Right Motivation
Noticing why we do things
Teacher Experience
A contemplative invitation for educators to reflect on before teaching.Taking time to really reflect, contemplate, and meditate is essential to gain insight into our own mental habits enough so we might glimpse our own—often mixed—motivations. Pausing to generate the intention to really benefit each student in whatever way they most need it and to avoid harming them in any way can be a powerful practice that guides us while we engage with them. What does it feel like when you catch yourself acting from irritation versus genuine care? Try starting one class this week by silently setting the intention: “May I truly benefit each student today.”
Student Experience
A contemplative invitation for students to connect with this learning goal.Before you help someone or do something nice, notice whether you’re feeling excited to help them or just wanting something for yourself.
Understanding
Students will understand...Having good intentions helps us make choices that feel good and make others happy too.
Action
Students are able to...Name simple intentions for daily activities and demonstrate kind actions; practice noticing how different intentions feel in your body (excited, calm, worried); and show caring intentions through helping others with awareness of how helping makes both people feel.
Content Knowledge
Students will know...Intention means the reason we do something. Every action we take starts with an intention in our mind. When we have kind intentions, like wanting to help someone or make them happy, our actions usually turn out better. When we have selfish intentions, like only thinking about ourselves, we might hurt others or feel bad about ourselves.
Good intentions include wanting to help, share, be kind, and make others happy. Not-so-good intentions include wanting to hurt someone, take things that aren’t ours, or only caring about ourselves. We can learn to notice our intentions and choose the kind ones.
The Buddha taught that checking our intentions before we act helps us make better choices. Even little children can practice having good intentions by thinking “I want to help” or “I want to be kind” before doing something.
Guiding Questions
Implementation Possibilities
Create intention circles where children share one kind thing they want to do using simple language like “I want to help.” Design body awareness activities where children notice physical sensations with helping versus selfish feelings. Use puppet shows or picture books demonstrating characters with different intentions. Create opportunities for helping throughout the day where children practice kind intentions. Practice daily heart-centered moments where children think about making others happy. Implement simple intention phrases like “May I be helpful.”
Assessment Ideas
Observe children’s ability to name their intentions during daily activities. Note children’s physical responses when discussing helping versus selfish motivations. Watch for caring behaviors that show understanding of helping others. Listen for children using intentional language like “I want to help” during play. Check for children’s awareness of how helping makes both people feel good.
