A few Christmases ago, my daughter-in-law Niki bought me a book. It was a small volume by the Vietnamese Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh entitled How to Walk. I thought the gift was cool, but it didn’t make a huge impression. It wasn’t like I immediately isolated myself and dove into its pages. Instead, it sat by my desk unopened until spring break. Then, one mellow morning when I wasn’t required to bolt out the door and make it to school before my bus duty, it caught my eye, and I casually opened it.

I was instantly intrigued because each page taught a lesson about walking mindfully. Each lesson was short—a couple of paragraphs. Each short narrative encouraged the reader to walk mindfully through one of life’s various challenges. I read a page and applied the directives that day. It was a joy! The next day, I read another page and applied it. That’s all it took. I was hooked. I was impressed with how little time it took to consume each page, but the directives were powerful and profoundly impacted me. I also loved the rough sketches that accompanied many of the narratives. I thought to myself, Wouldn’t it be cool to write a book like this? 

For the next five weeks, I’m going to try an experiment. My new book Teaching in Magenta was inspired by Niki’s gift. My book is divided into 5 sections based on qualities of magenta:

Compassion

Optimism

Balance

Adaptability

Contentment

I’m going to read 1 path from a different section each week. Today, I’ll focus on Path 57, which can be found in the section on Balance.

It’s important to emphasize that this book is short. It’s only 16,000 words. Each of the 100 paths is roughly 100 to 150 words. It’s meant to be consumed slowly. Just as I read How to Walk and then applied a lesson each day, you should allow this book to stretch out over a period of time, like a 9 weeks, or a semester.

Pardon the self-promotion, but I love this brief Amazon review posted by an elementary principal:

As an Elementary Principal, I am constantly trying to find new and unique ways to engage with my staff, parents, and students. Teaching in Magenta provides an abundance of ideas to help build relationships and focus on the most important aspects of being in education! I don’t have a lot of time to read so books that are straight to the point, thought provoking, and practical are my go to! This book is exactly that! I would recommend this book to not only educators but anyone who looking for strategies to build strong relationships with others!

So without further delay, here’s Path 57:

During a busy school day, do you ever feel like you’re swimming in people? Your classes are big, the halls are packed, the lunch room is a sea of humanity, and the parking lot is a bottleneck. And to top it off, you desperately have to use the facilities between periods, so you hustle down to the bathroom in the faculty lounge only to find it occupied, the door locked. You need a break! Teachers are givers, but how about today, for just one period, being a taker? Check to see if any student needs you during your planning period. If none do, close the door, turn out the lights, and meditate, or look at the internet, or watch stupid videos, or buy something on Amazon, and allow the world outside your door to evaporate.

I was always struck by the safety instructions on flights prior to takeoff. Passengers were instructed on what to do if the oxygen masks dropped from the ceiling. You were directed to put your mask on first before you helped your children. Wow! This goes against every parent’s nature, but you can’t save your kids if you suffocate. 

Teachers need to apply this analogy to their day. Think about it. You can’t help students if you’re a wreck. You simply must find balance and take care of yourself. A great way to do that is to schedule some personal enrichment time every day. I used to take a short nap during my planning period. That short snooze was pure bliss. I’m, in no way shape or form consider, a slacker. I give a lot to my school and my students. I’m entitled to a little Me Time. I always woke up energized ready to embrace my next class. My nap made me a better teacher. 

What do you do to maintain your sanity? Please don’t be embarrassed about this. Self care is essential.

I’d be interested to know how you grab some sanity during the day. To that end, a new collaboration community has been set up as a virtual agora. The Magenta Teacher Community is a place where you can share ideas and collaborate with fellow educators. Sure–you can respond to my prompts, but how about issuing some of your own, or better yet, create some brand new paths to Teaching in Magenta!

Teaching this year is going to be so much more challenging. Make certain to occasionally close that door and take care of yourself.

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