Mindfulness-Based SEL in Action

"We enter this field with our eyes wide open that the pay is low and the work hours are long. Most of us also understand that educating our students will take all the love, attention, and energy we can spare. Education is a calling because, despite all these things, we do it anyway.

While educators are incredibly giving towards their students, we don’t treat ourselves with the same level of care. Overwork is a badge of honor that many of us wear proudly. We tend to equate the number of hours we put in as a measure of our (and our peer’s) dedication to our students."

Click on the image to read the entire article.

Scent can be a really powerful tool for soothing and calming. It can also be a great way to practice strengthening the mindfulness muscle of awareness! Pass something fragrant out to each child, such as a piece of fresh orange peel, a sprig of lavender or a jasmine flower. Ask them to close their eyes and breathe in the scent, focusing all of their attention only on the smell of that object. Or, have various items with a strong scent and ask them to describe the scent, predict the item, imagine what the item looks like, describe how the scent makes them feel.

"Do you savor life or let everyday stresses control you? In other words, how mindful are you?

The quiz (click on the image) draws on a mindfulness scale developed by researchers at La Salle University and Drexel University, led by psychology professor Lee Ann Cardaciotto. Please answer as honestly as possible about how frequently you experienced each of the following 20 statements over the past week.

When you’re done, you’ll learn more about what mindfulness is, how much you currently practice it, and how you can promote more of it in your life."

We all need a moment to pause and hit the reset button sometimes. This is exactly what your students will be able to do when you use our free Wellness Way printables.

This free set of posters has three color-coded paths students can follow—move, recharge, and mood. Each one will take your students through a different set of tasks, which can be completed in just a few minutes. Each path features movements created to help students refocus and be ready for learning again.

All teachers care about helping our students become caring, considerate, confident citizens of the world. Picture books about emotion and social-emotional issues can help kids think deeply about feelings and social issues.

Here are 50 books that you can share with kids of any age that will help them develop empathy, talk about their feelings, and identify with others.

A leader has to communicate, consider other people’s opinions, manage their own emotional response and make smart decisions. The SEL implementation process helps students develop those exact skills. You’ll be recognizing the leaders in the teams before you know it. Moreover, you’ll encourage all members of the teams to work on the skills that will turn them into future leaders.