Cultivating Awareness and Resilience for Educators, or CARE for Teachers, is a professional development program that helps implement mindfulness in a classroom setting. Staying mindful of our emotions and reactions helps everyone in the classroom, and has proven to be an effective way to create the safe and welcoming classroom environment that we all strive for. Even though we are in between academic years, we are still in a unique situation that can create anxiety, discomfort, and doubt. This situation makes it even more crucial to practice mindfulness by gathering your thoughts and emotions to reset and revitalize for the upcoming school year. Although these CARE for Teachers tips are focused on a classroom setting, these ideas apply to anyone interested in mindfulness!
1. Create calm transitions.
Take a minute to breathe deeply. When on your own, it is good to do this when you feel overwhelmed or angry in order to take a step back and not act on emotion. To implement this in a classroom or in your office setting, practice doing breathing exercises (which can just be three deep breaths in and out) before a transition to direct engagement with students or staff, such as at the beginning or end of a class period and before or after lunch.
2. Take five
Nope, not the candy bar! If students are being particularly unruly, this exercise can help bring their attention back. First, have them (silently) pick five items from their surroundings that they can see. Next, have them close their eyes and count five things that they can hear. Then, five things that they are touching. This exercise can also work as a midday break if you are having a stressful day and need some time to wind down. It can be difficult to calm yourself in the midst of thoughts running rampant in your mind, so putting your focus on tangible items can help bring you back.
3. Create a safe space
Many schools have implemented quiet rooms or quiet corners for students to be able to have a minute for themselves in a private space. A lot of times, students see this as a “time-out” or punishment of sorts, so it is important to mention that, if you do execute this in your school or classroom, time in this magical space is a reward and not a place of discipline. These spaces usually have very comfortable items, such as soft pillows, calming books, or a white noise machine to help the students feel at ease. Consider creating this type of space for staff and administration as well!
4. Mindful walking and centering
This one is specifically for teachers and administrators - if you are on your feet for most of the day, focus on the pressure of your feet on the floor. Try to focus on applying pressure on all four corners of your feet.
It may sound odd, but centering your mind on how your body is helping you throughout the day has proven to be a calming mechanism and some say they feel that their feet hurt less at the end of the day.
These four mindfulness tips from CARE for Teachers can be a stepping stone for creating a peaceful environment for administrators, teachers, and students. To read the full article that explains these tips in detail, as well as shares stories from teachers that have applied mindfulness practices in their lives and classrooms, click below.
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