Becoming and Being
"Becoming and Being" was a project that embodied consistency, care, and dedicated efforts. It encompassed a series of carefully crafted structures and rituals designed to support the learning journey of 24 students in a 3rd-grade classroom. This initiative emerged from my Teach For India Fellowship experience, where my classroom served as a valuable testing ground for refining my teaching practices. The project yielded an impressive success rate of 88.89%. "Becoming and Being" played a pivotal role in my professional growth, providing me with profound insights into working within the social sector. Even today, it continues to inspire hope and deepen my understanding of the powerful connection between embodiment and education.
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Context
I was assigned to teach in a 3rd-grade classroom at an Urdu medium Public School located in Goripalya. The school catered to students up to the 8th grade and was situated amidst three butcher shops. The community from which my students hailed had experienced persistent social and economic stagnation for multiple generations, despite the school's establishment back in 1947. The community was plagued by violence and widespread poverty, which had become an accepted norm. Unfortunately, these beliefs and biases were also prevalent among the teachers at the school, hindering the students' educational progress. As my co-fellow and I grappled with this challenging context, we confronted the deep-rooted issues that needed to be addressed.
The students in our classroom came from a background of generational poverty. Generational poverty occurs in families where at least two generations have been born into poverty. Families living in this type of poverty are not equipped with the tools to move out of their situations.
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Something that stood out was that the children in my classroom responded primarily to violence and fear. They were coerced or motivated to comply with tasks and sit in their seats through threats to their physical safety. The use of violence or threat as a means of motivation was prevalent not only in the school but also in their homes. They lacked a sense of independence and security, carrying fear, anger, and resentment within them. These emotions were evident in their communication, behavior, and, most noticeably, in their frequent conflicts with one another. Emotional awareness was scarce among the students, and there was limited space for self-regulation and empathy towards others. Therefore, navigating these challenges became my top priority, even before addressing literacy and numeracy skills.
Method
The project initially took shape informally, with the practices and insights primarily limited to my own understanding and knowledge. However, it gradually evolved into a space for deeper exploration of the interconnectedness between the body, habits, and learning. Several practices were established to foster this exploration:
Art: Various forms of movement, visual art, music, and theatre were utilized to cultivate emotional awareness and regulation within the classroom. Activities such as free movement, therapeutic movement exercises, expressive visual art, body mapping, and musical engagements allowed students to reflect, express themselves, and find a centered state within the classroom.
Emotional charts and check-ins: During regular breaks, students were encouraged to refer to a homemade emotional chart to identify and acknowledge the emotions they were experiencing at that moment.
Visualization and meditation: Prior to each session, students were guided to visualize, meditate, and center themselves while listening to soothing music.
Games and creative play: Students were given dedicated time and space to engage in "play" with materials like clay, Jenga, Uno, and other puzzles. Through role-playing and imaginative exploration of these materials, they were able to relate their learning to real-life situations. Additionally, embodied games involving physical movement and running were employed to enhance the learning experience.
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Role-play and embodied pedagogies: Teaching tools such as role-play and embodied storytelling were integrated into lessons, allowing students to actively engage their bodies in the learning process.
Relationship-building: Many students had not experienced a relationship with an individual who respected their boundaries and empowered them in different ways. Therefore, trust-building activities, consistent follow-through on commitments, and co-regulation strategies were consistently employed to foster a sense of trust and safety within the classroom.
These practices collectively contributed to creating a learning environment that acknowledged the importance of the body, emotions, and relationships in the educational process.
Insight 1 : Anger, It’s expression and its transition
The students in my classroom exhibited extreme manifestations of anger, often resorting to violent or harmful expressions. Their rage permeated their personal communication and interpersonal interactions. To gain a deeper understanding of their relationship with anger and its expression, I referred to Spielberg, Krasner, and Solomon's study, which revealed that my students exhibited high levels of both trait anger and state anger.
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The project did yield some positive outcomes.
The frequency of fights in the classroom reduced, although the intensity of conflicts remained somewhat unchanged. However, students were able to engage in dialogue and postpone conflicts to some extent towards the end.
Furthermore, there was a noticeable reduction in the expression of irritation and anger, both in terms of trait anger and state anger. During emotional check-ins, students began to express their emotions on paper, externalizing their feelings towards me as a third person rather than directing them towards their peers.
They also learned to channel excessive energy through breath control and movement, utilizing sports and artistic activities as outlets to reduce the frequency of experiencing anger.
Insight 2Â :Â Slowing Down
During the initial months, the students consistently exhibited signs of agitation, indicating their persistent fight or flight response. However, as the project progressed, the students gradually learned to regulate their emotions, leading to an improvement in their ability to pay attention. This newfound focus extended to various aspects of their lives, including their academic work, relationships, and everyday habits. As a result, their cognitive abilities experienced a flourishing rate of growth.
The development of intentional and focused behaviors was particularly evident in their language and mathematical skills. These skills were no longer confined to mere literacy and numeracy; instead, the students were able to actively monitor their progress on a scale and set daily and weekly goals for themselves. This heightened level of self-awareness and goal setting contributed to their overall growth and created a sense of ownership over their own learning journey
Insight 3Â :Â Embodying myself
One profound insight I gained from this experience was the importance of my own presence and being in a state of flow as a teacher. I realized that by fully inhabiting myself and regulating my own emotions, I could positively influence the regulation of my students and the overall flow of our work together. When I was fully present and centered, the students were more responsive to my guidance and support. However, I also learned that when I allowed myself to be affected by their agitation and displacement, my own sense of self would diminish, impacting the classroom dynamic.
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It was a journey marked by intense emotions, characterized by moments of doubt, ruptures, mistrust, and frustration, intermittently met with care, belief, and consistency. This emotional rollercoaster compelled me to reflect deeply on the challenges of maintaining my own well-being and the potential of the approach, especially considering the risk of burning out within a system that may not fully support or value such efforts. These reflections prompted important considerations about my role as a teacher and the broader systemic changes needed to sustain effective and embodied pedagogical methods.
Insight 4:Â Quantified Impact
In addition to the qualitative and experiential changes observed, the project also yielded significant growth as measured by the rubric. Students who had regular attendance and a slightly more supportive environment demonstrated the highest levels of progress.
However, the unfortunate onset of the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted our work with these students, causing a drastic impact on their lives. I was unable to continue supporting them as planned, which left a sense of regret and grief surrounding the unfinished potential of the project. The emotional weight attached to this aspect of the project warrants further discussion and reflection.
