The Flow of Energy

I've been sensitive to energy for as long as I can remember. Things feel a certain way right off the bat--comfortable, chaotic, eerie, relaxing, intense or whatever. The cause isn't always obvious, but I definitely pick up the vibes of people, places and things. Not just the things themselves but their placement and synergy.
We're in a new home, a new campus just thrown together in the last year specifically for us--fourteen teachers another eight staff and three hundred students.

I'm in a new classroom. Over the years, I've moved into several new classrooms. Such a small school as ours is picked up and moved a bit too conveniently. The expectation is that our school has finally landed a semi-permanent home which is a step up from the temporary varieties we've shuffled in and out of over the last eight years.

With each new classroom is a new opportunity to create an idyllic space. Idyllic is different for every teacher. For me, it includes clouds and Caribbean scenes blending into the posted visual aids, announcements, maps and message posters. I've even put up clouds filtering florescent lights.

With each new classroom there is a new challenge to create a space where energy flows. Shamelessly, I'll admit that not only do I consult feng shui principles, but I rely most heavily on Feng Shui for Dummies. May sound a little cheesy, but it seems to enhance my sense of peace.

Sometimes it seems a little silly to spend so much time adhering to principles I don't claim to fully understand or believe. Yet, being sensitive to energy, I have found that using the tips and hints helps me find my sweet spot.

Where on earth is the best position for my desk. Not in front of the air conditioner vent. Not too close to the many student computer drops and all their electromagnetic emissions. Certainly not directly in the path of the doorway nor in any position that doesn't give me direct sight to the door. My back can't be toward the students or a large looming window. And that's just the desk.


After more than six days setting up bookcases, computers, odds, ends, media and so on, I found it, my sweet spot.

I know I've found it when I glance around the room with a few nods of satisfaction followed by a deep, lingering inhale and exhale. Bliss! The energy flows.

When my wooden desk, the students desks, posters, bookcases, computers, microwave, refrigerator, videos, crystals, coat rack, bulletin board and every little thing are placed just so, I sense energy flowing circularly through the room at a gentle, steady pace.

At 2:20pm, I felt that. At 2:22pm, I went to the office to pick up my classroom keys for the next school year. It was now MY room.

Tomorrow the students arrive. It'll still be MY room. I'll welcome them into OUR oasis of discovery and conversation.

Just figured out why I love teaching.

The flow of energy in my classroom is an invisible animate creature that coaxes the best out of me and my students.

All day I have the pleasure of dancing with energy. Each class, each unique combination of students assembled creates their own harmony of voices, thoughts, blues, bliss and hues. I move in and out of their concerns, their interests, their needs and their potential.

The flow of energy inspires bliss...daily.