• Victoria Lentfer

Guiding From Your Gut

I tell my pre-service students they are on the brink of becoming confident teachers when they are not thinking about their decisions while they deliver their lessons. This is especially true when you have to redirect behavior. You are confident when you question yourself less and begin to respond more to that voice in your head. It is when you are doing less thinking and more listening. Listening to that gentle whisper. Some call it instinct. Some call it intuition. I call it Guiding From the Gut. Let's take a look at some characteristics and strategies.

Being Prepared

You take the time to prepare your lessons. Your assessments match your objective. Your learning strategies are aligned with the target learning goal. Your materials are in order, and you have carefully considered all the needs of your students.

Stop Thinking & Start Being in the Moment

When you're in the moment, you are immersed within your lesson, and all distractions are put aside. You're not thinking about the meeting you need to go to during your plan time, you're not worried about the class you taught last hour, and you're not thinking about what might be going on with your life outside the classroom. You are in the present, connecting with your students with no thoughts in the past or future. If you notice yourself beginning to think in the past or future, consider taking a deep breath and say to yourself - all is going well right here, right now. Remember, you only have now. The past is history, the future is a mystery, and the present is a gift.

You Are Not Caring About What Other People Think

When you're not caring about what other people think, your mind is free of negative self-talk. Once your thoughts begin to create a negative, imagined story, you begin to judge and second-guess yourself. We judge ourselves based on how we feel about ourselves. If you feel inadequate, you can bet the story is not going to go in your favor. If you are not prepared or worried about things outside the classroom, this will allow the judge in your head to prevail and your mind will create a story of destruction.

A quick strategy you can implement is to repeat the mantra - Everything is Working Out Perfectly For Me. This mantra will immediately impact your stress level and put you back into the moment.

Get In The Flow

This is when you can Guide From the Gut. You are prepared, so you are confident in what you are teaching. You are in the moment; you are not thinking about the past or the future. You are fully present, and you are not caring about what people think. You are not judging your thoughts; the story in your head is filled with uplifting thoughts. Now you are in a state of mind where you can receive and hear your inner voice. You act without thought. Athletes and actors talk at great length about being in the flow. You almost feel like your feet are floating, you lose track of time, and your energy is a good balance of calm and elation. When you are in this state, you will describe your day using fun and love words. Also, you will have a huge smile, and your eyes will sparkle as you retell your day of teaching.

Let me know your thoughts. I have had some great responses from past articles. Thank you for reading and responding. I appreciate you! Keep doing great work! :)

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