I have been thinking about how I want to start this upcoming school year with my students. What systems and structures should I be making to ensure they are retaining material? How can I greet them every time before my class? What does that energy look and feel like for me and for them? All of these questions have been pondering in my head amongst the million other things I have to think about and take into consideration. For a minute I was beginning to feel myself become overwhelmed but I had to pause and remind myself to just shake it off. I am sure many of you have heard someone use terminology like this before quite often. But it was in this exact moment I realized how much more I needed to be shaking off of me. The voices of doubt, worry, over thinking, and any distractions that was not serving my purpose or destiny. This method of shaking off began to serve as a reset before entering a space or environment.
When I teach my Kindergarten students we have this song and it goes like this, “ We’re gonna shake, we’re gonna shake, we’re gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake, shake it off.”
We tend to do this when we ever need a little wiggle break or a moment just to be silly and express ourselves. Every time after they finish they always feel much better and their attention span increases significantly. Imagine if we as adults took that time to shake it off, reassess and move accordingly in a way that was full of positivity and support. I would like to believe that the overall outcome would be rather successful and filled with results. There are times in life when hard things happen back, to back, to back. It can begin to feel like you never can catch a break. There are plenty of times I have experienced this moment and I always have to remember to take a deep breath (inhale, exhale) and reset myself to keep taking those steps to continue.
When words are spoken or thoughts begin to roam we have to keep in mind our shake it off mentality. We can have our moments but we must always remember to keep moving forward afterwards. At no point should it begin to turn into a movement that keeps us away from reaching the ultimate end goal which can vary for many. But in the end it should be putting our best foot forward and our best self, despite the odds we may be facing.
Alright that is it for the, “Shake It Off Part 1 Series,” tune in next week for the Part 2.
Until Next Time,
Forever in Faith. Forever in Motion.
Faith Joy Mondesire