Trauma occurs when one\u2019s active response to threat does not work. In simple terms \u2013 the most traumatic situation is one where all of our choice is taken from us and we cannot escape.<\/p>\n
Sadly, teachers and administrators with positive intentions regularly create these types of situations in schools when they remove student choice. While a small choice around academics or a \u2018minor\u2019 discipline proceeding may not seem like a big deal to us as adults, it is important to remember that trauma is subjective and relative and can result from real or perceived threats. We can imagine, for instance, how failing an assignment or being forced into a punitive consequence without having a chance to make reparations could feel \u2018life or death\u2019 to a student with trauma.<\/p>\n
Being mindful of student choice is a critical best practice for trauma-informed teaching. Whenever possible, provide students with choice and \u2018a way out.\u2019 This will create a safer classroom environment and minimize explosive outbursts from students who have experienced trauma.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.4.5″ background_color=”#ffffff” custom_padding=”25px|25px|25px|25px|true|true” box_shadow_style=”preset1″ global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
Create Nourishing Routines<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n\nStudents thrive on routine, especially students with trauma. While you may already have scheduled and predictable routines built into your school day, consider including or expanding the amount of \u2018self-care rituals\u2019 built into these routines.
If students know that each transition will be accompanied by a moment of calm reflection or deep breathing, for instance, this can ease some of the anxiety and misbehavior often associated with transitions.<\/p>\n
Greetings and goodbye rituals can support students who struggle with attachment issues.<\/p>\n
Snack-time, water, and frequent bathroom breaks can ensure that student\u2019s physical needs are met.<\/p>\n
Time for play and fun is another need we all share. Use your creativity and include short breaks for energizers, games, and fun activities.<\/p>\n
And, of course, if your students are familiar with mindfulness you can build in mindful moments throughout the day ranging from 30 seconds to a few minutes or longer.<\/p>\n
Seek to make these routines as predictable and consistent as possible. Students can then come to rely on these built-in moments in their schedule to self-regulate, self-sooth, and take care of themselves\u00a0<\/span>before<\/em>\u00a0<\/span>they become dysregulated.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.4.5″ background_color=”#ffffff” custom_padding=”25px|25px|25px|25px|true|true” box_shadow_style=”preset1″ global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
\n\nBreathe<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n\n\u201cTo control the breathing is to control the mind. With different patterns of breathing, you can fall in love, you can hate someone, you can feel the whole spectrum of feelings just by changing your breathing.\u201d \u2013 Marina Abramovic<\/p>\n
Our breath has been referred to by many as the \u201cremote control of the brain.\u201d While there are many ways to use your breath to change how you feel, the simplest method is to practice belly breathing. Any time you need to create more calm in yourself and your classroom, just take a moment to draw in three deep breaths to the bottom of your belly and then exhale fully.<\/p>\n
Notice how deeper, fuller breaths can impact your mood and the climate of your classroom.\u00a0 Our lesson \u201cThe Power of Deep Breathing\u201d provides detailed instructions on how to use breath to shift emotional and physical states.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.4.5″ background_color=”#ffffff” custom_padding=”25px|25px|25px|25px|true|true” box_shadow_style=”preset1″ global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
\n\nRespond to Student Body Language<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n\nAs we increase awareness of our own internal and external states, we also become more aware of these cues in others. Students are constantly communicating with us, mostly without any words at all. By paying attention to student\u2019s body language we can adjust our interactions with them to be more appropriate to their current emotional state.<\/p>\n
A student with clenched fists, tight jaw, dilated pupils, rapid breathing, furrowed brows, and perhaps even beginning to sweat, for example, is clearly experiencing a fight-or-flight response. These are all clear ways that the student is communicating \u201cI\u2019m not ready to talk. I don\u2019t feel safe right now and I need space to calm down.\u201d Listening to these cues rather than trying to override them with force or reason could be the difference between a student calming down and returning to their work and an out of school suspension.<\/p>\n
We may also encounter students who are unusually collapsed in their posture and presentation, overly tired and fatigued, experiencing frequent mysterious physical symptoms and are generally disengaged from the classroom experience. This is a strong indication that the student is experiencing emotional distress and needs extra support and attention as a result of overwhelming or traumatic experiences elsewhere in their life.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.4.5″ background_color=”#ffffff” custom_padding=”25px|25px|25px|25px|true|true” box_shadow_style=”preset1″ global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
\n\nExternal Modeling<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n\nConsider how subtle physical cues, including your body language, breath rate, pace of speech, tone of voice, and facial expressions, create reciprocal responses in your students and classroom culture.<\/p>\n
Attempting to create order by yelling or using controlling and aggressive tones in the classroom, for instance, will actually have the opposite effect. Students will respond to these physical cues by becoming further escalated or fearful, creating a negative feedback loop that results in a decidedly unsafe classroom culture.<\/p>\n
Instead, try shifting your physical presentation to be more congruent with the type of response and culture you would like to create. The more calmness you can bring through a slower pace of speech, deeper and slower breaths, and calm gentle tones the more your students will feel safe and at ease.<\/p>\n
Of course, this requires that you first have an awareness of what you are modeling externally from moment to moment. This type of awareness is generally only cultivated through an ongoing mindfulness practice.<\/p>\n
One way to quickly bring awareness to your external modeling is to set a handful of random alarms on your phone throughout the day. Each time you feel it buzz, take a brief moment to check in with your physical sensations. How quickly are you speaking? Is your breath shallow of full? Is your posture open and receptive, or closed and guarded? Are you smiling or frowning? Notice how these small adjustments effect your students.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.4.5″ background_color=”#ffffff” custom_padding=”25px|25px|25px|25px|true|true” box_shadow_style=”preset1″ global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
\n\nInternal Modeling<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n\nA large part of a well-developed mindfulness practice involves bringing awareness to your emotional state from moment-to-moment and how your emotions influence those around you. Parents of young infants will understand this intuitively \u2013 when you are angry or upset, your child is likely to also be upset. When you are calm and at ease, your child is more likely to respond in turn.<\/p>\n
This ability, to notice your emotions in the moment rather than be swept away by them, is sometimes referred to as internal monitoring. The more that we practice monitoring and shifting our internal state, the more we can choose to create a warm, receptive, and caring emotional environment for our students. While this may seem like a stretch at first, scientists have discovered that we actually possess specialized neurons (known as \u2018mirror neurons\u2019) that naturally attune and mimic the emotional states of those around us \u2013 particularly those in a caregiver role.<\/p>\n
So, before seeking to change the emotions and behaviors of your students, reflect on how you are feeling in that moment and see if you can shift your experience first.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ disabled_on=”off|off|off” _builder_version=”4.2.1″ background_color=”#1c5253″ min_height=”3px” custom_margin=”0px||0px||false|false” custom_padding=”0px||0px|||” transparent_background=”off” saved_tabs=”all” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row column_structure=”2_3,1_3″ _builder_version=”4.7.7″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”2_3″ _builder_version=”4.2.1″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.7.7″ text_font=”|600|||||||” text_font_size=”22px” text_line_height=”1.6em” header_3_line_height=”1.2em” text_orientation=”center” background_layout=”dark” custom_padding=”11px||||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
Free Social and Emotional Learning Trial<\/h3>\n
[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”4.2.1″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_button button_url=”https:\/\/empoweringeducation.org\/free-trial\/” button_text=”SIGN UP” _builder_version=”4.7.7″ custom_button=”off” custom_margin=”|178px|||false|” custom_margin_tablet=”|0px|||false|false” custom_margin_phone=”” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|desktop” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_button][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.7.7″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.7.7″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.7.7″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.7.7″ global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
Mindfulness for Kids Articles<\/h2>\n
[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_blog fullwidth=”off” posts_number=”3″ include_categories=”133″ excerpt_length=”150″ show_more=”on” _builder_version=”4.7.7″ header_font_size=”20px” header_line_height=”1.5em” read_more_font=”|600||on|||||” read_more_line_height=”2em” width=”100%” max_width=”100%” border_width_all=”3px” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_blog][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Mindfulness in Schools Classroom Resources & CurriculumMindfulness in Schools: Resources for TeachersMindfulness, defined simply, means paying attention. With the publication of over 2,000 peer-reviewed scientific journal articles in just the last few years touting the benefits of mindfulness, schools are now realizing the critical role of mindfulness in teaching and learning.\u00a0 Free Mindfulness Resources for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6487,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"
Empowering Education offers engaging, high-quality professional development? designed with educators in mind. Our expert facilitators create dynamic learning experiences to generate teacher buy-in and deliver practical strategies.<\/p>
Professional Development is designed for teachers, youth serving professionals, parents, adults, and anyone curious to learn and expand applicable knowledge on SEL and mindfulness.<\/p>
Each workshop is tailored to the unique needs of the school and audience. Typical themes include:<\/p>
Social & Emotional Learning: This experiential workshop provides an introduction to the ?what, why?, and ?how? of social & emotional learning. Participants will leave with a clear, simple vision for high-quality, school-wide SEL implementation; a deeper understanding of the benefits of these practices; a toolbox of active engagement strategies; self-care strategies for educators; and facilitation strategies that teachers can begin using right away.<\/p>
Mindfulness: Our expert mindfulness coaches make mindfulness accessible to all through direct and immediate experience. Participants will experience the benefits of mindfulness first-hand through various mindfulness practices that they can bring back to their classroom and personal life. This workshop offers evidence-based practices and research to support successful implementation of mindfulness practices in school.<\/p>
Trauma Informed Schools: The impact of childhood trauma and chronic stress is one of the most pressing issues facing educators and society at large. This experiential workshop explores the neuropsychological link between mindfulness and trauma; and examines the implications of mindfulness as it relates to psychological trauma, adverse childhood experiences, and nervous system states. Participants will leave with a novel understanding of how trauma impacts health, behavioral, and academic outcomes and new strategies for trauma-informed teaching.<\/p>","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Mindfulness in Schools - Resources and Curriculum - SEL Curriculum | Empowering Education<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\t\n
Students thrive on routine, especially students with trauma. While you may already have scheduled and predictable routines built into your school day, consider including or expanding the amount of \u2018self-care rituals\u2019 built into these routines.
If students know that each transition will be accompanied by a moment of calm reflection or deep breathing, for instance, this can ease some of the anxiety and misbehavior often associated with transitions.<\/p>\n
Greetings and goodbye rituals can support students who struggle with attachment issues.<\/p>\n
Snack-time, water, and frequent bathroom breaks can ensure that student\u2019s physical needs are met.<\/p>\n
Time for play and fun is another need we all share. Use your creativity and include short breaks for energizers, games, and fun activities.<\/p>\n
And, of course, if your students are familiar with mindfulness you can build in mindful moments throughout the day ranging from 30 seconds to a few minutes or longer.<\/p>\n
Seek to make these routines as predictable and consistent as possible. Students can then come to rely on these built-in moments in their schedule to self-regulate, self-sooth, and take care of themselves\u00a0<\/span>before<\/em>\u00a0<\/span>they become dysregulated.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.4.5″ background_color=”#ffffff” custom_padding=”25px|25px|25px|25px|true|true” box_shadow_style=”preset1″ global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n \u201cTo control the breathing is to control the mind. With different patterns of breathing, you can fall in love, you can hate someone, you can feel the whole spectrum of feelings just by changing your breathing.\u201d \u2013 Marina Abramovic<\/p>\n Our breath has been referred to by many as the \u201cremote control of the brain.\u201d While there are many ways to use your breath to change how you feel, the simplest method is to practice belly breathing. Any time you need to create more calm in yourself and your classroom, just take a moment to draw in three deep breaths to the bottom of your belly and then exhale fully.<\/p>\n Notice how deeper, fuller breaths can impact your mood and the climate of your classroom.\u00a0 Our lesson \u201cThe Power of Deep Breathing\u201d provides detailed instructions on how to use breath to shift emotional and physical states.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.4.5″ background_color=”#ffffff” custom_padding=”25px|25px|25px|25px|true|true” box_shadow_style=”preset1″ global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n As we increase awareness of our own internal and external states, we also become more aware of these cues in others. Students are constantly communicating with us, mostly without any words at all. By paying attention to student\u2019s body language we can adjust our interactions with them to be more appropriate to their current emotional state.<\/p>\n A student with clenched fists, tight jaw, dilated pupils, rapid breathing, furrowed brows, and perhaps even beginning to sweat, for example, is clearly experiencing a fight-or-flight response. These are all clear ways that the student is communicating \u201cI\u2019m not ready to talk. I don\u2019t feel safe right now and I need space to calm down.\u201d Listening to these cues rather than trying to override them with force or reason could be the difference between a student calming down and returning to their work and an out of school suspension.<\/p>\n We may also encounter students who are unusually collapsed in their posture and presentation, overly tired and fatigued, experiencing frequent mysterious physical symptoms and are generally disengaged from the classroom experience. This is a strong indication that the student is experiencing emotional distress and needs extra support and attention as a result of overwhelming or traumatic experiences elsewhere in their life.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.4.5″ background_color=”#ffffff” custom_padding=”25px|25px|25px|25px|true|true” box_shadow_style=”preset1″ global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Consider how subtle physical cues, including your body language, breath rate, pace of speech, tone of voice, and facial expressions, create reciprocal responses in your students and classroom culture.<\/p>\n Attempting to create order by yelling or using controlling and aggressive tones in the classroom, for instance, will actually have the opposite effect. Students will respond to these physical cues by becoming further escalated or fearful, creating a negative feedback loop that results in a decidedly unsafe classroom culture.<\/p>\n Instead, try shifting your physical presentation to be more congruent with the type of response and culture you would like to create. The more calmness you can bring through a slower pace of speech, deeper and slower breaths, and calm gentle tones the more your students will feel safe and at ease.<\/p>\n Of course, this requires that you first have an awareness of what you are modeling externally from moment to moment. This type of awareness is generally only cultivated through an ongoing mindfulness practice.<\/p>\n One way to quickly bring awareness to your external modeling is to set a handful of random alarms on your phone throughout the day. Each time you feel it buzz, take a brief moment to check in with your physical sensations. How quickly are you speaking? Is your breath shallow of full? Is your posture open and receptive, or closed and guarded? Are you smiling or frowning? Notice how these small adjustments effect your students.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.4.5″ background_color=”#ffffff” custom_padding=”25px|25px|25px|25px|true|true” box_shadow_style=”preset1″ global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n A large part of a well-developed mindfulness practice involves bringing awareness to your emotional state from moment-to-moment and how your emotions influence those around you. Parents of young infants will understand this intuitively \u2013 when you are angry or upset, your child is likely to also be upset. When you are calm and at ease, your child is more likely to respond in turn.<\/p>\n This ability, to notice your emotions in the moment rather than be swept away by them, is sometimes referred to as internal monitoring. The more that we practice monitoring and shifting our internal state, the more we can choose to create a warm, receptive, and caring emotional environment for our students. While this may seem like a stretch at first, scientists have discovered that we actually possess specialized neurons (known as \u2018mirror neurons\u2019) that naturally attune and mimic the emotional states of those around us \u2013 particularly those in a caregiver role.<\/p>\n So, before seeking to change the emotions and behaviors of your students, reflect on how you are feeling in that moment and see if you can shift your experience first.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ disabled_on=”off|off|off” _builder_version=”4.2.1″ background_color=”#1c5253″ min_height=”3px” custom_margin=”0px||0px||false|false” custom_padding=”0px||0px|||” transparent_background=”off” saved_tabs=”all” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row column_structure=”2_3,1_3″ _builder_version=”4.7.7″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”2_3″ _builder_version=”4.2.1″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.7.7″ text_font=”|600|||||||” text_font_size=”22px” text_line_height=”1.6em” header_3_line_height=”1.2em” text_orientation=”center” background_layout=”dark” custom_padding=”11px||||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”4.2.1″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_button button_url=”https:\/\/empoweringeducation.org\/free-trial\/” button_text=”SIGN UP” _builder_version=”4.7.7″ custom_button=”off” custom_margin=”|178px|||false|” custom_margin_tablet=”|0px|||false|false” custom_margin_phone=”” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|desktop” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_button][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.7.7″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.7.7″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.7.7″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.7.7″ global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_blog fullwidth=”off” posts_number=”3″ include_categories=”133″ excerpt_length=”150″ show_more=”on” _builder_version=”4.7.7″ header_font_size=”20px” header_line_height=”1.5em” read_more_font=”|600||on|||||” read_more_line_height=”2em” width=”100%” max_width=”100%” border_width_all=”3px” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_blog][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Mindfulness in Schools Classroom Resources & CurriculumMindfulness in Schools: Resources for TeachersMindfulness, defined simply, means paying attention. With the publication of over 2,000 peer-reviewed scientific journal articles in just the last few years touting the benefits of mindfulness, schools are now realizing the critical role of mindfulness in teaching and learning.\u00a0 Free Mindfulness Resources for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6487,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":" Empowering Education offers engaging, high-quality professional development? designed with educators in mind. Our expert facilitators create dynamic learning experiences to generate teacher buy-in and deliver practical strategies.<\/p> Professional Development is designed for teachers, youth serving professionals, parents, adults, and anyone curious to learn and expand applicable knowledge on SEL and mindfulness.<\/p> Each workshop is tailored to the unique needs of the school and audience. Typical themes include:<\/p> Social & Emotional Learning: This experiential workshop provides an introduction to the ?what, why?, and ?how? of social & emotional learning. Participants will leave with a clear, simple vision for high-quality, school-wide SEL implementation; a deeper understanding of the benefits of these practices; a toolbox of active engagement strategies; self-care strategies for educators; and facilitation strategies that teachers can begin using right away.<\/p> Mindfulness: Our expert mindfulness coaches make mindfulness accessible to all through direct and immediate experience. Participants will experience the benefits of mindfulness first-hand through various mindfulness practices that they can bring back to their classroom and personal life. This workshop offers evidence-based practices and research to support successful implementation of mindfulness practices in school.<\/p> Trauma Informed Schools: The impact of childhood trauma and chronic stress is one of the most pressing issues facing educators and society at large. This experiential workshop explores the neuropsychological link between mindfulness and trauma; and examines the implications of mindfulness as it relates to psychological trauma, adverse childhood experiences, and nervous system states. Participants will leave with a novel understanding of how trauma impacts health, behavioral, and academic outcomes and new strategies for trauma-informed teaching.<\/p>","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nBreathe<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n
Respond to Student Body Language<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n
External Modeling<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n
Internal Modeling<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n
Free Social and Emotional Learning Trial<\/h3>\n
Mindfulness for Kids Articles<\/h2>\n