According to the National Child Traumatic Stress Network, one in every three students in classrooms across the U.S. had been exposed to a traumatic event prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. While managing students’ mental health had been a concern for school districts long before then, the global health crisis has made these types of mental […]
Calming Tools
Mindfulness and SEL for Educators
As the evidence-based research is mounting that children’s capacity to cope with emotions influences their ability to learn, there has been a national movement in education to integrate social and emotional learning into the classroom. Often times, the implementation of SEL curriculum is driven by the goal of supporting the attainment of specific skills for […]
Balancing the Nervous System
For many children, their behavior is unintentional and unplanned. Their behavior while disruptive and difficult to manage, is most often motivated purely as an attempt at communicating a need. Our most primary need? Safety. Their external behavior is communicating a loud resounding message of, “I do not feel safe right now.” As human beings, our […]
Simple Beginnings
Sometimes we are afraid to start something new. Fear of the unknown. Fear of the commitment. Sometimes we are reluctant to start something new because we are not even sure it will be worth the time and effort. So “why bother?” In regards to mindfulness, the research is pretty clear. Improvement in behavior, mood, temperament, […]
5 Mindful, Trauma-Informed Tools to Increase Peace and Improve Behavior in the Classroom
Recent media events and research have been highlighting the need for educators to become more aware of the prevalence of trauma in the lives of the children we serve. As the ACE’s study has revealed, the rates of trauma and causes of trauma are expansive. They not only impact the child’s life now, in the […]
The Power of HOW You Use Your Words
Every word we utter has the potential to grow a child, or shrink them. What is even more influential than what we say, is HOW we say it. The “what” is often obvious. The “how” is subtle and can be extraordinarily magical. As most of you know, I don’t believe in only teaching the tools of […]
Summer Relaxation
Congratulations!!!! For many of you, the school year has ended and your summer vacation has begun. For others, hang in there. You must be close. As you prepare for your transition from caring for the 20+ students in your classrooms, to nurturing your family and yourself, I wanted to offer some suggestions of how to […]
Melt Away Children’s Stress
An increasing number of children are experiencing higher levels of stress today. Muscle relaxation techniques can go a long way in reducing children’s stress levels. “Abbreviated progressive muscle relaxation (APMR) is a much used stress-management technique. Its efficacy relevant to placebo control is already established in the literature.” In one study, “One hundred and one […]
