Welcome to Monday’s memory Lane where I share a post from before we came to know each other.
What does feeling confident mean to you?… Feeling Confident is…
I wish you a day filled with love, particularly self love, the kind that gives you the courage to be comfortable in your own skin!
Le grà,
Mindfully Marie xx
Good morning Ireland!
Whether it’s one view or one hundred, your company is always welcome…
“Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter.”
https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/izaak_walton_147131?src=t_good_company
I wish you a day filled with good company; your own, and that of others!
Le grà,
Mindfully Marie xx
You can see I’m tiny but it doesn’t stop me…
Do what you can within the boundaries of your limitations… and then do a tiny bit more!
Le grà,
Socks & Marie xx
Creating a positive feeling between you and your students is a very basic building block for successful teaching. With a good rapport, even the most difficult students will bend to your will. Without it, even good kids will act out and play up. So how does one go about creating rapport with students? Use names. […]
via How to Create Rapport & Make Classroom Management Easy.. — Tea4Teacher
Another insightful post by ANNA J., which I just have to share because it’s not only relevant in the classroom but in every interaction in our daily lives! Did you pick up something new from it? I’d love to know…
With the benefit of experience and hindsight here are 6 warning signs to save you these painful pitfalls…
1. If you or your child are offered a solution from a teacher or principal saying, “sometimes you have to learn to stand up for yourself,” remember your child is not the only victim of bullying here, you are too. Don’t take it! It’s not a good enough solution!
2. If your child is starting to miss days from school and this is totally out of character for them be sure to listen to your intuition. Reflect on it. Seek advice and act on it. You might like to read Bullying & Beyond…17. Stand up, speak up!
3. If well meaning friends knock your intuition and fail to see your child’s mental health warning signs, please, don’t act on their advice to “drag them out of bed and kick them in the butt, straight into school.” You know your child better than any concerned friend. Your child is unable to voice their upset, they are showing you instead…see the signs!
4. If a teacher tells you at a parent teacher meeting that “sure we all say things” please read between the lines. They are not admitting the full truth of what was said and your child is too hurt to tell you. Please don’t hold back, immediately ask what they mean! Remind them that their words have the power to empower your child or the power to destroy your child’s last threads of confidence.
5. If your child is physically and psychologically assault and if they are offered the ‘wise’ advice by a principal to ‘build a high wall & put it all behind you’. Remember this experience is traumatic! It has denied your child the right to respect. Demand to see the school’s anti-bullying policy. Look for evidence of their bully free zone where high walls won’t be need.
5. If a person in authority says teachers will be more sympathetic say “I’d prefer empathy thank you,” children need a school that operates from a place of empathy not sympathy.
6. And finally, if you are told your child needs to be more resilient…stand your ground, look the advice giver in the eye, thank them for their suggestion but leave them in no doubt that your child has been too resilient for too long in an environment that has no obvious signs of safe boundaries or a bully free zone. And then ask them how resilient they’d be in the same environment!
Now you’re taking ownership, using your voice and making progress… to ree-create your life beyond bullying!
Has bullying affected you or your children? What painful pitfalls did you experience? What did you learn from it?
Le grà,
Mindfully Marie xx
May 12th was Fibromyalgia awareness day…
Welcome to my Fibromyalgia awareness day post… yes, a few days late! Why?
Simply because…
Fibromyalgia doesn’t play by the rules! It doesn’t respect you just because you plan to write a post for Fibromyalgia day…
Fibromyalgia is unpredictable and messes with your plans!
But, life still carried on and the world didn’t fall apart. So this is for all who live with Fibromyalgia as a companion …
Fibromyalgia is…
F athomless, it’s an
I illusive illness, that’s painful & perplex,
B oth ruthless and instructive,
R uins you
O r
M atures
Y ou,
A s it
L languishes or livens your soul;
G rab it to you, seek out its gifts
I nscribe your name on it, as you
A chieve your dreams & nothing less!
Le grà,
Mindfully Marie xx
Today I realise that the Universe has a plan for us all. The reason behind this realisation is because today…
I brought home the beautiful print created for me by Philip Abang. Philip asked to take my words and use them as part of his project. I am so greatful for the beauty he has brought to my words. You can read how it came about here
I’m not good at identifying and setting goals. I’m more a ‘trust the Universe’ and a ‘let it happen’ type of person.The Universe is taking my little steps and reflecting them and more back to me. When I shared my first blog post I couldn’t have imagined that blogging would bring me to a much more positive place. A place where I’ve written over 300 posts some of which are part of a series on bullying and its impact on us as a family, with a focus on recreating a better life beyond bullying.When I started out I never thought about what time and a little blogging could open up to me.Now I know I only have to keep blogging, keep sharing and encouraging… the Universe will bring about the rest.
Le grà,
Marie xx
Today a father and his little son were walking along a quiet street approaching a corner. The little boy, about three years old, made a dash away from his father towards the corner of the street. We were driving towards the same corner. My husband had already anticipated the possibilities and slowed down, well below the speed limit.
I saw the father of the little boy suddenly react. He ran a few steps and grabbed his son by the arm, just at the edge of the path. He aggressively jerked his son’s little arm a number of times, loudly chastising him as we drove past. I thought about how many times I had near misses when my children were young and I could hear my heart beating loudly in my ears.
This child had done something wrong, but he is a child and still learning. The mistake he made could have meant he was seriously injured or even worse, had he actually dashed off the street and onto the road in front of our car.
I thought about who needs to be corrected here. Nobody trains us to be parents. After fourteen years in school we leave without any training or qualification in childcare. But when a parent walks along a quiet street with a three year old child, and pays more attention to their phone screen than to their child, then it’s not the child that needs to be corrected!
So, if you have a near one with your child, think about who needs to learn from the experience and if you’re ready to jump in and chastise your child, think about what message you are giving them…
Instead, I encourage you to calm yourself. Kneel down to their height, hug them to you, tell them you love them. Then look them in the eye and tell them about the fright you got, talk about the rules of the road and about the danger of dashing off the path onto the road and then sit back and think…
Thank your lucky stars that you are still a parent…
and that you still have time to enhance your parenting skills…
because no matter how much attention you give your phone screen…
Google, Ecosia or any other search will not take away the heartbreak or show you how to bring your little son back to life.
Le grà,
Mindfully Marie xx
