LIFE… with Elsa

Why are educators emotionally drained?
Aside from all the admin, after school activities and marking books, there is an emotional side to being a teacher. Each one of us has a mirror on our chest. On this mirror, we carry all our beliefs and perceptions. We constantly mirror/reflect those beliefs and perceptions in each other leading to conflict, misunderstanding, trauma etc. The mirroring/reflection can also have a positive outcome, hence some people become very good friends. If you are an educator with 15-50 students in your classroom, you are bound to reflect something in your students and them in you.

What does mirroring and reflecting mean?
When someone does/says something that upsets/annoys/frustrates you, it is because they reflect something in you.
Example; Lucy is always late for Mr Ruter’s class. He is furious every time and scolds her. There is something in Lucy’s mind that makes her late for every one of Mr Ruter’s classes. Mr Ruter then takes it personally and might feel she doesn’t have respect for his time. When Mr Ruter is able to stay calm and realise that there is something else that makes Lucy late, he will actually access a different part of his mind that allows him to have a different approach to Lucy’s behaviour.
Most of us thought that students are just being rude / disrespectful or act like teenagers when in fact, it goes much deeper. Reflections are usually/mainly from perceptions. Do you understand then that Educators need to deal with much more than what was ever mentioned or expected?

How can Educators then help themselves to get rid of the reflections? Good news: When we control our perceptions, we control the reflections.
This is how:
Step 1: Write all your perceptions down about;
– Yourself as an educator
– Your classroom
– Your students and their abilities
Step 2: Find the perceptions that might have a negative impact on yourself and your students.
Step 3: Find the belief / root / thinking pattern behind those perceptions.
Step 4: Change them with what it is you want by visualising the difference between the new line of thought and the old perception.
Does it sounds complicated / Too difficult / or are you struggling? If so contact your expert Master NLP Practitioner, Elsa Cronje.

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