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Holidays are awe-filled and also can bring about feelings of sadness, grief and loneliness for ourselves and our students. Join Amy Edelstein in this episode of The Conscious Classroom Podcast as we explore how to let go into the present moment and find the posture that allows us to be with what is with grace, strength, and presence.  

The holiday season can be a challenging time, filled with mixed emotions and societal expectations. As educators, we have the unique opportunity to guide our students through these complexities with grace and awareness. This episode goes deep with a guided meditation that will transcend the superficial and allow you to access an experience of presence that can sustain and fulfill you. 

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The Conscious Classroom was honored by Feedspot in their Top 100 Classroom Podcasts. We are committed to sharing insights that transform outlooks and inspire with what's possible.

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Visit Inner Strength Education for more on the great work of the Conscious Classroom.

Want to train to teach mindfulness, compassion, and systems thinking to students? Courses are available at The Conscious Classroom.

Get your copy of the award-winning, bestseller The Conscious Classroom: The Inner Strength System for Transforming the Teenage Mind.

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Experience the essence of creativity and dedication with Amy Edelstein as we journey with her to CoSM, the Chapel of Sacred Mirrors in the Catskills. This episode celebrates Alex and Alison Gray, the visionary artists who have devoted decades to the transformative power of art. For their entire adult life, they have been expressing their own adventures in consciousness through their unique for of art, becoming leaders and pillars of the psychedelic art movement. They exemplify how art can be a conduit for personal and collective growth, and their center stands as one of the rare collective spaces where people can come to explore the inner and artistic expressions in a collective and collaborative fashion. 

For educators seeking to reignite their passion, this episode is a heartfelt exploration of rediscovering the 'why' behind teaching. Amy shares a compelling exercise from her professional development sessions, inviting teachers to open to themselves and re-acquaint themselves with their vocation or calling to teach.  This introspection often reveals a profound sense of purpose that transcends standard metrics like test scores. Experience how nurturing these inner drives can lead to more enriching and vibrant educational experiences for both teachers and their students. Enjoy this episode of the Conscious Classroom, which unravels  the pillars of learning spaces which foster joy, creativity, and transformation.

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If you enjoyed this episode please leave a review!

Your review supports our podcast to reach more educators and share the importance of creating more conscious classrooms.

The Conscious Classroom was honored by Feedspot in their Top 100 Classroom Podcasts. We are committed to sharing insights that transform outlooks and inspire with what's possible.

Subscribe so you don't miss a single episode!

Visit Inner Strength Education for more on the great work of the Conscious Classroom.

Want to train to teach mindfulness, compassion, and systems thinking to students? Courses are available at The Conscious Classroom.

Get your copy of the award-winning, bestseller The Conscious Classroom: The Inner Strength System for Transforming the Teenage Mind.

Send us a text

Creating Positive Spaces with a Grateful Mindset

It's so simple, could it really change our outlook, experience and classrooms?  In this episode of the Conscious Classroom, Amy Edelstein looks at ways that gratitude can transform our experience and deepen our understanding of presence, interconnectedness, and awe. 

You will see how we can shift our perspectives, working with everyday events like traffic irritation, and cultivate a very different mindset. It's not lightweight, it can have a real impact and reveal profound truths about the nature of our world. 

Discovering how when we foster gratitude we not only improve personal well-being, we also build a deeper sense of connection and belonging. This can create  a ripple effect in our classrooms and communities.

Step into the Conscious Classroom with Amy as she explores practical tips and educational insights to nurture mindfulness and awareness. This episode is designed for anyone passionate about making a positive impact, particularly educators working with teens.

Support the show

If you enjoyed this episode please leave a review!

Your review supports our podcast to reach more educators and share the importance of creating more conscious classrooms.

The Conscious Classroom was honored by Feedspot in their Top 100 Classroom Podcasts. We are committed to sharing insights that transform outlooks and inspire with what's possible.

Subscribe so you don't miss a single episode!

Visit Inner Strength Education for more on the great work of the Conscious Classroom.

Want to train to teach mindfulness, compassion, and systems thinking to students? Courses are available at The Conscious Classroom.

Get your copy of the award-winning, bestseller The Conscious Classroom: The Inner Strength System for Transforming the Teenage Mind.

Send us a text

Do you feel like you're authentic in your teaching and in your life? 
How does we "become" more authentic? 
Can mindfulness bring authenticity or is it more than that?

In this episode, Amy unpacks the elusive quality of authenticity. We all think we know it when we see it but how do we develop it? 

Authenticity brings integrity and stability into our classrooms. Embracing vulnerability and aligning with our core values revolutionizes our teaching and enables our students to trust and let go so they can learn. 

Join Amy in this episode of the Conscious Classroom podcast as she uncovers the essence of authenticity and its transformative power in educational settings. With a focus on mindfulness and restorative practices, she outlines how educators can foster a genuine connection with their students, moving beyond arbitrary emotional outbursts into emotional intelligence, which leads to a place of integrity and growth.

Key to developing authenticity is self-knowledge, deeply exploring our motivations behind and supporting students in facing challenges on their own. By integrating mindfulness as an orientation to life, we embody authenticity and create a safe, supportive, and fear-free learning environment. 

Listen to the end to close with a guided meditation that will open up a new relationship to being present, available, and true to yourself, which in turn will contribute to a more resilient and impactful educational experience for both teachers and students.

Support the show

If you enjoyed this episode please leave a review!

Your review supports our podcast to reach more educators and share the importance of creating more conscious classrooms.

The Conscious Classroom was honored by Feedspot in their Top 100 Classroom Podcasts. We are committed to sharing insights that transform outlooks and inspire with what's possible.

Subscribe so you don't miss a single episode!

Visit Inner Strength Education for more on the great work of the Conscious Classroom.

Want to train to teach mindfulness, compassion, and systems thinking to students? Courses are available at The Conscious Classroom.

Get your copy of the award-winning, bestseller The Conscious Classroom: The Inner Strength System for Transforming the Teenage Mind.

Send us a text

Discover the secret to finding profound contentment even in the most stressful times. What if you could cultivate a deeper sense of fulfillment through mindful awareness and systems thinking? On today's Conscious Classroom podcast, Amy Edelstein guides you through transformative insights that will help you create  spaces for rejuvenation. You'll learn how to  harness the power of meditation to develop an inner sense of wholeness and simplicity, empowering you to maintain a backdrop of contentment no matter the challenges you face.

Support the show

If you enjoyed this episode please leave a review!

Your review supports our podcast to reach more educators and share the importance of creating more conscious classrooms.

The Conscious Classroom was honored by Feedspot in their Top 100 Classroom Podcasts. We are committed to sharing insights that transform outlooks and inspire with what's possible.

Subscribe so you don't miss a single episode!

Visit Inner Strength Education for more on the great work of the Conscious Classroom.

Want to train to teach mindfulness, compassion, and systems thinking to students? Courses are available at The Conscious Classroom.

Get your copy of the award-winning, bestseller The Conscious Classroom: The Inner Strength System for Transforming the Teenage Mind.

Send us a text

What happens when a student fails to show up for a crucial presentation? Explore the profound lessons on commitment and responsibility in this episode of the Conscious Classroom podcast. Join me as we unpack the culture of individualism and what that means when we try to instill a sense of commitment and purpose in our youth. 

In this episode we also delve into the impact of feelings of loneliness and alienation that students experience, how the pandemic exacerbated this, and why our situation today only underscores the necessity of fostering a connection to a purpose greater that oneself. Stay engaged with our transformative educational journey, and find more resources at www.innerstrengtheducation.org

Support the show

If you enjoyed this episode please leave a review!

Your review supports our podcast to reach more educators and share the importance of creating more conscious classrooms.

The Conscious Classroom was honored by Feedspot in their Top 100 Classroom Podcasts. We are committed to sharing insights that transform outlooks and inspire with what's possible.

Subscribe so you don't miss a single episode!

Visit Inner Strength Education for more on the great work of the Conscious Classroom.

Want to train to teach mindfulness, compassion, and systems thinking to students? Courses are available at The Conscious Classroom.

Get your copy of the award-winning, bestseller The Conscious Classroom: The Inner Strength System for Transforming the Teenage Mind.

Send us a text

Can shifting the focus for teachers from content to connection be the key to lifting adolescent loneliness?

Journey with Amy Edelstein on this episode of the Conscious Classroom podcast as she unpacks the role of teachers as moral exemplars, following the principles laid out by Plato.

You'll explore how transmission occurs and why teachers impact not just  academic success, but also ethics, values, and personal connection that can make a real difference in students' lives.

Amy shares a personal story of how her fifth-grade teacher from Linden Elementary School in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, left a lasting impact, perhaps without even knowing it. This teacher's personal interest and encouragement created an environment where students felt valued and capable.

Amy delves into the transformative power of human connection and mentorship in education, showing how the behavior and attitudes of teachers can profoundly shape the futures of their students.

Tune in to rediscover the heart of teaching and its irreplaceable role in creating a Conscious Classroom, nurturing wisdom, virtue, and critical thinking.

Plato, The Republic

Support the show

If you enjoyed this episode please leave a review!

Your review supports our podcast to reach more educators and share the importance of creating more conscious classrooms.

The Conscious Classroom was honored by Feedspot in their Top 100 Classroom Podcasts. We are committed to sharing insights that transform outlooks and inspire with what's possible.

Subscribe so you don't miss a single episode!

Visit Inner Strength Education for more on the great work of the Conscious Classroom.

Want to train to teach mindfulness, compassion, and systems thinking to students? Courses are available at The Conscious Classroom.

Get your copy of the award-winning, bestseller The Conscious Classroom: The Inner Strength System for Transforming the Teenage Mind.

Send us a text

In this episode we pack two levels of insight that are mostly at odds with one another when it comes to improving educational design. We examine the dual landscape of educational innovation, where grand visions and data analysis for systemic change clash with the hands-on challenges of classroom application. Working with systems thinking, the fact that we are all innovating around the same core issue, Amy Edelstein illuminates what can become  synergy between high-level design and practical program execution. For true reform to be meaningful and pragmatic, we must work with the tools that help us create a harmonious blend of scalable ideals and individual needs. Working with mindfulness and experiential systems tools, we can uncover ways to value and view insight from these two different vantage points. 

Amy shows how to work with  the Continuum Exercise, a simple yet powerful  tool that gives people the visceral experience that we usually focus on the specifics and differences and yet we could focus on the unity, context, or system we are all addressing.  Lifting above the spectrum of diverse opinions can catalyze a pivotal 'aha' moment that goes beyond bridging differences to transmitting  a sense of unity.

 Whether you're an educator, a student, or simply passionate about the future of learning, this conversation promises to offer invaluable insights into creating educational spaces where innovation, collaboration, and consciousness thrive.

Support the show

If you enjoyed this episode please leave a review!

Your review supports our podcast to reach more educators and share the importance of creating more conscious classrooms.

The Conscious Classroom was honored by Feedspot in their Top 100 Classroom Podcasts. We are committed to sharing insights that transform outlooks and inspire with what's possible.

Subscribe so you don't miss a single episode!

Visit Inner Strength Education for more on the great work of the Conscious Classroom.

Want to train to teach mindfulness, compassion, and systems thinking to students? Courses are available at The Conscious Classroom.

Get your copy of the award-winning, bestseller The Conscious Classroom: The Inner Strength System for Transforming the Teenage Mind.

Send us a text

Jim Crow's Pink Slip - Dismantling the Education Gap with Amy Edelstein

In this episode of The conscious Classroom, Amy Edelstein helps illuminate the little-known history and ongoing influence of resistance to de-segregation within America's education system - and how mindfulness, being conscious and aware of our biases, is an important part of our work to redress inequity. Leslie Fenwick's seminal work, Jim Crow's Pink Slip, serves as a guide and compass, unveiling the long shadow left by the  dismissal or demotion of a significant number of black principals and educators after the Brown v. Board of Education ruling. 

This episode offers a deeper understanding of past injustices and their lasting impact and also shows some approaches that can support our efforts to shift the educational landscape. Expect to uncover why representation across racial and cultural lines is more than just a number—it's about students being able to see themselves in the leaders in their learning journey and a call to bring about change in our classrooms for each student and for the benefit of society at large.

Additional reading related to this episode can be found here:

•  Jim Crow's Pink Slip by Leslie Fenwick
• https://journals.sagepub.com/pb-assets/cmscontent/TCZ/Book%20Reviews%20Collection%202022/July%202022/Jim%20Crow%27s%20Pink%20Slip-1659381190.pdf
• https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Education/2022/0912/How-the-1954-Brown-decision-still-influences-today-s-teaching-ranks

Support the show

If you enjoyed this episode please leave a review!

Your review supports our podcast to reach more educators and share the importance of creating more conscious classrooms.

The Conscious Classroom was honored by Feedspot in their Top 100 Classroom Podcasts. We are committed to sharing insights that transform outlooks and inspire with what's possible.

Subscribe so you don't miss a single episode!

Visit Inner Strength Education for more on the great work of the Conscious Classroom.

Want to train to teach mindfulness, compassion, and systems thinking to students? Courses are available at The Conscious Classroom.

Get your copy of the award-winning, bestseller The Conscious Classroom: The Inner Strength System for Transforming the Teenage Mind.

Send us a text

Unlock the synergy between mindfulness and innovation as Amy Edelstein explores the relationship between these two orientations in this episode of the Conscious Classroom. Imagine a learning environment where the air is alive with creativity, and students and teachers alike are inspired to view the world through a lens of fresh possibilities. This discussion unearths the possibilities that contemplative practice can reveal, and shows how marrying innovation and inner exploration is working.  In Inner Strength Education's pilot project with 10 student interns explore the XPRIZE Connect innovation curriculum and Inner Strength Education's tools of open awareness and paradigm shifting. Students learn to tap the inner freedom of shedding outdated paradigms, and discover how to loosen their unconscious hold onto fixed reference points. Through contemplative practice and mental habits, they learn to work with a 360-degree perspective that challenges, refines, and enhances their understanding of education and purpose, and their ability to envision a healthy and holistic world we'd all want to live in. 

Guided by Amy Edelstein, you will practice the transformative exercise of open awareness, a technique that transcends the noise of everyday distractions and brings into focus our own field of awareness. Open awareness is a tool educators can weave  seamlessly into the fabric of school life. Discover how this technique aids in academic pursuits like group work and test preparation and also enriches the teaching experience. By fostering a more conscious learning environment, we lay the groundwork for an educational future that resonates with our highest ideals—a future we can imagine and work to bring to fruition together. 

Support the show

If you enjoyed this episode please leave a review!

Your review supports our podcast to reach more educators and share the importance of creating more conscious classrooms.

The Conscious Classroom was honored by Feedspot in their Top 100 Classroom Podcasts. We are committed to sharing insights that transform outlooks and inspire with what's possible.

Subscribe so you don't miss a single episode!

Visit Inner Strength Education for more on the great work of the Conscious Classroom.

Want to train to teach mindfulness, compassion, and systems thinking to students? Courses are available at The Conscious Classroom.

Get your copy of the award-winning, bestseller The Conscious Classroom: The Inner Strength System for Transforming the Teenage Mind.