“But truly, one of the most fertile causes of an overdone brain is a failure in the habit of attention.” Mason Vol. 1, p. 146
If the Jeopardy answer was “The Victorian equivalent of modern mental burnout”, the answer in the form of a question would be “What is the ‘overdone brain’?” Though this is language we might not use anymore, it’s a concept we know all too well. And Mason, ahead of her time per usual, tells us that the problem most often stems from a failure of the habit of attention.
In this workshop, we’ll be unpacking those same ideas as they relate to the unique role we as educators play in the formation of this habit of attention. Mason tells us that “it is not the things we do, but the things we fail to do, which fatigue us, with the sense of omission, with the worry of hurry in overtaking our tasks.” (vol. 1, p 146). Let us courageously examine and even cull the multitude of “things we fail to do” that we might find rest and peace for our overdone brains.
Profetie van Agabus, Jacob Folkema, after Houbraken, 1702 – 1767 (Public Domain)
RESOURCES:
Picture Study – Profetie van Agabus, Jacob Folkema, after Houbraken, 1702 – 1767 (Public Domain)
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