What I have learnt

The conference was amazing it was all about Maria Montessori's philosophy that if we give children the world, they will give us peace, and what we as Montessori teachers can do to guide children on this journey. Mind blowing!! Anyway one workshop was about Non Violent Communication - basically how we communitcate with each other and ourselves in a way that encourages expressing feelings openly and learning to empathise when others share with us. One major component of this is recognising that everybody has needs and these needs are basically the same for everyone ie: love, acceptance, peace, companionship, knowledge, learning, food, water, being listened to - you get the picture, and conflict arises when someone does not feel a need is being met. Basically if we listen to each other empathitically and express our feelings and needs we will find it easier to negoitate a solution in which everyone is having their needs met to some degree. If a person feels their needs are being acknowledged they are less likely to want to fight back. Now this is when my little light bulb went off ....... The same applies when listening and talking to yourself - how many times do we really truly think about what we need before we react, the classic example for me would be the eating when really the need is for rest or love or someone to just listen. Because I am not really truly asking my body what it needs I am not fulfilling the need and thus ending up on a never ending cycle until the need is met. So aha! The light bulb clicked and I am making it my goal for the week to ask not only myself but others around me what they are needing and trying to work to fulfil that specific need, hey if we all tried a little more listening and less assuming wouldn't we all be in a more content place. (don't you just love the way conferences give you the warm fuzzies!!)