My last reflection focused on the topic of intention and how I experience intention in my life.  After watching the video, Cipher in the Snow and reading the book 601 Maple Street, I can see how intention has a life changing impact on students that I work with day to day.  These intentions can be both positive and negative.

Of course, it is easy for me to have positive intentions, which begin as thoughts, with kids I connect with from the heart.  These are the students that are easy to show my principles from my Children’s Principles of Learning.  I can easily be welcoming and caring, provide open communication, as well as having high expectations for their learning.  I find it effortless giving these students encouragement rather than praise.  My intentions are well know where they are concerned.  Overall, these students know that I care about them and I will look out for their best interests.

The thoughts that quickly pop into my head and are very uncomfortable for me are the negative ones.  These thoughts send out vibes or intentions that do not value the core of the student.  In the movie, there were many comments and thoughts that were negative about the boy who died.  Although they seemed exaggerated, I found myself relating to them.  I have had the same thoughts that I have verbalize about students that I don’t connect with from the heart.  Just this past week, I found myself talking about students similarly to the staff in the movie.  While watching it, I was absolutely floored by what they were saying.  Yet, I am guilty too.  I need to become aware of these thoughts, stop them, and change my thinking.  Eventually, my thoughts would become positive, leading to positive intentions; the ones I call my core teaching principles.  Thus, these students do not know that I care about them.  I need to focus on my future intentions so I will look out for their best interests as well.