Symposium Paper:

The Power of Being Gentle

Sam Sawtschuk
January 12, 2018
 I describe my voice as soft, warm, clear, and calm. I speak to my students gently. When

I speak, my students become still, their shoulders and faces relax, and they lean in to listen.

Through my experience in the classroom, I have become increasingly aware of the power of my

voice.

I internalized stereotypes about how effective and engaging male teachers utilize their

voices as tools in classroom management. I anticipated that in the quest for finding my footing in

the role of classroom teacher, I would need to transform my voice into a booming force, harsher,

louder, and deeper. Yet, as mindfulness is foundational to the work I do with children, I know

from experience that gentle, calm tones of voice soothe excitability, anxiety, and stress. So,

despite the pressure I felt to access a less soft, more traditionally masculine presence in the

classroom, I decided to trust my intuition, and be gentle.

Only a small percentage of the brain processes the words we use within verbal

communication; paralanguage is what is known as the nonverbal parts of speech. The volume

of my voice, the pitch, rhythm, intonation and many other elements are what my students will

interpret the most meaning from while I am speaking. They may not consciously process those

meanings, but their feelings of safety and trust depend on this nonverbal communication.

I am invested in the healthy social, emotional, and neurological development of children.

Nonverbally, I intentionally communicate confident, calm, and consistent stability in my

leadership. Modeling attuned kindness and thoughtful behavior has been a result of the

mindfulness practice I engage with. My mindfulness practice has informed many of my

classroom management strategies, including my use of voice. I engage my students in mindful

listening when I speak softly, gently, and calmly, strengthening crucial parts of their developing

brains.

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 In my practice, I understand mindfulness as a mental state achieved by focusing

awareness on the present moment, non-judgmentally acknowledging feelings, thoughts, and

bodily sensations. Mindfulness practices can train our minds to become consciously aware of

our inner and outer experiences, and can help us understand and manage our emotions.

Through my commitment to lifelong learning, I work to be mindfully present in each

moment that I am working with children. I learn that every behavior a child exhibits is a form of

communication; children need to feel seen and heard, and to have their needs acknowledged

and met with care.

In my classroom, specifically during transitions, the volume and energy of the students

was high. Creatively and nonverbally, I gained their attention through clapping a rhythmic

pattern, to which they replicate the pattern exactly, in unison. Next, I pause, scanning the room

and meet each of their eyes with warmth and a smile. I speak softly, in a volume slightly lower

than an average speaking volume, they use focus and control to pay attention, they become still

and quiet, leaning in towards where I’m standing. I am concise while delivering my instructions

for our next activity, regulating the energy of the room with my volume, tone, and pace of

speaking. I speak slowly, using pauses, allowing them time to process what I’m saying. I use

facial expressions to incite wonder, curiosity, and excitement. They are careful to listen to my

instructions, as they know it is likely I will not repeat them; they know I trust that they are

responsible and capable learners.

Using my voice carefully and intentionally through volume, tone, and pace of speaking, I

engage students in mindful listening. Students listen mindfully as they choose which sounds in

the room to focus their attention on. Through practicing mindful listening, students train their

brains to concentrate on specific sounds, heightening their sensory awareness, building their

self-awareness and self-management skills.

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 The reticular formation, also called reticular activating system (RAS) lies within the core

of the brain stem, and helps regulate many basic body functions. The RAS connects the

brainstem to the prefrontal cortex and other parts of the brain. Sensory stimuli are sorted and

screened by the RAS, irrelevant stimuli is blocked from the conscious brain. Students are often

bombarded with many different kinds of stimuli in classrooms, and training the RAS through

mindful listening will strengthen students’ skills in focusing their attention on instructions, work,

and social cues.

Mindful listening lays groundwork for social awareness and effective communication;

preparing students for following directions, resolving conflicts through discussion, building

relationships, and listening critically to media messages.

Speaking gently, softly, and kindly to my students helps calm tensions, anxiety, and

stress. Nonverbally, I communicate that I care for and respect them, and in turn I help ensure

their feelings of safety in our classroom. When they feel safe, they are more receptive and ready

to learn. I deliver my instructions, aware that they are likely absorbing more information from my

paralanguage, than from the words I use while speaking. Students lean in, they focus,

exercising their RAS, filtering out distractions, engaged in what is coming next.

Part of what motivates my work in being a mindful educator, is that I hope to help

dissolve deep-rooted understandings that masculinity and being gentle are intrinsically at odds.

There are many benefits to practicing mindfulness, personally and professionally. Mindfulness

has broadened my awareness to the multiplicity of benefits in being gentle, with my students,

with my colleagues, and myself.

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Resources

The Hawn Foundation. (2011). ​The MindUp Curriculum: Grades 3-5: Brain Focused Strategies
for Learning and Living.​ New York, NY: Scholastic Inc.

Mind Your Brain Inc., and Bryson Creative Productions, Inc. (2011). ​The Whole-Brain Child.
New York, NY: Bantam Books.

Jennings, P. A. (2015). ​Mindfulness for Teachers: Simple Skills for Peace and Productivity in the
Classroom. ​New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.