Watching the video Gail just posted, I was inspired to look for further resources as to how this could work. Here's a link to what I believe are helpful in implementing such a program and The Smiling Mind can be downloaded for older students to use on their phone, etc. And it's free. https://www.kidsmatter.edu.au/mental-health-matters/mindfulness-and-children/further-resources
Wisconsin elementary-school teachers are incorporating simple mental exercises in the classroom to promote well-being, thanks to a partnership between the Madison Metropolitan School District and the Center for Healthy Minds at the Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dzd444JvjCs
A group of middle and high school students in Compton have filed a first-of-its-kind federal lawsuit saying violence at home and in their neighborhoods has impaired their ability to learn at school. The students, along with three teachers who are also plaintiffs, allege the Compton Unified School District has failed to recognize and address their trauma-induced disabilities, and therefore has denied their legal right to an equal education. ....You have to address trauma in order to do...
Echo's conference this year is bursting at the seams with great workshops for teachers, parents and anyone who works with children and their families. In addition to the not-to-be-missed keynotes such as Dr. Ross Greene, we are proud to present: Robbyn Peter Bennett Workshop Spotlight: Self-Regulation, Dysregulation & Co-Regulation - Neurologically Informed Teaching & Parenting You may have seen Robbyn Peters Bennett in her TEDx talk . In our conference workshop, Robbyn will discuss...
On Feb. 15 the school board was asked to reflect on future needs. One includes adding a social worker next year whose pay would be split three ways -- $25,000 each -- between the school district, Pierce County and St. Croix County. Superintendent Jamie Benson referred to a couple of research studies that show how a trauma-filled childhood affects brain development and often leads to risk factors of alcoholism, suicidal tendencies, criminal behavior, anxiety, depression, diseases,...
Social workers, educators and community leaders from around Clark County gathered in Battle Ground last week to hear a talk on building resiliency in children and mitigating the effects of adverse childhood experiences in local youth. Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) is a psychological term that describes a traumatic event or stressor which affects the growth and development and often the behavioral trajectory of a child. ACEs refer to some of the most tragic events in society, from...
As districts in certain parts of the country battle staffing shortages and schools nationwide seek to overcome a general sense of dissatisfaction among faculty , several states are considering proposals to pay their public-school teachers more money. The average public-school teacher salary in the United States in the 2012-13 academic year was $56,000 , versus roughly $69,000 for nurses and $83,000 for programmers . Experts say raising that threshold could help improve the professions...
A growing body of evidence highlights the connection between adverse childhood experiences and academic problems . The effects of trauma can impair a childs cognitive ability, while the stress of a dysfunctional or unstable home life can make children act out or shut down in the classroom, according to recent child-development research. While such findings are increasingly acknowledged, however, they have yet to broadly inform classroom practices or school-improvement initiatives, says Susan...
If you've seen the documentary Paper Tigers , you may remember the stress target -- or color wheel -- in Lincoln High School Principal Jim Sporleder's office. Now you can have one, too! The steering group members of the Yolo Resilience Network in Yolo County, CA, (you can find them on the Yolo County ACEs Connection group) realized the needed to have some tools that they could give to local educators for whom they did presentations about ACEs and trauma-informed practices. "We'd see people...
As I read the article “TPS board considers contracts for consultants” (Feb. 2) I couldn’t help but feel like something was missing. As Tulsa Public Schools seeks to address the discipline problems in their classrooms it appears that a consultant experienced in mental health was not considered. Certainly, experts in education like Kimberly Lewis and Tisha Edwards mentioned in the article are of paramount importance to these matters. However, as a child and adolescent...
Washington State Teacher of the Year Nate Gibbs-Bowling made waves in the education world recently with his essay, “ The Conversation I’m Tired of Not Having .” Gibbs-Bowling bluntly called out the lack of political will and urgency around educational equity, writing up front, “I want to tell you a secret: America really doesn’t care what happens to poor people and most black people.” He’s right — but goes on to draw an incomplete...
The Educational Purchase License of 'Paper Tigers' will be available to ship starting on March 15th, 2016 for K-12, University, and Public Library institutions. This license will allow your institution to keep Paper Tigers and host multiple screenings of it in the future. CLICK HERE to learn more. --If you'd like to host your screening in the first two week of March, please contact us at edu@tugginc.com and we'll discuss how to ensure it arrives on time. --The Educational Purchase...
California schools get hundreds of millions of dollars a year from the state to identify and assist disabled children who have mental health problems. But we don’t know how the money is spent or if it is helping the kids perform better in school. That’s the main finding of a recent report by the California State Auditor, and it will be on the agenda Wednesday at a hearing of the Senate’s mental health committee. “It appears we give all this money to the schools,...
On Jim Sporleder’s first day as principal at Walla Walla’s alternative high school in 2009, he didn’t exactly get the red carpet treatment. Lincoln High School, then called the Paine School, was something of a dumping ground for kids who weren’t making it in the city’s mainstream high school. At the alternative school, the atmosphere was tense and unpredictable. F-bombs flew freely. “On my first day at Paine, my jaw was glued to my...
"We're committed to lifting up the work around healing, belonging and inclusion," said Joey Bravo, program associate at The California Endowment (TCE). Joey and his colleagues with TCE's Center for Healthy Communities supported the creation of a series of videos that capture the groundbreaking efforts of the San Diego Unified School District's campaign to create trauma-informed schools. In this series of videos, SDUSD's transformation of their discipline policies...