Quick Tip ¨B¨: Remember to Breathe
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Being back in the mountains in my little Mexican village has reminded me of another important teaching technique I learned in my first years in the classroom: Breathe!
When I arrived at my cabin, solita, I had a lot of unpleasant things to deal with… moldy mattresses, blankets that needed to take baths, an injured kitty cat. And after a visit to the United States, everything in my little cabin seemed more than a trifle dirty in comparison. My first reaction was, of course, frustration. But because of a certain amount of practice in much more pressing situations in the classroom, I was quickly able to detach and tell myself to breathe.
My kids knew that when I said, ¨Excuse me, but I am breathing right now,¨ that meant that they better sit tight and do a little inhaling themselves because whatever had triggered my need for deep breaths was still looming large within my lungs, being swathed in oxygen in order to calm down.
It seems to be a very non-threatening response to an angering situation, and my students got the point quickly. I taught them (just like most teachers will do when dealing with certain babes and behavior problems) that before you react to anything in anger, you need to take 10 breaths. My modeling it in front of the classroom killed two birds with one stone: first, it reinforced the actions that they should take when they get angry, and secondly, my deep breaths signaled that something very bad had happened, that the situation would receive attention very soon, but that attention would be given only after a pause to calm down.
I did the same thing when I stepped into my cabin on the afternoon of my arrival, and it has made a world of difference in my perspective on things. The next time a child upsets you to a point near anger, step back, detach from the situation, and breath. Make it obvious that you are breathing, maybe even tell him or her that you need a little time to do so, and see the reactions that you get. They will be scared crapless. That statement: ¨Excuse me, but I am breathing right now¨, is more effective than any amazingly evil condemning teacher look you could ever muster.
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