Ahem, well that wasn't the most mindful week that was I'm afraid to say...

I could make excuses but the fact is that we didn't do any mindfulness based activities.  I continued with my practice at home but not in school.

Does anyone have any advice for incorporating mindfulness into a daily routine?

So, as I haven't anything to add this week, I'd like to share some books I've been reading.  Not just the the bodice rippers or Stephen King...

The first one that really warmed the cockles of my heart was 'State Schools Since the 1950s: the good news' by Adrian Elliott.  As dry as this sounds, it really wasn't.  In fact it helped me realise that we teachers are doing a good job by previous standards and by our students.  This is not to belittle teachers from yesteryear but to say that there was not golden age.  If anything, we are in the golden age so far.  Yes, things could be better, but if we step back a generation or two, they were far worse.

If you want a vision of better education systems 'The Global Fourth Way: The Quest for Educational Excellence (Corwin, September 2012) is it.  I can't recommend this book highly enough to Michael Gove.  If anyone knows how to get him to read books, please send him a copy.  Perhaps he could learn it by heart...

Finally, and I just picked this one up the other day in our PPA room, 'How to talk so kids can learn at home and at school' is full of comic strips and easily applicable techniques for not praising children.  I try to do this anyway (not praising children!, just kidding).

Thank you for reading.  I will endeavour to do more mindfulness this week.