Unbelieveably strenous week at work. The amount of work on my shoulders was bigger than I could really handle, but reportedly other teachers had a similar experience.
My work with some of the classes is certainly going forward, this is the outcome of work with targeted individuals. There's only one class that seems to be like a rock, being with them sometimes feels like visiting a lunatic asulym, no offence here, that's just how it feels.
On Wednesday I was so tired after work, that decided to go to bed at 8 pm and wake up at 3:30 to catch up with stuff, prepare for the day. I was already up at 1:30 am, my mind up in the associative thinking mode, impossible to switch it off, so after about an hour I decided to get up and get on with work. The keyword is acceptance. The day at work went really well and I was happy with all 4 of my lessons. I attribute it to the energy of effort that was available during the day. Not that I intend to carry on like that, but the lesson here is: accept and go with the flow.
Saturday went well, resting, AT lesson, letting go...
And on Sunday we had our fourth London Circle Meeting. Then in the 'on' mode, preparing for tomorrow.
Today, another week began. In the evening: The Movements.
I keep a daily correspondence with one special person in Poland. This is such a joy.
Monday, 9 November 2009
Tuesday, 3 November 2009
Spontaneity
A new aproach at work today: 20 minutes Sitting after the lessons in my classroom. The school space gave a particular flavour to this experience. Good - a spontaneous development in practice.
A moment of shifting perspective in the evening: first seeing tomorrow as the third day of the week at work, this week as the first one of this half term, this term as the first one in the year. And perhaps this year is a part of my longer work in this school... Having this larger overview dispersed the clouds of concerns and worries about tomorrow...
It gets dark early these days...
A moment of shifting perspective in the evening: first seeing tomorrow as the third day of the week at work, this week as the first one of this half term, this term as the first one in the year. And perhaps this year is a part of my longer work in this school... Having this larger overview dispersed the clouds of concerns and worries about tomorrow...
It gets dark early these days...
Monday, 2 November 2009
Just briefly
Very restful sleep last night. Partially thanks to the energy of the beginning of the commitment available - centres calm and still.
I noticed something today that is worth mentioning, I guess. The pressures of the day left my body tensed, and my mind in the associative mode. I came back home and did lie-down, which effectively helped to let go of tensions and imagination, inner commentaries actually ceased. With this transition in my personal state my view of the day has also changed. This state that got hold of me in the late morning coloured my experience in subjective and false shades. A view from 'a step back' perspective was different.
An intensive work on March Forward and Note Values exhausted my body tonight, in a good way. Good, my thinking centre 'sharpened'.
I noticed something today that is worth mentioning, I guess. The pressures of the day left my body tensed, and my mind in the associative mode. I came back home and did lie-down, which effectively helped to let go of tensions and imagination, inner commentaries actually ceased. With this transition in my personal state my view of the day has also changed. This state that got hold of me in the late morning coloured my experience in subjective and false shades. A view from 'a step back' perspective was different.
An intensive work on March Forward and Note Values exhausted my body tonight, in a good way. Good, my thinking centre 'sharpened'.
Sunday, 1 November 2009
Back in action
Back to London yesterday evening from my visit to Poland and Ukraine (from Saturday to Saturday). It was a good one. Although I didn't have many opportunities to rest physically, the most important thing is that I rebooted my poor brain, recharged my mental batteries and feel ready to keep going again. And this morning I caught up with sleep, very nice lie-in.
The excursion to Lviv in Ukraine was the highlight. The City resonated with me from the very moment of my arrival, almost like being at home.
A view of the city from Wysoki Zamek (High Castle)
Rynek Square:
St.Nicholas Church, the oldest place of Christian Worship in Lviv:
The Church in the village my mother's parents used to live:
A close up:
On the left:
On the right:
This is now Ukraine.
As my friend informed me, I left the city in high time. On the day after my departure Lviv was already in chaos, because of the dangerous flu virus. People wearing masks, the city has been quarantined etc. Hope it's not going to be too serious.
In Tychy: touch base with my family, and some friends in Tychy... also make new friends.
MM and MW informed me about next weekend's plans of the Polish Circle. Something is cooking...
Now another 7 weeks of work are ahead. I have a 40 days GC commitment to support me in this adventure, almost 6 weeks of work that provides a challenging context for practice. So, there are going to be several different adventures going on simultaneously, so to speak.
My aim is to begin and complete the day with quality and definition.What does it mean? How to recognize the presence of quality? How to introduce definition into act of beginning and completion?
Well, the answers to these have been introduced to me directly and indirectly in the past few years. However, I'm not going to take them for granted, but rather approach these question with a fresh and open mind, hopefully.
And something that keeps me informed, that keeps me going: A&A readings.
It's All Saints Day in Poland today.
The excursion to Lviv in Ukraine was the highlight. The City resonated with me from the very moment of my arrival, almost like being at home.
A view of the city from Wysoki Zamek (High Castle)
Rynek Square:
St.Nicholas Church, the oldest place of Christian Worship in Lviv:
The Church in the village my mother's parents used to live:
A close up:
On the left:
On the right:
This is now Ukraine.
As my friend informed me, I left the city in high time. On the day after my departure Lviv was already in chaos, because of the dangerous flu virus. People wearing masks, the city has been quarantined etc. Hope it's not going to be too serious.
In Tychy: touch base with my family, and some friends in Tychy... also make new friends.
MM and MW informed me about next weekend's plans of the Polish Circle. Something is cooking...
Now another 7 weeks of work are ahead. I have a 40 days GC commitment to support me in this adventure, almost 6 weeks of work that provides a challenging context for practice. So, there are going to be several different adventures going on simultaneously, so to speak.
My aim is to begin and complete the day with quality and definition.What does it mean? How to recognize the presence of quality? How to introduce definition into act of beginning and completion?
Well, the answers to these have been introduced to me directly and indirectly in the past few years. However, I'm not going to take them for granted, but rather approach these question with a fresh and open mind, hopefully.
And something that keeps me informed, that keeps me going: A&A readings.
It's All Saints Day in Poland today.
Sunday, 18 October 2009
And for something completely the same
In the morning:
Today I noticed a pattern in my pre-working days evenings. I kind of assume, that preparations for work are going to take me a lot of time, and I'm going to be late, and there won't be time for anything else... It doesn't have to be like this. This thinking pattern (old bad habit) is reflected in the way I schedule my work, and the way I go about it. In fact, that's where I noticed it.
For the first time I'm able to visualize the upcoming week at work, lesson by lesson. On Friday we have a training day, then an AT lesson, probably an evening out, and on Saturday I'm off to Poland.
A link to the London Guitar Circle website is now added on the right side of this page. It contains the reports from our meetings.
And now for something completely different - a bird:
Today I noticed a pattern in my pre-working days evenings. I kind of assume, that preparations for work are going to take me a lot of time, and I'm going to be late, and there won't be time for anything else... It doesn't have to be like this. This thinking pattern (old bad habit) is reflected in the way I schedule my work, and the way I go about it. In fact, that's where I noticed it.
For the first time I'm able to visualize the upcoming week at work, lesson by lesson. On Friday we have a training day, then an AT lesson, probably an evening out, and on Saturday I'm off to Poland.
A link to the London Guitar Circle website is now added on the right side of this page. It contains the reports from our meetings.
And now for something completely different - a bird:
Sunday, 11 October 2009
Forward
A good week, on several levels. For example...
On a practice level: a progress in establishing the framework for my personal practice at school. What I apply works for me, so I will keep doing it, reflecting on it, and refining it.
On a professional level: I had a formal lesson observation on Wednesday and has been given a positive feedback on it. All features of my lesson were given 'satisfactory' mark, with one 'good' which reportedly is a very good beginning in this very school. Some other teachers also gave me feedback on my progress and from this I gather that my contract is going to be extended after Christmas. Hurray!
A link to the Guitar Circle Journals website is now added on the right side of this page. This website was a response to the need of several GC students that wished to continue with this journalizing exercise after it completed on the GC website. Something has been completed, and than it was only self-initiative... On that website there are also links to external websites of certain individuals (including me) who keep sometimes more, sometimes less to the original exercise guidelines. I suppose it's like with various Guitar Circles (or clubs) around the world. Each develop into something different, a vehicle to serve different needs, in different contexts.
An AT lesson yesterday was a step forward. I was in a better shape than last week, so we were able to take the work further, insted of it being just a recovery measure. We worked with the chair, monkey stance and table turn.
Sunday so far has been very intensive. We had a 3rd meeting of Guitar Circle of London, followed by lunch together. Then a talk with Hernan in Kiel, and my parents in Tychy.
Last Sunday I thought that more regular posingts were impossible. I was wrong, at least in the last week. Now it's time to prepare for tomorrow...
-------
Sensitivity is personal, consciousness is impersonal.
Allowing hazard to carry us through life can lead to disaster.
On a practice level: a progress in establishing the framework for my personal practice at school. What I apply works for me, so I will keep doing it, reflecting on it, and refining it.
On a professional level: I had a formal lesson observation on Wednesday and has been given a positive feedback on it. All features of my lesson were given 'satisfactory' mark, with one 'good' which reportedly is a very good beginning in this very school. Some other teachers also gave me feedback on my progress and from this I gather that my contract is going to be extended after Christmas. Hurray!
A link to the Guitar Circle Journals website is now added on the right side of this page. This website was a response to the need of several GC students that wished to continue with this journalizing exercise after it completed on the GC website. Something has been completed, and than it was only self-initiative... On that website there are also links to external websites of certain individuals (including me) who keep sometimes more, sometimes less to the original exercise guidelines. I suppose it's like with various Guitar Circles (or clubs) around the world. Each develop into something different, a vehicle to serve different needs, in different contexts.
An AT lesson yesterday was a step forward. I was in a better shape than last week, so we were able to take the work further, insted of it being just a recovery measure. We worked with the chair, monkey stance and table turn.
Sunday so far has been very intensive. We had a 3rd meeting of Guitar Circle of London, followed by lunch together. Then a talk with Hernan in Kiel, and my parents in Tychy.
Last Sunday I thought that more regular posingts were impossible. I was wrong, at least in the last week. Now it's time to prepare for tomorrow...
-------
Sensitivity is personal, consciousness is impersonal.
Allowing hazard to carry us through life can lead to disaster.
Wednesday, 7 October 2009
Attraction
Yesterday was my best day in the school. I really enjoyed teaching 2 of my lessons, I got in the flow that reminded my of my work back in Poland. In the afternoon I have a meeting with parent. Before this I pause for a while, and assume my role. Sometimes I forget to do it.
And today a lack of sleep did hit me. Most of the lessons were a struggle, and students could sense it, of course. Some teachers tend to blame some situations and incidents on pupils, but to some degree, we attract situations with our personal state. Yes, the difference in my personal presence between yesterday and today was striking.
Yesterday had a strong flavour of the beginning of the beginning of the second part of first half of the term. Today I entered the middle of the beginning. What a rapid transition.
Today I noticed that I slowly regain my sense of humour in teaching environment, but not on this website.
And I happily continue to get the articles wrong. 'A', 'the', or no article at all? We don't use them in Polish language.
It's 20:48 and I don't have much energy. I think it's time for an AT lie-down.
A rainy day...
And today a lack of sleep did hit me. Most of the lessons were a struggle, and students could sense it, of course. Some teachers tend to blame some situations and incidents on pupils, but to some degree, we attract situations with our personal state. Yes, the difference in my personal presence between yesterday and today was striking.
Yesterday had a strong flavour of the beginning of the beginning of the second part of first half of the term. Today I entered the middle of the beginning. What a rapid transition.
Today I noticed that I slowly regain my sense of humour in teaching environment, but not on this website.
And I happily continue to get the articles wrong. 'A', 'the', or no article at all? We don't use them in Polish language.
It's 20:48 and I don't have much energy. I think it's time for an AT lie-down.
A rainy day...
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