Stefanie Lachenauer, 2025 NJ State Teacher of the Year

15/03/2026

When young athletes' minds wander on game days their performance often plummets.

It’s why mindfulness matters.

We spoke with Stefanie Lachenauer, author of Let the Glitter Settle: Mindfulness for Teens, who shares some all-important tips for helping youth stay dialed into the present moment.

“This quality of paying attention is a skill that we can build,” she told us.

Check out our latest SportingKid feature for the insights she shared on building mindfulness: https://www.nays.org/mindfulness-helping-youth-focus-on-the-present-and-flourish

07/03/2026

When we all become multilingual educators, our classrooms become more inclusive and responsive spaces for every student.

Grateful to be part of the When We All Become Multilingual Educators event at alongside County and State Teachers of the Year, where current and future educators gathered to learn, collaborate, and strengthen practices that support multilingual learners across content areas.

I had the opportunity to open the event by speaking about the importance of trauma-sensitive practices in multilingual learning spaces. Our students do not arrive with directions or a full history of their experiences. When we treat behavior as communication and approach it with kindness and curiosity, we create classrooms where students feel safe, seen, and ready to learn.

When students feel safe and understood, learning becomes possible.

Thank you to Gillian Over, and Dr. Cathy Wong from Monmouth University for organizing such a meaningful event.

02/03/2026

Happy SEL Day!

What is Social and Emotional Learning (SEL)? It’s the foundation for building empathy, managing emotions, and achieving skills that help us all thrive. New Jersey is officially celebrating these essential life skills. Learn more: https://tinyurl.com/49tf5nnp

25/02/2026

This was such a joy to record! If you’re curious about bringing mindfulness into yoir classroom, this episode is for you!

Student focus and regulation are ongoing concerns in many classrooms. Mindfulness is often suggested as part of the solution—but what does it actually look like in practice? And how do you get students to genuinely buy in?

In this episode of How We Teach This, we speak with Stefanie Lachenauer, 2025 New Jersey State Teacher of the Year and author of Let the Glitter Settle, about how mindfulness can function as a structured classroom support—not a trend or add-on.

We discuss:
• What mindfulness is (and is not) in schools
• Practical examples across grade levels
• Common misconceptions
• How to build authentic student buy-in

If you’re evaluating strategies to support attention and emotional regulation in your classroom, this conversation offers grounded insight.

🎧 Listen now: https://linktr.ee/hwtt

20/02/2026

The past three months have been incredibly meaningful.

I had the privilege of leading professional learning with New Jersey’s 988 responders, exploring regulation, mindfulness, and the neuroscience of stress together. In a field that rarely slows down, we practiced doing exactly that.

There was something powerful about the collective pause. Breathing. Reflecting. Remembering that caring for the caregiver strengthens the care itself.

Supporting those who support others matters deeply to me. This work continues to shape how I show up in my classroom and beyond.

Grateful for the people who answer the hardest calls. Grateful to do work that helps the glitter settle. ✨

#988

13/02/2026

Thrilled to see the Hope Squad starting at UMS and so grateful to my incredible UMS colleagues and administration and Montgomery/Rocky Hill Municipal Alliance for making this possible! Mental health is health!

11/02/2026

On location at the NJEA Convention in Atlantic City, I'm joined by Nicholas Ferroni, Creator, Executive Producer, and Host of "Historically Correct" and Teacher at Union High School, to explore New Jersey’s crucial Revolutionary War landmarks and why their legacy still matters today.

Then, Senior One-on-One Correspondent Jacqui Tricarico speaks with Stefanie Lachenauer, 2025 NJ State Teacher of the Year and Author of "Let the Glitter Settle: Mindfulness for Teens," about bringing social-emotional learning into classrooms and the powerful impact of mindfulness on students and teachers alike.

Premiering tonight on One-on-One:
7pm and 11:30pm on NJ PBS; 12am on Thirteen WNET New York

09/02/2026

What a delight this visit was! I wish I had known about BookSmiles when I first began teaching!

This is teacher heaven! And the bonus for me is that it is an excellent place for students to participate in being a part of the change as well! Let’s keep books out of landfills and in the hands of kids!

Larry was the 2016-17 Teacher of the Year at his high school, around the time he started BookSmiles.

What a joy to be flanked by Stefanie Lachenauer, 2025 NJ State Teacher of the Year (left) and Gillian Ober, 2026 NJSTOY!

Here's what was discussed:
🔵High Free/Reduced Lunch Schools can have us provide great book-fair books!
🔵All new teachers need to know about us, to help them create classroom libraries.

Learn more on our website!
booksmiles.org

09/02/2026

07/02/2026

Check out this episode of One-on-One with Steve Adubato filmed at the 2025 NJEA Convention featuring two amazing educators.

🌟 Nick Ferroni is the creator, executive producer, and host of Historically Correct and a high school teacher. He discusses New Jersey’s crucial Revolutionary War landmarks and why their legacy still matters today.

🌟 Stefanie Lachenauer is the 2024-25 New Jersey State Teacher of the Year, author of Let the Glitter Settle: Mindfulness for Teens and a middle school teacher. She discusses bringing social-emotional learning into classrooms and the powerful impact of mindfulness on students and teachers.

Watch the episode using the link in the first comment. ⬇️