There is Always a Beginning

My podcast and website are born of my reading, writing, and wonderings as an educator, and more importantly, as a lifelong learner. I guess you could say that I am devoted ( okay maybe obsessed)  to expanding my knowledge of educational practice, policy, and strategies. 

I hope to create a community where others will find thoughtful ideas about not only education, but the world around us. Let’s face it...everyday is a new experience and there is always something to learn, pathways to blaze, and friends to make along the way. 

Let me share a bit about myself. I am a mom of two wonderful young adults, and an elementary educator. I am a National Board Certified Teacher and a National Board for Professional Teaching Standards Learning Facilitator. I read and review professional texts, and I am a writer of all things education. 

 “Mindful Teaching Moments” brings out what I think is crucial in education, or any area of life today- being mindful.  Mindfulness guides us in our daily lives. It is the awareness of our thoughts and situations. Think about the way mindfulness is used, such as in meditation. In meditation we gain clarity by focusing on the present, allowing our thoughts and feelings to come to the forefront of our mind, hopefully  in a non-judgemental manner. 

If we can apply that clarity to our thoughts and ideas it can  lead us to new experiences, practices, and ways to help our practice in the classroom, as well as build our own personal knowledge.

My own action research on this topic has guided me to read books, research facts, and delve deeper into my own thoughts. What I’ve found is, while the numbers vary and the research is generally debated,  an average person has 12,000 to 60,000 thoughts per day-  and according to the National Science Foundation a few years ago, with statistics of 80% being negative, and 95% being repetitive. I’m hoping that the 20% that must be positive can find a way to the top and become repetitive thoughts. 

I look back in amazement at how quickly educators had to create digital classrooms and leave behind the “known” and jump into the “unknown” with no time to spare. Wow! I can imagine I probably did have thousands of thoughts running through my mind on a daily basis. But I learned, I grew, I found new knowledge, and I know I’m not alone in this. That has propelled me  in the worst of times into, what I believe is truly a 21st century teaching mode- the world of the cloud- digital lessons- teaching virtually, recording, and all the while having teachable moments that have pushed me into thinking deeper about my practice. These are mindful teaching moments. 

Here is my take- the more mindful I am, the more opportunities I have to grow. What I  don’t know today can lead me to new knowledge tomorrow. I guess it’s the old saying of “What you don’t know, you don’t know.” But the potential to learn so much is there- wonder is a great stepping stone. 

In my podcast I want to continue to wonder and explore teaching ideas, practices, policy, strategies, resources, technology, and the day to day experiences that create mindful teaching moments.  

From my experiences and my own moments of “wonder” this new adventure has been born.  There is so much to share, to think about, and to learn. This is where our thoughts, whether they are casual or deep thinking moments, can lead to moments of personal growth and new practices.   I will share my growth, my ideas, my thoughts, and so much more. 

Do you have something you’d like to share? I’d love to “chat” with you on a future episode.  kathleenpalmieri.com. Where you'll find not only my contact information, but so much more. My website is a work in progress, but then again, so am I. 

I'm really looking forward to sharing more mindful teaching moments with you.