Happy Schools

**Free resources**
👋 Hi teachers,

🍃 Free meditation/mindfulness resources! https://lnkd.in/dUbDtxhN

🌬 Take 30-seconds to breathe with your students to help them regulate before your lesson! We have 3 different breathing videos to help you get your students relaxed and ready to learn!

📎 A great resource on mindfulness and breathing:
https://lnkd.in/egDHsws

Relaxation techniques: Breath control helps quell errant stress response - Harvard Health Relaxation techniques - such as deep breathing - can help control stress and the "fight or flight" response that can interfere with everyday life....

📢 Attention Educators!
🆓Free Growth Mindset resources and lessons for Grade 4 or 5

Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Resources are hard to come by...
At Happy Schools, we are working with educators to develop exciting curriculum to meet your SEL needs.

In the Google Classroom, you will find:
1. A 30-45 Minute lesson on Growth Mindset (It can be scaffolded into 3 x 10-15 minute lessons)
2. Teacher resources and materials
3. Parent resources
4. A Growth Mindset poster

Please feel free to use this link if you prefer: https://lnkd.in/dbGGKJgC

Please provide us with any feedback!
Learn with a smile 😁

Too much well-being?

I was speaking to a friend recently who said that she had been listening to a podcast about improving your well-being but it was driving her crazy...

I have personally been preaching about the importance of sleep, diet, exercise, breathing or meditation, strong relationships, emotional intelligence practices, and so much more for a while now but when I think about my own journey, many of these practices have been developed over time through trial and error.

When I started, I was curious about the impact of breathing so I slowly but surely started the journey of mediation. I used apps such as Calm and Headspace but they did not work for me. I tried to set aside a time and location for breathing every day but that did not work. I attended classes and courses to try and understand mediation and create accountability around the practice but that also failed.
Finally, I settled on taking 3 deep breaths regularly and it has worked like a charm. It is low-burden and quick! I make a conscious effort to do it before any meetings or tasks and the science explains that there are many benefits to this practice.

My journey with mediation has taken a long time and has forced me to rethink many misconceptions I had about mediation, mindfulness, and deep breathing.

My friend who was struggling with all these well-being tips is in a profession that unfortunately does not allow to have a regular sleep schedule or diet as she is in her first few years of her job. The pressure for her to exercise is overwhelming and these "well-being" tips are impacting her body image in a negative way.

As mental health and SEL educators, we need to put on our detective hats and understand which practices work for that specific individual at that time. Most importantly, we need to create self-awareness around good well-being practices but give people permission to be human and mess up.

Speak to us if you would like training that provides teachers with purpose, autonomy, and mastery in these well-being practices and helps avoid "well-being burnout".

Let us build a healthier world one step at a time!

The 2-minute SEL series:
Part 3: How to change your school? 

How do you create a culture in a school which enables everyone there to navigate themselves, their complex inner worlds and their environments effectively? 

On a practical level, how do we ensure that a 1st year teacher knows not to compare themselves to a master teacher and not lose confidence because of this comparison? 

How do we ensure a student does not fall into a victim mindset when they receive a grade which does not accurately reflect their talent? 

How do we ensure that parents are equipped with the tools to not shame their children or the teachers when they are not feeling supported or lost in their struggles? 

I encourage school leaders and teachers to get curious about what can make their school better and try to implement a plan to help. School leaders and teachers know their school better than anyone and have tools to make a change! 

Here are 4 suggestions which you can do to start this journey: 

1) Robust whole-child curriculum:
Get a good SEL curriculum which teaches these skills to students.

2) Environment:
Create an environment which is safe, predictable, and positive.

3) Connection before content: 
Prioritise and create space for positive student - teacher relationships.

4) Adult learning:
Give equal weight to teacher well-being and then provide teachers and parents with training on how to effectively manage themselves and their environments. 

This is a long and difficult journey but if you put on your detective hat and get curious about what your school could look like, you might just find that you are not so far away from what you are trying to achieve. 

If you would like more information on how to implement this plan, please feel free to reach out.

Thank you for showing up for our students 😃

The 2-minute SEL series

Part 2:
Why SEL - the power of culture!

Ultimately, we all want our students, teachers, and schools to thrive.
We want them to be places where people can show up authentically and have the space to discover the unique value they can add to the world.

I want you to take a moment to think about places where you thrived...
Who ran the place?
What did they stand for?
What actions did they do to create an environment which fostered your personal development?

From my personal experience, people who are humble, believe in servant leadership, and who try to prioritize connections and human development are normally the leaders of spaces which are growing and where people feel they have permission to be themselves.

This is what SEL is trying to unlock!

When leaders, teachers, and students are emotionally literate and understand how to navigate themselves and tough environments, it is then that these environments become adaptable places of growth.

Lastly, I had the privilege of working with a magnificent teacher for 2 years. She would decorate her classroom to welcome the students, she had a "book nook" reading corner to make reading exciting, and she constantly found new ways to innovate and build students character and kindness. When I taught in that class, things felt different. The students were more engaged and ready to learn. They were actually a rather troubled class, but the culture created a desire to learn, grow, and be kinder.

SEL is the secret to success!

The 2-minute SEL series:

Hi friends!

Over the next few weeks, I will be sharing ideas on Social Emotional Learning, school climate and culture, teacher and student well-being, growth mindset, and various other topics! Get involved and let's make schools kinder places!

1. What is SEL?

Where did it begin?

SEL has been around since the 90's when Peter Salovey and John Mayer published a paper about Emotional Intelligence. Since then, it has evolved and shifted.

The way I understand it - without getting too technical, is that it is the ability to manage ourselves and our inner world (our emotions, thoughts, mindsets etc.) and the world around us (our relationships, environments, interactions etc.)

This can include everything from naming our emotions to effective communication.

But let's think about it even more simply.

When we understand what is going on in our bodies and minds we feel more at ease. When we feel cared for and we belong, we are more likely to thrive.

Let's start thinking about SEL as a human need!

We need to learn how to manage our emotions and mindsets to cope and progress in life. We need to learn how to deal with other people to navigate the world.

When we combine these set of skills, we are more likely to become successful people!

Lastly, if you have not watched Adam Sandler's new movie "Hustle", stop what you are doing and watch it.

Without giving away any spoilers, Sandler's role as a coach, a motivator, and a shifter of mindsets is what we need parents and teachers to model in the work of SEL.

We also must see our students and children like "Bo Cruz", scared and afraid but also having tremendous ability which we must see and nurture.

Let's start our SEL journey together and raise a generation which know how to manage themselves and have the knowledge that they have something unique to add to society!

Hello fellow educators!

I have been studying to become an educational coach through the university of Pennsylvania and I would love for you to help out!

I am looking for help from 10 primary school educators in their first 5 years of teaching.

You will have a 20-30 minute coaching session with me to learn an exciting tool to help you improve mental health in your classroom!

Please use this link to book a time which is convenient for you: https://lnkd.in/d936t_qR

I appreciate your help!

Why I am burnt-out if I am doing such meaningful work?

Join us tomorrow night as we chat to mental health and compassion fatigue expert - Romi Kaplan.

Register here: https://qkt.io/Happy

We cannot wait to learn with you 🙃

When caring too much hurts you!

Are you an educator, parent, or professional who works with people?

When we start this work, we are often optimistic and excited to make a difference but as we give more of ourselves, we begin to show less empathy and compassion for those who are in our care.

Join us as for an interactive chat with Romi Kaplan about the Compassion Fatigue we are experiencing and what practical steps we can take to get the Emotional Aid we need to thrive.

Sign up here: https://qkt.io/Happy

We look forward to learning with you 🙃

Thank you Tova Tocker, Together We Connect and Kelvin Education for hosting and collaborating with us!

Building a community of teachers!

We were so privelaged to host Teaching For New Teachers with a passionate group of new and student teachers!

This 3-day course included brilliant talks from (On classroom management), (On parent collaborations) and .preston34 (On managing your mindset and money). and Emotional Learning and practices into your classroom.

What the participants had to say:

"I really enjoyed the program. I thought that the speakers were so good and all had something different and so important to talk about. The program allowed me to meet new people and create new connections which are so important now and will be so beneficial to my future as a professional in the educational field. Going forward I’ll definitely be looking out for more happy schools programs and courses and I really loved this one"

"I really enjoyed this program. It was so well run and I would definitely participate in future programs. Thank you for sharing your wisdom with us"

We cannot wait to learn with more teachers soon!

UPCOMING FREE WEBINAR! 📢

When caring too much hurts you - compassion fatigue and emotional aid.

We will be in conversation with the incredible Kaplan

Romi holds an MSt in Forced Migration (Oxford University) and a Masters in Existential Psychotherapy and Counselling (MDX).
She trained in mental health trauma at Tel Aviv University and at Global Mental Health at Harvard University.

We cannot wait to learn with you and provide you with the emotional support to thrive! 🎉

Thank you, We Connect, Tocker for hosting this event! And to our partners in education Kelvin Education

We cannot wait to learn with you all!

Register here: https://qkt.io/Happy