our students have access to the material we are trying to teach, so if it takes creating instruction that meets a variety of learning styles, then I believe that's what we should do. But that's just my opinion. And I feel it's only fair to respect the opinions of others even if they differ from mine.

All my best,

Amy

Weekly Tarot Reading for the Week of March 17

Tarot by Numbers: The 3's

The Wheel of Fortune Spread

Before I begin this spread, I would just like to make you all aware that this blog is becoming increasingly difficult for me. It's not because things are going on in my life that are making it hard for me to write, it is actually the progression of the cards themselves! This is actually an exciting discovery for me. As I continue through the Major Arcana, their messages and lessons become increasingly more complex for me and I really appreciate this about the cards.

So in this spread we are looking at areas of our teaching where we should loosen the reigns a bit and give up some control as well as areas that we need to exert more control over. Here is how it played out for me:

The area of teaching I need to relinquish some control over: The King of Cups
The area of teaching I need to exert more control over: The Page of Swords

So my instant gut reaction is that these cards are not focusing on specific aspects of teaching like lesson planning, grading, relationship building, collaborating with colleagues, etc. They are actually focusing on personality aspects that I need to work on.

Since the King of Cups is in the position for what I need to relinquish control over, it is speaking about how I need to stop taking everything so personally. I take this profession VERY seriously, so I take it to heart when I get negative feedback or reactions from parents and students. As a result, I can become very moody and sullen and often have to fight feelings of wanting to quit when times get super tough. The King of Cups is reminding me that is important to relax and not take things personally. You can't please everyone. So if I know I am doing the best I can then I don't have to allow negative attitudes from others to bring me down.

The Page of Wands is in the position of what I need to exert more control over. This card is all about enthusiasm and energy. These are two things that I am greatly lacking in at the moment. I feel very stressed professionally and personally, which causes me to feel fatigued and totally drained. I need to re-energize and find a way to bring enthusiasm and excitement back into my classroom. This is important since we are in a major third term slump at the moment. Since MCAS is next week, I can use that time to start planning ways that we can start fresh and get back on a brighter path.

I'm sorry to keep this post so short, but this is a very busy week. Progress reports are due tonight, MCAS is next week, my son has the flu, and his birthday party is this weekend! But as always, I welcome your comments and feedback.

How are things going in your classroom? Are you riding high or are you in a slump? Feel free to let me know!

All my best,

Amy

Whimsical Wednesday: 3 of Cups

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The Wheel of Fortune - Looking at Cycles

I will be perfectly honest with you. The Wheel of Fortune is one of the cards I find most challenging. It usually comes up for me in the position of what lesson I need to learn just as we saw in the Hermit's spread. I think this is because I am an admitted control freak and I often have trouble going with the flow. But I am going to do my best to explain this card in relation to teaching, so let's see what we've got here.

First of all, I am not going to give an in depth explanation of the imagery on this card. That would be very time consuming for me, not to mention the fact that there is already a sensational explanation of the symbols on this card on the Biddy Tarot website. So if you want to check that out, just click this link.

There are two basic ways I see this card - one is that everything happens in cycles and the other is that there is an ebb and flow to everything.

Cycles exist everywhere. We have the four seasons, the lunar cycles, our holidays, our 5 day work week and 2 sweet days of freedom, and of course, our school year calendar. You can even break down these larger cycles into smaller ones. Looking at the school calendar year, we have structured terms. Our school recently moved from five terms to four. Within those terms we have units of study. Depending on your preference, you may even be the type of teacher who schedules certain types of activities on certain days. Maybe you do SSR on Fridays. Right now I typically do a reading quiz on Wednesdays and a fishbowl discussion on Thursdays.

Cycles are important because they provide us with some stability and predictability. There is an incredible amount of comfort in this. It can help us to remain focused on our goals when we have a certain sense of routine in our lives. And research has also shown that students benefit from structure and routine. However, there is of course a downside to cycles and routine - we can fall into a rut and become incredibly bored and possibly stagnant. So as a teacher, it is important to strike a balance between structured routine and a sense of excitement and adventure. It's important to find a way to shake things up and keep things fresh while still maintaining a familiar sequence of events for our students.

Let's talk about the "ebbing and flowing" aspect of this card. I think sometimes people mistake this card for meaning that things just happen to us and it is out of control and we just have to deal with it. The end. But I think it is much more complex than that. First of all, if you subscribe to the idea of "the law of attraction" as I do, then you will believe that our thoughts have the power to manifest and that we are therefore in control of the things that happen to us. This can be incredibly empowering, but also frightening. Sure it's great to know that we have the power to make things happen in our lives by first thinking of them and then working towards them. But what about when something bad happens to us? Does that mean we did it to ourselves? This can wrack us with guilt and shame! But on the flip side, I still think this is better than having a fatalistic attitude in which people believe that everything is just happening to them and that they have no control about what transpires in their lives. With that, you just end up feeling lucky when things go right and unlucky when things go wrong and you ultimately lack any personal responsibility or accountability for your own present situation as well as your future situation. But I feel the Wheel of Fortune has a lot to teach us about how to look at the things that are outside the locus of our control.

Leaving philosophies of fate out of the equation, we can all agree that we all have moments in our lives where everything is going fine and then out of the blue something just happens - an illness, a death, a loss of employment, an earthquake, etc. The Wheel of Fortune would suggest that even though things may just happen to us - for good or for bad - we do have control of how we react to them. We also have the responsibility to work with the universe and never just accept what happens to us. We are co-creators with the universe and it is important to remember that we always have choices.

Getting off track for a moment, this relates perfectly to how I view Tarot. I always tell my clients that even if you do a past-present-future spread, nothing is ever set in stone. The cards only show you the best probable outcome for your situation based on the facts at hand. But if you don't like what you have been shown, you can always strive to change those outcomes. This is what the Wheel of Fortune is all about.

So how is this wisdom helpful to us teachers? Teachers are wonderful at manifestation. We plan, we gather our tools, and we execute those plans. But sometimes things can jump in our paths - a snow day, a student has an unexpected illness or accident, or students don't respond to a lesson they way we would have liked. Instead of throwing our hands up in the air in defeat, we always have to keep moving forward. We may not be able to solve the problem to our complete satisfaction, but we can do the best with what we have to deal with the situation.

The Wheel of Fortune is asking us to enjoy the ride with all of its ups and downs. How can we get in alignment with this card? We can practice gratitude in our daily lives whether things are going well or not. We can also decide whether we want to just ride the waves when the seas are stormy and just wait and see what will happen or we can swim against the tide and fight for what we want no matter what obstacles are standing in our way. Ultimately, we have choices and that is the main thing this card wants us to remember.

So the next post will feature a spread looking at what areas of our teaching we can relinquish some control over and what areas we need to take more control of. I hope you enjoyed this post and I apologize if I rambled for a bit. This card is incredibly rich and complex. It is a card I know I will be working towards fully understanding for the rest of my life.

I would love for you to share your perspective on this card. Thank you!

All my best,

Amy