It is the midway point in most classrooms and schools. It is a natural time for educators to pause and take stock. The pause can often feel like what is known as, “the slump”. The daily grind of working to make a difference can take on a heaviness and your bag of tricks is getting lighter.

Your students may also be experiencing the mid-year slump and if they are seniors they may be looking to pack it in. Things may not be looking good. Hopes and dreams may begin to fade and are replaced with gnawing feelings of inadequacy, ineffectiveness, and resignation.

Slumps happen all the time. Baseball players get them. Real estate and insurance agents have them. Restaurants and businesses go through them. If you fear you or those you serve are in one, you are not alone. There are ways out and I want to share a process that you can use now to get you back in the game.

The first step is to notice that you are in one! Give yourself some credit for acknowledging that you or your students/colleagues/co-workers are victims of a slump. Naming what is troubling you is the beginning of doing something about it.

Next, you will want to get some perspective on your situation. It just so happens that the matrix works like a charm to get perspective AND bust up slumps. It was built for anyone who gets stuck. So get out a piece of paper and draw this:

In the lower right, jot down who is important to you. Extra points if you also jot down what is important to you. Take your time. When you have your list take a moment to notice how you feel looking at you important stuff and let it sink in.

In the lower left, jot down the “S” word ( that would be “slump” for you creative or impulsive types). Now add whatever shows up in your mind that shows up along with the slump. Take a good look at that yucky stuff and notice how that feels.

In the upper left, jot down your favorite thing you do to get away from all of that yucky stuff down below ( complain, avoid, check your texts, leave, exercise ). Notice that your yucky stuff is still there and has not gone away.

Finally, in the upper right, record what you would want to be doing if that dastardly slump and yucky stuff weren’t messing things up for you. You would do these things to move toward your important people and things that are still there, waiting for you to show up.

Congratulations! You have given yourself a slump-busting road map. Now you want to go and try a few of those toward moves. You may also throw in a few of those away move too, just for fun. Notice how your toward and away moves are working to help you move past your slump and toward who and what matters to you.

The Challenge: Do a matrix everyday and notice what happens.

You can watch a brief video on other keys to improving school performance, and get a copy of my free rapid action plan by clicking here.

How can you get students working together? How do you go about achieving common goals in a classroom, school or organization?

How do you get reluctant, discouraged or troubled learners on board and relating?

I am conducting two half day workshops on the Prosocial Matrix Communication Process (PMCP). The process is leading to great success and reducing stress with educators who are using it.

Day One will be spent teaching you how to establish a flexible point of view and practicing how to apply it for achievement, collaboration, and effective communication.

Allowing some time for you to take it to your setting and implement the process, we return on Day Two to practice, problem solve and use verbal aikido to defuse difficult interactions and relationships.

The two day combination will have you and your students discovering practical ways of learning together what works to get you where you want to go.

You will also be able to share this with your colleagues and help them discover a new and exciting perspective that changes relationships.

Here is the link to sign up:

http://njpsa.org/documents/pdf/MatrixModel-Dec2018.pdf

If you are reading this the chances are pretty good that you have recently been involved in a difficult conversation.

You know, the ones you would rather sit in a dentist’s chair to avoid?

Well, your life may get a little easier if you check out the link below.

In my latest webinar, I take on the task of defusing difficult people, matrix style. The matrix was built for difficult conversations and with a some practice you may just find yourself handling the difficult people in your life differently.

Welcome!

I am looking forward to presenting “The Mindful Path to Dealing with Difficult Students” September 14.

Here is the link that will take you to the workshop materials:

https://www.evolvingsolutions.co/

If others are interested in attending, here is the link to the registration.

https://www.coraservices.org/event/the-mindful-path-to-dealing-with-difficult-students/