The Mindful Educators Podcast

Friends, We are in unprecedented times right now. As educators many of us, if not most of us, will be teaching in a whole new way for a quite a while. In the time of Covid-19, we are finding ourselves navigating teaching through distance learning which just might make us feel disconnected and overwhelmed. In this episode we offer 5 mindful ways to stay connected and support yourself during this challenging time. Know that we are thinking about all of you and are here for you. Remember we can't control the events in our life, only how we respond to them. We've got this educational rock stars! If you have ideas to share for distance learning please reach out to us on Instagram @themindfuleducators or via email @ [email protected] Mentioned in the podcast: Remind.com Flipgrid.com Screencastify.com

Marc Brackett director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence and author of the book Permission to Feel: Unlocking the Power of Emotions to Help our Kids, Ourselves, and Our Society Thrive writes "The three most important aspects of learning- attention, focus and memory- are all controlled by our emotions NOT by cognition." So if we want kids to learn, we have to help them deal with the emotions that may be impacting their ability to learn. In this week's episode listen in as Dave walks us through these 6 steps teachers can use to help a student who is struggling emotionally. 1. Do not allow yourself to emotionally attach to the situation 2. Do a quick assessment of the situation 3. Find a calm/safe place to work with child to begin processing their emotions 4. Help the student name the feeling 5. Try strategies to regulate their emotion 6. Follow-up with the student Lastly, in our own version of Show and Tell, check out the end of our podcast where we share what we are into or what we have recently learned this week. Listen in and join us in creating a community of mindful and connected educators one classroom at a time! Show and Tell Erin: Show: Schitt's Creek Dave: Picture book: We Don't Eat Our Classmates by Ryan T Higgins Also, register for our event this spring. Early bird tickets are available through March 15: The Mindful Educators Event April 4, 2020 8:45- 3:30 Doubletree Hilton Nanuet, NY Link Below Registration and information Questions, PO's and more information email: [email protected] FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM: @themindfuleducators

EMOTIONS Part 2: Managing your teacher emotions. Once I am aware of how I am feeling, now what? This week we dive into part 2 of our 3 part series on emotions. Last week we discussed the role emotions play in our lives and in our classrooms. In this week's episode, we break down real actionable takeaways to work through our emotions allowing us to the ability to respond rather than react. Because we know, you can't teach what you don't practice. Listen in to increase your own emotional toolbox allowing you to experience your classroom and your students in a new way. Research now supports that teachers with more developed emotional skills report less burnout and more job satisfaction. They feel more inspired, less frustrated and have a warmer relationship with their students. All good reasons to up level your own emotional IQ! Lastly, in our own version of Show and Tell, check out the end of our podcast where we share what we are into or what we have recently learned this week. Listen in and join us in creating a community of mindful and connected educators one classroom at a time. Show and Tell Erin: Brainstorming technique for the classroom: mind mapping Dave: Using a quote of the week for connection. Also, register for our event this spring: The Mindful Educators Event April 4, 2020 8:45- 3:30 Doubletree Hilton Nanuet, NY Link for tickets and registration: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-mindful-educators-event-tickets-92564040537 Registration information via PDF https://drive.google.com/file/d/158lCbwoiOLbtIbbDoLI1BgMzVpmIcxCZ/view?usp=sharing Questions, PO's and more information email: [email protected] FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM: @themindfuleducators

Have we got an episode for you this week! It's a relevant and huge topic that we are breaking into 3 parts simply because there is so much ground to cover. For three weeks we will be talking about emotions and the role they play in our lives and in our classrooms. We will be sharing from our own personal database of what we are hearing from educators, and from the wisdom of Dr. Marc Brackett director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence and author of the book Permission to Feel: Unlocking the Power of Emotions to Help our Kids, Ourselves, and Our Society Thrive. We discuss how unregulated emotions or the avoidance of emotions are playing out in our world and in our schools. We also dive into the current research proving that the three most important aspects of learning: attention, focus and memory are all controlled by our emotions NOT by cognition. All indicating the importance of strong SEL (social-emotional learning skills) in the classroom. The big takeaways from this podcast are: Emotions matter to learning- they drive it. Research now supports that teachers with more developed emotional skills report less burnout and more job satisfaction. They feel more inspired, less frustrated and have a warmer relationship with their students. Deepening our understanding around our own emotional world and how we process and manage these emotions will allow us to see our classroom and life differently. Show and Tell Erin: Lotion: Pure Grace / Perfume: Casual Dave: Quote: An impulse to discipline was meant to give way to an impulse to listen and understand. - Caroline Preston The Mindful Educators Event April 4, 2020 8:45- 3:30 Doubletree Hilton Nanuet, NY Link for tickets and registration: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-mindful-educators-event-tickets-92564040537 Questions, event PO's and more information email: [email protected]

Teacher friends! Do you think your family and friends understand what you do day in and day out? Would it help if they did? We say YES and in this week's episode we share the parts of our job we thought our NON-teacher friends and family should know about as well as ways in which they can support us in our demanding profession. Why is it so important to share the nuances of our work? (Note: this is NOT a gripe session but rather a sharing) To develop empathy and understanding - the social-emotional skills that build strong, healthy relationships. However, we don't just think this is important for teachers to do all of the sharing. We encourage everyone to find a way to open up about the hardships, as well as the joys of their job, and then ask for what they need from their family and friends in terms of support. Share and ask for what you need- great communication skills for us and to teach our students. We hope you try this technique with your friends, partners, and loved ones. The awareness will strengthen your relationships we are sure of it. Lastly, in our own version of Show and Tell, check out the end of our podcast where we share what we are into or what we have recently learned this week. Listen in and join us in creating a community of mindful and connected educators one classroom at a time! Show and Tell Erin: SEL technique: Forget about it Friday Dave: TedEd video: The Backwards Brain Bicycle: Un-doing Understanding https://ed.ted.com/featured/bf2mRAfC The Mindful Educators Event April 4, 2020 8:45- 3:30 Nanuet, NY Link for tickets and registration: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-mindful-educators-event-tickets-92564040537

We have a special episode this week and we are super excited about it because despite the title, it's chock full of wisdom for all classroom teachers. We were lucky enough to sit down with Deirdre Azzopardi in our basement studio to discuss how mindfulness positively impacts the special needs population in our schools. Deirdre is an occupational therapist with over 25 years of experience working with children with special needs. She has a doctoral degree in occupational therapy and a master's degree in psychology. Deirdre is also a registered yoga teacher for adults and children as well as a trained mindfulness instructor. Deirdre has presented extensively on the benefits of mindfulness, yoga, and self-regulation and has created several mindful movement programs that have been used with children in early childhood programs. Deirdre is not only an extraordinary OT and educator, she passionately radiates positive energy in all aspects of her life. In this episode you will hear how mindfulness impacts students of all ages but Deirdre especially shares her experience with early education students with special needs as well as the importance of buy in and the benefits of mindfulness for the classroom teachers. Deirdre's website: https://weinsteadofme.com/ Our shares: Dave: Adult connecting through board games: Code Names Erin: The documentary: Game Changers on Netflix Deirdre: The podcast: Connecting Parenting by Jennifer Kolari

How to change your energy when you need to in the classroom. Have you ever been in such a mood that teaching seems impossible? We have for sure and in this episode we talk about the reality of teaching while trying to manage our personal emotions. It can be overwhelming at times but we need to show up each and every day despite what's happening personally so that we can be there for our students. What do you do, when life has just become too much and you want to show up as your very best self in your classroom? Awareness is the key and in this episode we talk about 5 strategies to help deal with our moods when we have to teach. Lastly, in our own version of Show and Tell, check out the end of our podcast where we share what we are into or what we have recently learned this week. Listen in and join us in creating a community of mindful and connected educators one classroom at a time! Our shares: Dave: Just 3 practicing mindfulness for three days a week will start to move your nervous system into a more relaxed state and rewiring neural pathways in the brain. Erin: the impact of relaxing music in the classroom

The new year brings about a lot of hope and possibility. In 2020 we have decided to begin the new year remembering and reflecting on why we teach. On the surface, this seems like a pretty simple question. But with a little mindful awareness the answer just might surprise you. In today's episode, we dig into our why and have decided to use this as our focal point for the rest of the year. Listen in and feel free to share your 'why you teach' with us via email @ [email protected] or @themindfuleducatorspodcast on Instagram. Lastly, in our own version of Show and Tell, check out the end of our podcast where we share what we are into or what we have recently learned this week. Listen in and join us in creating a community of mindful and connected educators one classroom at a time! Our shares: Erin: Stillness is the Key by Ryan Holiday on audio Dave: A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood the film

Reflection is fitting for this time of year as we are closing out 2019 and beginning a new decade. It is also a mindful practice we feel passionate about. In this week's episode we discuss how reflection, both personally and in school, can support the growing and learning process. It offers clarity, challenges our thinking and develops self-awareness and self-acceptance- all critical social emotional skills. We know that finding time to reflect and be alone with our thoughts is harder than ever and as a society, we lack opportunities for stillness and reflection in our daily lives. However, with a little intentionality, prioritizing reflection both personally and in school is an incredibly powerful tool. Reflection allows us the opportunity to pause and untangle our thoughts and sort through our experiences, helping us form new ways of thinking. Which can lead to more intentional and less reactive actions. And who doesn't want a bit more of that? To support you in deepening your reflective practice, this week on Instagram we will be offering our best questions as we discussed on this episode. So if you are interested in this free resource you can grab it on Instagram @themindfuleducators and click the link in the bio. Lastly, in our own version of Show and Tell, check out the end of our podcast where we share what we are into or what we have recently learned this week. Listen in and join us in creating a community of mindful and connected educators one classroom at a time! Our shares: Erin: Nutpods creamer Dave: Laundry racks

Q and A with Dave and Erin Have we got answers for you! On today's podcast, we respond to the questions we received via email, DM or from our professional development sessions in the hopes of sharing how to begin a more formal mindfulness practice in the classroom. We talk about everything from teacher fear, to students not cooperating, to letting go of perfection when it comes to introducing any mindfulness activity. Some of the questions we dive into: How do you define mindfulness to your students? How would you suggest teachers explain it younger kids? What are your daily practices? Which mindfulness practices are the hardest to sustain? If someone is as listening right now and said I am going to start my mindful journey today, which practices would you recommend? Why did you decide to transition your practices into the classroom? How did you roll them out and what were the benefits? How do kids respond when you ask them to practice mindfulness? What advice would you give a teacher who is considering introducing mindfulness to their students? How did you find that introducing mindfulness to your students impacted them academically? Lastly, in our own version of Show and Tell, check out the end of our podcast where we share what we are into or what we have recently learned this week. Listen in and join us in creating a community of mindful and connected educators one classroom at a time! Our shares: Erin: Naming a class pet: using the opportunity to create anticipation, engagement and a strong classroom culture and Vital Proteins Collagen Creamer Mocha flavor Dave: Our podcast: Taking on a project with someone that is important to you can be very challenging but rewarding. Connect with us on Instagram @themindfuleducators or check in via email with questions, comments, podcast ideas or to just say hi at [email protected]