Observations vs. Thoughts

In our Nonviolent Communication lessons, we are working on Power 5: The Power to Observe (see The No-Fault Classroom / The Alien Lessons post).

We are training ourselves to make completely neutral observations... as opposed to thoughts, which also include judgments and interpretations. Beginning with observation is the first step in resolving a conflict using NVC.

Today's lesson was "Train Yourself to See & Hear Like a Video Camera." We watched a short clip and practiced making ONLY observations about what we saw and heard. Can you do it? It's harder than it sounds!

The children enjoyed this exercise so much that I told them we could play this game tomorrow as well.

Monday Jan 22

Green Acres, season 1, episode 2 (6:12-7:37)
available on Amazon Prime
from "Are we always going to come in the house this way?"
to "I'll fix it... whatever it is."

Tuesday Jan 23

Reading Rainbow, "Owen" episode (8:42-10:09)
available on Amazon Prime
from "This is my Super Duper X-ray Shield!"
to "Thank you, LeVar."

We are doing these NVC lessons alongside learning about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (as part of our Jan/Feb artist study of Faith Ringgold). It's very powerful for the children to see how nonviolent protests can be impactful. We have learned about the Memphis Sanitation Strike in Tennessee, the Greensboro Sit-In in North Carolina, and the Children's March in Alabama.

Memphis, Martin, and the Mountaintop:
The Sanitation Strike of 1968
by Alice Faye Duncan

Sit-In:
How Four Friends Stood Up by Sitting Down
by Andrea Davis Pinkney

Let the Children March
by Monica Clark-Robinson

The Youngest Marcher:
The Story of Audrey Faye Hendricks, a Young Civil Rights Activist
by Cynthia Levinson

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