Hearts and Minds Matter

With the amount of stress and challenges that I am hearing I am going post about the power of mindfulness over the next few days. I have had over 30 years of mindfulness practice and it certainly served me well during my days as a classroom teacher and now I teach it to my teacher candidates.

Mindfulness can be transformative for teachers who face high levels of stress. By cultivating a practice of mindfulness, teachers can learn to manage their emotional responses and reduce stress, even amidst the demands of their classrooms. Mindfulness encourages presence in the moment, allowing teachers to become aware of their thoughts and emotions without judgment. This awareness can help them recognize when they’re becoming overwhelmed or reactive and take a step back to center themselves.

A mindful approach also helps teachers create a buffer between themselves and stressful situations, fostering emotional resilience. By using breathing techniques or brief meditation exercises during the day, teachers can calm their nervous systems, regain clarity, and approach challenges from a place of calm and composure. Research shows that regular mindfulness practice can reduce anxiety, prevent burnout, and improve overall well-being. For teachers, this means they can sustain their passion for teaching while feeling more grounded and less drained, ultimately benefiting both themselves and their students.

I hope you will join me for this mindful journey so that you can be fully present in all areas of you life!

🌱 Starting Anew with Purpose and Passion!
After a year away, I’ve had the time to reflect and reimagine our path forward. It’s clearer than ever that this group is a vital space—a community we need to lift each other up and push forward together. With renewed energy and deepened purpose, I’m ready to bring my passion for teacher education back to life here. Let’s take this journey together, support each other, and soar to new heights. Here’s to new beginnings, shared inspiration, and the impact we can make as a united community. Let’s fly! 🦅✨

This activity is fun and can be used for many different teaching needs. Think outside the box!

Here's another valuable inclusion activity. Keep building inclusion as often as you can. You will be amazed at the difference it makes in your classroom.

Here's an activity to start them talking to each other so you can build inclusion! Note: with younger children you will brainstorm questions they can ask each other or do it with them.

Inclusion takes intention so that every student works with every student. It's never a good idea to let cliques form.

When I was a young teacher I felt like I missed the last few days of summer because I couldn't stop thinking about the first day of school. After many years of experience I know how important this tip is for preparing my mind, body, spirit for the year ahead.

Today I was working at a school and one of the teacher's shared this note with me. Be still my heart....how incredibly compassionate and thoughtful.

Can you imagine if we actually taught mutual respect instead of expecting it to just happen?

Listening is one of the most important skills we can develop in life. Let's start teaching it to our young people!

Variety is the spice of life! BE INTENTIONAL!

Trauma in classrooms is real! Please be cognizant of that fact as you may not know the extent of the trauma. I can help you become trauma-informed!