Mindfulness for Educators
As an educator, do you feel overwhelmed meeting the needs of your classroom?
Are you challenged with managing your own stress levels?
Have you noticed your students have difficulty paying attention? Or that the levels of stress in children are increasing? How does this relate to rising rates of bullying, anxiety, and depression in the students you work with?
Mindfulness is a life skill and tool that can be supportive for children, youth, and the adults who care for and work with them. Mindfulness helps develop self-awareness, improves concentration, decreases stress and anxiety, strengthens empathy and compassion, and improves inter-personal relationships.
A growing body of research on mindfulness in school-based contexts is revealing benefits for students in attention control, self-regulation, and social-emotional skills.
Source: Mindful Schools – https://www.mindfulschools.org/about-mindfulness/research/
Bring Mindfulness to Your School
Stephanie Curran has facilitated workshops and programming to hundreds of educators, administrators, and parents throughout South Vancouver Island.
Pro-D workshop
This is a good first step as it provides an introduction to mindfulness and creates interest amongst staff. All sessions are customized and include: an overview of what mindfulness is and how it can be applied in the classroom, a review of the neuroscience and research, and a sampling of practical exercises so that participants have the opportunity to experience mindfulness first-hand.
Mindfulness for Educators program
Teaching mindfulness to children and youth is most effective when it stems from a base of personal practice. Our program begins with developing a personal practice following the world renowned Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program and then continues with coaching sessions on how to successfully teach mindfulness in the classroom (K-12 curriculum)
- Personal practice – 8 weekly sessions (2hrs each) and an all day retreat
- Classroom support – 3 biweekly sessions (2hrs each)
Over 200 educators in our community have completed the Mindfulness for Educators training program and we have partnered with Royal Roads University to track the impact and results. To review the research and request a proposal for your school or district, please email Stephanie Curran at scurran@elementscentre.ca
Stephanie Curran is a long time practitioner of meditation. She has completed extensive training in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction and, as a qualified facilitator, has led 10 cohorts of the 8wk program. As a parent, Stephanie is deeply moved and inspired to share the benefits of mindfulness with children, families, and her community. She has completed course work in the Mindful Schools training program and has led many presentations about mindfulness at educator conferences, Pro-D school events, and for PAC groups. Read more….
“Thank you so much for your presentation and all the resources you shared. I really enjoyed your session; both the content of your presentation and the way you speak so enthusiastically about your topic!”
“I am calmer and more present than I ever was before. This has greatly impacted my teaching practices. I now find it much easier to keep my stress levels low because I am able to take a breath and really look at a situation before doing anything…I am not letting old stressors trigger me because I am able to take a moment after the stimulus to think clearly before my response rather than just reacting”
“I now practice deep breathing, yoga and mindful listening each day after recess and just before math. I was shocked the first time I tried it as I couldn’t believe that a simple ringing of a singing bowl and breathing three breaths could have such an affect. My learners (half of whom are VERY high energy) were calm and alert for 10 minutes. I know that this method is effective as I am seeing it in action!”