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Hello ECHD 611! Click on the + button in the bottom right corner of the screen to create a new text box. List your three VIP's here with evidence from the text. Make sure to include your name in the title of your post.

-Professor Ritenour

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Ch. 3 Section
1. Negative emotions are often linked to our previous learning experiences and subsequently, how one's emotional memories influence reaction and behavior as a teacher in the classroom.
-This stood out to me because I don't necessarily think about previous learning experiences that I had.  There are a few that I think of now and again, but this is something that I think I should take some more time to reflect upon in order to get to the root of some feelings.

Ch. 4 Section
2. Mindfulness can be used to cultivate positive emotional states within oneself that can then, in turn, enhance classroom climate and teaching.
-I feel that I focus so much on the kids that I forget to take care of me.  I've been getting better at it, but the more time I take to make sure that I am at my best, the better it will be for all of us in our classroom.

Last Paragraph
3. Mindfulness can be used to reduce the stress and occupational hazards of teaching.
-In a job that is getting ever more stressful, taking some simple steps that help not only the teacher and the students is vital to all of our success.

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In chapter 5 overview, Jennigs talks about how it is crucial that you take care of yourself so that you can better take care of your students within the classroom. Having the self-care aspect put yourself in a better state of mind and will help you regulate your emotions when your students need it.

Another thing that stuck to me was teachers have the stress level of someone who works in medical or a prison. Jennigs started off by talking about the alarming numbers and stress that is put on a teacher. As a teacher, we realize what is put on us, but other professions do not. We are often seen as the “glorified babysitter.”

Using mindfulness and MBI can teach your students a direct way with handling emotions within a school setting and taking them to a home setting. Jennings talked about the strategy of mediation or breathing awareness.

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1. Teacher’s have some of the highest rates of work-related stress compared to any other job. Teachers are leaving the profession at an alarming rate, with 4% leaving entirely every year. With this in mind, the quality of education students receive is affected as there are fewer experienced teachers that remain in the classroom. These remaining teachers tend to have a weakened sense of self-confidence, in turn influencing student achievement. A great deal of scientific evidence has shown that mindfulness-based interventions (MBI) are a positive tool for reducing stress, suffering, and increasing well-being.

2. The specific components of mindfulness (acceptance, self-regulation, non-judgement) are beneficial in schools. Mindfulness can be used to help understand your own emotional experiences. It is imperative for educators to have emotional regulation and self-awareness skills in order to reduce their own stress, effectively manage classroom behaviors, and teach students social-emotional skills. Mindfulness can also be implemented to induce a positive emotional state, which in turn can create an overall better classroom environment. When teachers exhibit positive emotions, this can have a huge impact on students and the classroom environment. Teaching students mindfulness practices can be incorporated into daily instruction, promoting a better learning environment.

3. Just as positive experiences and emotions impact teachers and students, difficult experiences and emotions can also have an enormous impact. Difficult emotions, like anger, fear, or sadness, can significantly hinder teaching and the classroom environment. Mindfulness plays a significant role in being able to foster positive emotions. In addition to mindfulness, teachers must also place importance on self-care through addressing their own physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual well-being. Keeping all of these aspects in mind helps educators better meet the needs of their students and be the best versions of themselves.

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1. "stress levels comparable to those faced by ambulance personnel, prison guards, and call-center customer service agents"
- This stuck out to me because I have certainly faced a lot of stress throughout my long term substitute placements but I never really conceptualized before in regards to other occupations. I've heard people say that teaching is one of the hardest careers but I never really thought about it as comparable to things such as ambulence personnel where a lot of the stress comes from in the moment, high intensity situations.

2. "having emotional regulation and self-awareness is critical to teaching students social-emotional skills"
- This stuck out to me because I feel that as teachers we have a tendency to get caught up in managing the social emotional skills of our students but that can make us lose sight of our own social emotional wellbeing. If we can't manage our own emotions then it may become increasingly difficult to demonstrate positive behaviors to our students.

3. "negative emotions are often linked to our previous learning experiences and, subsequently, how one’s emotional memories influence reactions and behavior as a teacher in the classroom."
- When I read this section of the text, I began to reflect on the way that I carry myself when I am teaching and some of the areas that I need to grow as an educator. It could definitely be assumed that the way one manages their classroom and approaches SEL is shaped by the way that their teachers approached these areas (at least initally in their first teaching experience). If there was a negative emotion associated with how their teachers approached things, then it could very easily carry over to their own teaching practice. However, as SEL becomes a more prevalent area of teaching, there could certainly be professional development opportunities to shift the way that these topics are approached.

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“simple journaling exercises for how to monitor and reflect upon the rich emotional experience of one’s day-to-day life” I love this idea of having the kids take 5 minutes of just writing about how they are feeling about the day or project. Getting the situation or feeling out of your head and onto paper gives you freedom to let go of the issue. Then maybe expanding that into a class discussion.

“Critical importance of self-care and how via addressing one’s own physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual well-being teachers become better equipped to meet the needs of their students in the classroom.” Take care of yourself to be a better teacher or do as I say not what I do. Creating a schedule where the phone and computer is put away to focus on your personal well-being.

“How to build a prosocial and warm classroom setting, as well as how to use mindfulness skills to prevent and respond to challenging classroom behavior.” Understanding, common vocabulary, and practice skills can help provide insight into students current status.

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1.       “those that do remain often have a diminished sense of their own sense of efficacy which in turn impacts student achievement”

This point concerned me especially as an educator because I reflect and think about if there is a possibility that could happen to me being in the education field long-term. Its very shocking to know that long-term teachers often feel a lack of accomplishments, but I know it comes from the feeling of burnout. Feeling burn-out as a teacher can directly impact the classroom environment with students.

2.       “chapter 3 also details how negative emotions are often linked to our previous learning experiences”

This research fact surprised me because you typically wouldn’t think that someone’s experience with schooling would present itself in the teaching environment. In my opinion, I view that as projecting; and if that is the case than educators who have negative memories should seek professional support to overcome any negative emotions and/or perspectives when it comes to the learning environment and teacher-student relationship.

3.       “positive emotions (e.g., love, gratitude, joy) can be engendered by teachers, and how these emotional qualities experienced by the teacher can have profound impact on students.”

This was considered an important point to me because the classroom atmosphere does influence students’ performance. Both children and adults benefit from positive emotions. It makes a person feel valued, loved and cared for and also releases oxytocin. If the educator can foster positive emotions and positive feedback, this can help create a classroom community where everyone respects one another, and the teacher doesn’t have to feel overwhelmed.

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1. Pg. 286
"This combination of teacher attrition and stress ultimately affects the quality of education students receive, as there are

fewer experienced teachers in the classroom and those that do remain often have a diminished sense of their own sense

of efficacy which in turn impacts student achievement."
-During our closing PD today in our district, we acknowledged staff members based on their years of service.  As I looked around when our superintendent announced for teachers who have been teaching for 10 years or more to remain standing, over half of our auditorium sat down. It was eye opening to compare the number of veteran and "newer" teachers in our district.

2. Pg. 287
"This chapter also details how negative emotions are often linked to our previous learning experiences and, subsequently, how one's emotional memories influence

reactions and behavior as a teacher in the classroom."
-This summary of chapter 3 reminds me of the experiences that I had as an aide in therapeutic emotional support a few years ago.  I went through several moments of frustration, sadness, and anger in the classroom.  As a regular education teacher today, I take a lot of those experiences with me in the sense that whenever I experience a similar situation to what I experienced in TES, I'm immediately taken back and my emotions go into a fight or flight mode.

3. Pg. 287
"This chapter describes the critical importance of self-care and how via addressing one’s own physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual well-being

teachers become better equipped to meet the needs of their students in the classroom."
-I certainly agree with the need for teachers to be equipped with strategies to support them in their personal well-being. I think ultimately though, I hear "self-care" brought up constantly in our professional development and staff meetings, but often times, there isn't much done to support us in this regard as other responsibilities are piled on our plates. It is challenging to fathom how we can practice self-care in challenging environments that we face in education today.

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#1.  "Chapter 1 introduces and orients the reader to the multifaceted construct of mindfulness and details a concise overview of the germane research on MBI in school settings. For those who are familiar with mindfulness and mindfulness practice, this chapter will read as a clear and genuine illustration of how mindfulness can be used in school settings to support youth."
I have been hearing about and inquiring about mindfulness and the practice of it not only for the students in the classroom, but as well as my athletes on my field hockey team. I think there is a negative connotation when it comes to mindfulness but if educators are taught about it and how to implement it, we could begin to flip the script and instruct our students through mindfulness practices. It would be interesting to learn how it could be incorporated into things we are already doing in our classrooms.

#2. "In Chapter 2, Jennings details what emotions are, how emotions affect both the teacher and the classroom, and how mindfulness can be utilized to best understand one’s own emotional experience. This chapter describes the importance of how having emotional regulation and self-awareness is critical to teaching students social-emotional skills, to managing classroom behavior, and to reducing teacher’s own emotional distress."
I apprecite this quote because I personally have experienced a lot of stress and emotions this past school year due to personal things happening in my life, and what was going on in my classroom this year. I think it is important to not only focus on the students' needs for emotional regulation and self-awarenss, but the teachers' as well.

#3.  "In Chapter 5, Jennings provides a simple guide for how to create a positive classroom environment by car- ing for oneself. This chapter describes the critical im- portance of self-care and how via addressing one’s own physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual well-being teachers become better equipped to meet the needs of their students in the classroom."
Self care is hard for me. I know it is important because I am always pouring into others and I cannot pour from an empty cup. Thinking from it in the perspective that is can help create a positive classroom environment helps me put more emphasis on it and has encourages me to brainstrom some different ways I can practice self care for myself.

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1. Chapter 3 Section:  "This chapter also details how negative emotions are often linked to previous learning experiences, and subsequently, how ones emotional memories influence reactions and behaviors as a teacher in the classroom." I reflecting on my own experience as a learner has made me a better teacher.

2.  Chapter 4 Section: "Jennings illustrates touching examples of how positive emotions (e.g., love, gratitude, joy) can be engendered by teachers)" It is important that we focus on the positive emotions and help students have the most positive learning experience possible.

3. Chapter 5 Section: "This chapter describes the critical importance of self-care and how via addressing one's own physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual well-being teachers become better equipped to meet the needs of their students in the classroom."   As teachers, we know that our students learn better when there needs are met, but it is harder to accept that this is true for us as well.

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1. "stress levels comparable to those

faced by ambulance personnel, prison guards, and call-center

customer service agents (Johnson et al. 2005)"
- Wow!  I feel like this is something many outsiders, or those who do not work in education, understand.  I first handidly know the stress that teaching brings, and actually had switched distrcts because of the stress I was under.  Luckily, I found a district I love and although still stressful, feel supported.  Had I not though, I would have been apart of that 4%.

2. "In Chapter 5, Jennings provides a simple guide for how to create a positive classroom environment by car-

ing for oneself. This chapter describes the critical importance of self-care and how via addressing one's own

physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual well-being

teachers become better equipped to meet the needs of their students in the classroom.
- I feel like self care is something that is talked about openly, however is not respected by administation.  I think teachers are told self care is important, but yet are still expected to have a lot on their plate.

3. "By drawing upon skills and concepts from the previous chapters, Jennings

offers numerous suggestions for how to build a prosocial and warm classroom setting, as well as how to use mindfulness

skills to prevent and respond to challenging classroom behavior."
- I think something I would like to work on next school year is practicing mindfulness when dealing with classroom behaviors. I fully believe that my students will reflect my energy and emotions. I would love to collaborate and learn with my students in the area of mindfulness.

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VIP#1- Chapter 1-
Is more of an introduction which is important and explains mindfulness and its' importance.Then stated talked about how mindfulness to teachers in schools and the burn out rate. It the article Jenning states that "teacher's have some of the highest rates of work-related stress among all occupations." This stuck out to me, because we are currently seeing this in the teacher shortage that we have now. We are now seeing if we can use mindfulness with teacher to help ease the teacher burnout rate.

VIP #2- Chapter 2- Jennings talks about emotions affect teachers and how we can understand their emotional experience. This stuck out to me, because we teacher these skills to our students but sometimes forget to use it when we are feeling stressed.

VIP #3- Chapter 5- Jennings discusses a simple guide to create a positive environment by caring for oneself.  What stuck out to me is how they described self care: physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual. I think it is so easy to forget self care in general and when someone is practicing self care it is so easy to forget one of categories (physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual).

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1. In chapter 3, it details how emotions effect teachers and their students. Negative emotions are linked to our previous learning experiences and, subsequently, how one's emotional memories influence reactions and behavior as a teacher in the classroom. The difficult emotions we feel can impair our teaching and the classroom environment to learn. Incorporating mindfulness in our classroom and teaching out students how to use these skills, can help us negative  these negative emotions and even uncouple habitual reactions to these emotions.

2. In Chapter 5, Jennings talks about how self-care is crucial to our students' learning environment. "Addressing one’s own

physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual well-being teachers become better equipped to meet the needs of their students in the classroom." By teaching ourselves mindfulness and taking care of ourselves, we can be better prepared for helping and teaching our students.

3. Using mindfulness and teaching MBI within our classroom can help us cultivate the skills to promote a calm environment. Learning MBI skills can help foster creativity, innovation, collaboration, and cooperation. Mindfulness practices can have the ability to help reduce our stress and suffering.

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Chapter 2, "This chapter describes the importance of how having emotional regulation and self-awareness is critical to teaching students social-emotional skills, to managing classroom behavior, and to reducing teacher’s own emotional distress." This is one of the first things that is in the CASEL framework, so it makes sense that this is one of the most important when it comes to mindfulness.

In chapter 3, "his chapter also details how negative emotions are often linked to our previous learning experiences and, subsequently, how one’s emotional memories influence reactions and behavior as a teacher in the classroom." I think that this is very important to note because everyone is expected by their past experiences. We need to make sure that we take this into account when dealing with behaviors in our classroom.

In chapter 6, ". By drawing upon skills and concepts from the previous chapters, Jennings offers numerous suggestions for how to build a prosocial and warm classroom setting, as well as how to use mindfulness skills to prevent and respond to challenging classroom behavior." I think that this is a huge deal, we need to make sure that students feel comfortable in the classroom and that they feel like they belong there. If they feel like they are a part of something, then they are more likely to work on the challenges that they are going through.

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Kristal Miller Mindfulness in Teaching VIP's 

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Kristal Miller Mindfulness in Teaching VIP's 

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~ Teaching is rated as one of the most stressful job. Jennings related it to that of a prison guard and ambulance personnel, and call center employees. As teachers, being aware of this is crucial to our success in this profession.
~Mindfulness breeds a better classroom environment. If we are aware of our emotions and know how to self-regulate and to be socially aware, we have the opportunity to model and teach those skills to our students. Children learn a lot through observation so modeling the correct regulation techniques so our students how to apply them too.
~A part of mindfulness is the importance of self-care. We as teachers will be more effective if we are taking care of ourselves and our needs. When we neglect our own physical and emotional needs we leave ourselves depleted and that is not only taxing our our bodies and minds, but may lead to us not responding or reacting appropriately in high stress situations.

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Jennings Mindfulness for Teachers- Hippensteel

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Jennings Mindfulness for Teachers- Hippensteel

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1) "Inadequate pay, large classrooms, students with high rates of problem behavior, academically unprepared students, and pressure to meet the increasing demands of standardized testing".

These are all very real things that are plaguing our schools. Teachers joke all the time, "I don't get paid enough for this" or "that's above my paygrade", but in reality we don't get paid enough for being teacher, mom, nurse, guidance counselor, SEL coach, recess and lunch monitors, and all the other "hats" we wear everyday. That's all before we go home to do it all over for our own kids at home! It's also extremely difficult to do all these things for 25-30 kids in our class.

2) "intense and unrelenting stress that many teachers experience often leads to job burnout, and subsequently, teachers also have one of the highest rates of occupational attrition, with 4% of teachers leaving the profession entirely every year"

I felt this one! This has been my most difficult year in my teaching career. The kids are DIFFERENT, and I have dealt with so many more behaviors than I ever have. I was ready for summer back in January, because I was already feeling the burnout. I took off more days this year for sickness and mental health days than I ever have before. I had months where I thought "I just don't think I'm cut out for this. I need to find a different career." I am truly hoping that next year will change my mind, because this year has been taxing! I know it's not just me, because my daughter (she's in third grade) has had three different teachers this year. THREE! All because after a few months, the teacher decided that teaching just wasn't for them. So it's not just affecting teachers, but the kids as well.

3) "Negative emotions are often linked to our previous learning experiences".

I found this interesting. I've never really thought about, but I think my anxiety about teaching math to my 5th graders this year stemmed from my math experience growing up. I really struggled with math in middle school and beyond. I never really had a "good" math teacher that took the time for me that I needed. I just kind of "got by" with decent-ish grades. My math teacher in high school was an old, mean man that made fun of those that just didn't get it which increased my hate for math. This year I had to change my view of math in order to try and convince my class that math is "fun" and that if I can do it, they can do it!

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Felver presented three Very Important Points that I took away from the article on mindfulness by Patricia Jennings.

First, the article mentioned how negative emotions are often related to our previous learning experiences and how these memories influence our reactions and behavior as teachers in the classroom.  The article detailed how difficult emotions can impair teaching and the classroom environment, but also how important practicing mindfulness can be to “mitigating the influence of these emotions”.

With this, my second VIP, is that mindfulness can be used to “cultivate positive emotional states within oneself that can then, in turn, enhance classroom climate and teaching”.  I am excited to begin implementing mindfullness for myself and also with my students next year through the Mind Yeti component of Second Step. If we model it ourselves, we are setting that example for our students.

Lastly, another take away that we have learned about before in this course, is the importance of practicing self care.  If you are addressing your own physical, emotional, and intellectual well being, you are better equipped to meet the needs of the students in your classroom.  This is something that I continue to take away and see the importance of in my teaching career– finding that balance and the time to step away from being a teacher and being yourself, too.

Felver, Joshua. (2015). Patricia A. Jennings: Mindfulness for Teachers: Simple Skills for Peace and Productivity in the Classroom. W. W. Norton, New York, NY, 2015, 288 pp. Mindfulness. 7. 10.1007/s12671-015-0470-z.

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From the Jenning's article Mindfulness for Teachers: Simple Skills for Peace and Productivity in the Classroom.

1. "teachers have some of the highest rates of work-related stress among all occupations." As a teacher I completely agree with this, and seeing it in print with the comparison of ambulance personnel was very profound.

2. "teachers also have one of the highest rates of occupational attrition, with 4% of teachers leaving the profession entirely every year." Colleagues are retiring and/or leaving the profession earlier and earlier. The majority of my school is teachers with less than 10 years teaching experience. The stress, combined with the low pay, is driving away great teachers.

3. "negative emotions are often linked to our previous learning experiences and, subsequently, how one's emotional memories influence reactions and behavior as a teacher in the classroom." This is a very interesting thought. Initially, I thought the "learning experiences" our negative thoughts were linked to were strictly school related, but after some thought I think "learning experiences" can be any environment including school, home, sports, etc.. Thinking of "learning experiences" more broadly helped me understand how this thought is very accurate.

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1) The article describes that chapter 2 highlights "the importance

of how having emotional regulation and self-awareness is crit-

ical to teaching students social-emotional skills, to managing

classroom behavior, and to reducing teacher’s own emotional

distress." This spoke to me as I end a week where my patience is hitting bottom. I'm feeling frustrated by the same students continuing behaviors that are based on mean girl dynamics.

2) Chapter 5 stresses "the critical im-

portance of self-care and how via addressing one’s own

physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual well-being

teachers become better equipped to meet the needs of

their students in the classroom. " I'm finding that to be so difficult at the moment. I'm overwhelmed with stresses at home, school responsibilities, and grad class work. This has me feeling tired and much less patient than I normally am as a teacher.

3)"Mindfulness for Teachers was
written to help teachers cultivate the skills they need to pro-
mote a calm, relaxed, but enlivened learning environment that
can prepare children for the future by fostering creativity, in-
novation, collaboration, and cooperation."

I would be interested in her techniques as I do tend to bring my own emotions into the classroom. My ultimate goal is always to create a classroom where students can grow and shine academically and emotionally. Separating our inner stress or negative emotions is important for fostering such an environment.

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1. I really liked the idea of having students journal each day. Even if it is only for 5 minutes. When the article talked about how it allows students to reflect on their feelings and release them it made a lot of sense to me. I think that this is something that I would like to start doing next school year. I think this could also be a good time for me to even journal with the class and reflect on my own emotions and feelings. It could be a great morning activity.

2. I really liked when the article stated that "Mindfulness can be used to cultivate positive emotional states". I thought that this was an interesting thought because sometimes it can be easy to do things so mindlessly and deal with emotions in ways that we think are right when it may not be what our brains and bodies need. Being mindful and teaching kids to be mindful of their feelings could largely impact the classroom community.

3. I found it very interesting that it mentioned how negative emotions are often linked to previous learning experiences. I think that this is so important to think about when working with students. Sometimes we think kids are 'out to get us' when we don't know their whole story. I think that this is a really awesome concept to be reminded of.

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MacKenzie Windsor: Mindfulness: A Guide for Teachers 

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MacKenzie Windsor: Mindfulness: A Guide for Teachers 

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One VIP in this article is simply the definition of Mindfulness which in this article was "mindfulness is paying attention to your life, here and now, with kindness and curiosity." I think it is important to know what mindfulness is in order to know why it is important in your life and education. I think it is very important in both your life and education. It is important because so many students and teachers are stressed. Another reason is because so many things are happening in students lives such as bullying is on the rise. I see this everyday.

The second VIP in this article is How can you practice mindfulness. This is important because you may know what it is but may not know how to practice it. You could first read about it so you can practice it, you can enroll in trainings, establish a devoted daily practice in the community, practice medication, or get additional support from others or a professional.

The tired VIP in this article is how to teach it in your classroom. Two examples they gave were 1. The Still Quiet Place which is where kids practice breathing and their mind goes on a trip. They also talked about practicing P.E.A.C.E which is anther way to practice breathing and calming the body, then moving and observing thoughts and emotions.

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1. Teachers experience such a high rate of stress that can be compared to jobs like ambulance workers and prison guards.

-I know that teachers have a stressful job but comparing it to a career where they work with people who have broken laws and make really severe choices, that is shocking. Behaviors are at an all time high, so I have experienced that "fear" and "anxiety" that it can be wrapped into it.

2. Teachers need to have emotional regulation and self-awareness in order to teach those things.

-If we want to manage behavior, we need to know how to manage it ourselves. Identifying our feelings and regulating them in a positive way is one way we can help learners see that in themselves. It helps to manage classroom behaviors as well.

3. Self-care is so important.

-We hear it said so often, but until we practice it, your classroom environment may suffer. Getting enough sleep, eating healthy foods, finding a hobby are all ways that we can help to find an outlet for our stress. Our mindset is one that is the influence of so many kids.

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I actually ended up reading both articles, and found interesting and notable information in both. Below are my three VIPs.

Mindfulness for Teachers

1. “...it is not surprising that teacher’s have some of the highest rates of work-related stress among all occupations, with stress levels comparable to those faced by ambulance personnel, prison guards, and call-center customer service agents.” This quote really stuck out to me because I obviously know that my job is stressful; however, I feel this truly puts into perspective just how stressful our job is for others.

Mindfulness: A Guide for Teachers

1. “...first, second, and third graders who participated in a bi-weekly, 12-session integrative program of mindfulness and relaxation showed significant increases in attention and social skills and decreases in text anxiety and ADHD behaviors" (Saltzman, pg.2). This quote really stuck out to me due to the mention of ADHD. I found it very interesting how mindfulness could suppress those behaviors. Thinking about the many kids I have in my classroom, it makes me wonder how they would be impacted by mindfulness practices.

2. “...children who began the study with poor executive function had gains in behavioral regulation, meta-cognition, and overall global executive control. These results indicate Mindfulness Awareness Practice training benefits children with executive function difficulties" (Saltzman, pg. 2-3). Again this quote struck me because it is truly showing how impactful tending to your emotions can be. With the struggles children are facing today, it is so interesting how once we tend to their emotions and provide them strategies to address them, everything else falls into place.

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Jennings: Mindfulness for Teachers: Simple Skills for Peace and Productivity in the Classroom.

1. The comparison made of teaching to other occupations.(Introduction)

- This struck me off the bat because I have not related being an educator to these other professions, "teacher’s have some of the highest rates of work-related stress among all occupations, with stress levels comparable to those faced by ambulance personnel, prison guards, and call-center customer service agents". It made me reflect and realize that I agree with this statement. As an educator, I always feel the sense of uncertainty or that I'm on the edge of my seat waiting for something to happen. In the world of education, it doesn't matter how many years of experience you may have, there is always going to be that sense of "what am I going to have today".

2. Emotions affect both the teacher and the classroom. (Chapter 2)

- Emotions run our course of the day. Now factor in 15 other tiny humans and their emotions. How are we going to help manage them all? When you self-assess and you need a mindfulness break to help regulate yourself, model it for your students. For example, "I am feeling overwhelmed. I am going to do star breathing to get myself back into the green zone. Let's all do it together".

3. Emotional qualities experienced by the teacher can have profound impact on students. (Chapter 4)

- This relates back to our previous reading where Brackett discusses how people can create a "false front". I think that it is important for teachers to recognize their emotions throughout the day and integrate mindfulness activities in. Whether that be personal mindfulness of journaling on your lunch break or sharing the mindfulness activity with your students, it is important for the educator to be regulate. As Zones of Regulation state, the green zone is the optimal zone for learning. I would tweak that and say that the green zone is the optimal zone for teaching. We can't be our best if we do not feel our best. Teachers should be utilizing positive emotional intentions!

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After reading the summary of Patricia Jennings book titled: Mindfulness for Teachers: Simple Skills for Peace and Productivity in the Classroom I agreed with a lot of things she mentioned. I will say, in my own opinion I feel like it’s easier said than done. I will clarify what I mean in my response.

One point that Jennings made was how teaching is just as stressful as other occupations such as call centers, ambulance personnel and prison guards. These occupations you need to think quick on your feet to handle any situation that may be thrown at you. We must juggle behaviors and academics while keeping in mind meeting state standards. Our year long of work is depicted on a 2-week period of students testing. It can be a daunting task to deal with. It doesn’t reflect the sweat and tears that are put into teaching students the entire year.

Another point that was brought up was the amount of burnout teachers have and teachers leaving the classroom. This is my first year and I had a decent year with only a handful of behaviors. I did see veteran teachers who seemed to highly dislike their job and complained a lot each day. I think it is a good concept to have the skills to deal with stress and be more mindful, but unless it can be implemented into your actual day to me, it is ineffective.

What I mean by ineffective is the person must be willing to use those skills that Jennings talks about in her book. The resources are there but the person has to be willing or have the time to take the step to practice their mindfulness. Again, this is only my observations from what I seen this year with others and in my previous career. It is a good concept Jennings has and I do think it would be beneficial, just taking the time to implement it in your own life is the goal.

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Meagan Stauffer: Mindfulness in Teaching

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Meagan Stauffer: Mindfulness in Teaching

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My VIP moments were as follows:

1. "Mindfulness reduces stress and aids in learning."

I felt this is an important part of the article because it sets the tone for all the other topics. Within the first page, the reader sees an explicit benefit to Mindfulness.

2. "Mindfulness training benefits children with executive functioning difficulties."

So many of our students suffer from the symptoms of ADHD, Autism, and depression. Simply implementing the Mindfulness process can improve the way these students function. It is crazy to think that a bit of reflection and analysis can have such a huge impact on attention, organization and more!

3. "Since Mindfulness is an experiential discipline, to offer it with integrity, the teaching must come out of your own practice."

No surprise here. Every good teacher knows you need to do as you say and model expectations for our students.

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I chose to read the article reviewing the book written by Patricia A. Jennings:

1. "[P]ositive emotional states within oneself that can then, in turn, enhance classroom climate and teaching.[...] these emotional qualities experi-enced by the teacher can have profound impact on students."

I probably knew this, but it was good to be reminded about the fact that the emotional state I bring to the classroom as the teacher will have a distinct impact on my classroom and students. I think it's easier to remember that it has an impact on the classroom atmosphere at large than to remember that it has an impact on the students themselves.

2. It was interesting to read "how negative emotions are of-ten linked to our previous learning experiences and,
subsequently, how one’s emotional memories influence
reactions and behavior as a teacher in the classroom."

I remember something along this line being brought up in the math education course in terms of our feelings about math. As this book is said to point out, the impact of these feelings can be "mitigate[d]."

3. This isn't a very important point per se, but it is one thing that would strongly influence me to read the book. Each of the chapters seem to have resources, tools, or activities for putting into practice whatever that chapter was about. I love good applications laid out for me.

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From Mindfulness: A Guide for Teachers

1. "One of the primary ironies of modern education is that we ask students to 'pay attention' dozens of times a day, yet we never teach them how."

This is so true. Some of the kids in my class have never been in any kind of school before and have no idea how to function at the beginning of the year. Just saying 'pay attention' isn't enough, even for the kids who have been in preschool. They have to know what to do to get their minds focused and stay focused.

2. "Data ... shows that mindfulness training decreases burnout and compassion fatigue and increases empathy and effective communication."

I have never heard the term 'compassion fatigue' before, but I believe it describes something that I've felt before, especially near the end of the school year. I know that I need to take care of myself in order to take care of the kids, but sometimes I need that reminder that there's evidence that it's necessary and helpful.

3. "Since mindfulness is an experiential discipline, to offer it with integrity, the teaching must come out of your own practice."

I have never considered this before, but now that I've read it, it seems obvious. It makes me wonder how many times a school or administrator has suggested teachers use mindfulness in their classrooms without ever starting with having the teachers begin their own mindfulness practice.

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Patricia A. Jennings: Mindfulness for Teachers: Simple Skills for Peace and Productivity in the Classroom

Three important points that stood out to me from the article are as follows:

“teacher’s have some of the highest rates of work-related stress among ALL occupations” This point did take me by surprise. Even though I do realize that teachers do have some stressful days in the classroom, I never realized that teachers have the highest stress level of ALL occupations. In thinking about my current school year, I think my highest level of stress has occurred in nearing the end of the school year. There is so much to get done before the school year ends (report cards, student assessments, student placements, field trips, end-of-year parties, musical presentations, etc.). I try to alleviate some of the stress by going to the gym and taking walks to clear my mind.

Chapter 3 – “negative emotions are often linked to our previous learning experiences and, subsequently, how one’s emotional memories influence reactions and behavior in a teacher in the classroom”. I never really thought about this, but it does make sense. If a student experiences a bad school year due to a negative experience with a teacher, classmates in the class, or a negative learning experience outside of the classroom, this experience does have the potential of carrying over to the student’s life in the future. If the student does become a teacher, there is the possibility that the behavior can carry over to classroom.

Chapter 3 – “addressing one’s own physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual well-being teachers become better equipped to meet the needs of their students in the classroom”. This is definitely a very important point. Taking the time to address self-help is a valuable concept in any occupation. Everyone needs to take time to enjoy things in life that they enjoy. Taking care of one’s physical health is important so that there is no detrimental effect later in life.

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1. The text really hits home for me when it describes the alarming reality of teacher stress. It's striking to read that our stress levels are "comparable to those faced by ambulance personnel, prison guards, and call-center customer service agents"—it perfectly validates the intense, unrelenting pressure I know my colleagues and I face daily. This pressure, as the article points out, directly leads to job burnout and those high attrition rates; I'm seeing this firsthand with many of my teacher friends considering leaving the profession this year due to stress and a lack of support. Ultimately, what truly bothers me is how this cycle of stress and attrition impacts the quality of education our students receive. It's not just about fewer experienced teachers; it's the heartbreaking loss students feel when they make connections with teachers in the building, anticipating their presence in the next grade, only to find them gone. I saw this dramatically happen a couple of years ago when an entire 5th-grade team left, and a whole new group of teachers came in, profoundly disrupting those crucial student-teacher relationships. Thankfully, that new team was strong and quickly bonded and created a good atmosphere, but that's not always the case.

2. What also strikes me as a powerful point from this text is how clearly it positions mindfulness-based interventions (MBI) as a highly effective and increasingly popular solution for the intense stress teachers face. The article mentions "mounting scientific evidence has shown that mindfulness-based interventions (MBI) are a generally powerful and effective modality for reducing stress, suffering, and improving overall well-being." For me, it's particularly encouraging to see this research specifically applied to supporting teacher functioning in the classroom, offering what feels like a concrete, evidence-based path forward for improving the well-being of educators like my friends who are struggling.

3. Another powerful point is how Jennings really digs into how our past experiences and emotional memories profoundly shape our behavior, both as teachers and as students. The text explains that "negative emotions are often linked to our previous learning experiences," and how those "emotional memories influence reactions and behavior as a teacher in the classroom." I know personally how challenging it is when feelings like frustration or even old anxieties from past experiences can sneak in and totally mess with how I'm teaching or how the classroom feels. And, just as importantly, it makes me acutely aware that our students are also bringing their own emotional histories into the classroom every day, influencing their behavior and learning. I particularly like how she then offers a way forward, showing how "mindfulness practice may mitigate the influence of these emotions," and providing "useful activities for becoming mindful of negative emotions and how to uncouple habitual reactions to these emotions." To me, this offers a practical guide to truly break free from those old patterns in myself, which I believe would also help me better understand and respond to the complex emotional behaviors of my students. I look forward to reading her book and putting these insights into practice.

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1) Mindfulness is an “experimental discipline,” which I parallel to the concept of “emotional labor.” The text says in order to present it to your class with integrity, the teaching needs to come out of your own practice.

>Think of it this way- I would be a very crummy basketball coach because I know nothing about basketball. How can we coach our students on mindfulness if we’ve never practiced it? We need to put in the work in our own lives so it’s apparent we hold experience in the discipline.

2) “…Science is NOW documenting the negative impact that stress is having on learning every day.”

>Really? Just now? I feel a little left out as a kid on 9/11. We were expected to go back to class (I was in high school at the time) and we were never ever asked about how we were feeling about it. The guy I was seeing asked me out on a date that night!! (Um…no???) I, however, missed the next three days of school because I was so emotionally spent I couldn’t stand to step foot inside my school. I wonder if someone would have been documenting our stress levels THEN, could we have started this whole discipline of SEL earlier?

3) Self-compassion has academic benefits, especially when dealing with perceived failure.

>Kids who have exceptional needs like ADHD are often redirected exponentially more than their neurotypical peers. They are so used to feeling like “the bad kid,” they lean into that persona. It’s really hard to convince a child who is constantly in trouble that they are a worthwhile human with loads of potential. It’s really hard to convince a child who constantly gets bad grades that they are actually super smart…in other areas. If a child goes into a situation thinking it’s going to be the worst, then they’ll prove themselves correct. It’s up to us as teachers to change that inner narrative and replace it with a growth mindset, and hopefully the child will hear it enough to believe it!

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3 Key Insights

1. Mindfulness Supports Learning and Emotional Well-Being:

Mindfulness is a critical practice that helps students perform better academically and develop their social and emotional skills. By learning to focus their minds and manage their feelings, students can respond thoughtfully instead of reacting impulsively. This is especially important in today's fast-paced and sometimes stressful school environments. When students practice mindfulness, they can better manage challenges, leading to improved academic results and healthier relationships with their peers.

2. Benefits of Mindfulness for Teachers:

When teachers practice mindfulness, they enjoy numerous personal and professional benefits. It helps reduce stress and prevents burnout, which keeps their enthusiasm for teaching alive. Mindfulness also enhances classroom interactions by fostering empathy and promoting better communication. When teachers demonstrate mindfulness in their own lives, they create a supportive atmosphere that motivates students to adopt these practices as well. Staying present and grounded is essential not only for teachers’ well-being but also for delivering meaningful lessons on mindfulness to their students.

3. Simple Mindfulness Techniques for the Classroom:

Integrating mindfulness into the classroom can begin with simple exercises that cater to different age groups. For younger kids, a technique called the "Still Quiet Place" helps them imagine a calm and peaceful spot within themselves. For older students, the "P.E.A.C.E." approach—standing for Pause, Engage, Acknowledge, Care, and Evolve—offers a straightforward way to develop mindfulness and emotional understanding. However, for these practices to be effective, teachers need to be well-prepared and sensitive to the emotional needs of their students, creating a safe and nurturing environment for everyone to flourish.

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1. Benefit's to Developing a Mindfulness Practice.

There are several benefits that come along with developing mindfulness into your teaching practice. A mindfulness practice involves stress reduction, improved classroom environment, and better communication. For example, "In summary, practicing mindfulness can decrease your stress and enhance your well‐being. This in turn will improve the learning environment in your classroom and make you a more effective teacher. Developing a personal practice can offer significant benefits to you and your students (Mindfulness A Teachers Guide, 4). Practicing mindfulness involves several benefits that help the teacher and all the students in the class which is crucial for any teacher/student.

2. How to Teach Mindfulness in the Classroom.

Teaching mindfulness in the classroom is important for many reasons. In my first major point I discussed the benefits of mindfulness being practiced in the classroom. There is one major method that is known to help teach mindfulness in your classroom which is called P.E.A.C.E. PEACE stands for "Pause, exhale, acknowledgment, accept, allow, choose, and engage (Mindfulness A Teachers Guide, 8). Practicing PEACE is a great method that educators can use themselves to practice mindfulness, but also use to teach to students to use. PEACE is something you can practice doing for small irritations and use it more and more as needed for other life scenarios.

3. Why Mindfulness is Important

Mindfulness is important for several reasons. Diving into stress and how it effects learning allows people to understand the true importance of mindfulness. For example, "You have also most likely realized that student stress frequently inhibits their ability to learn, and that the emphasis on academics is neglecting the development of the social‐emotional qualities essential for skillful world citizenry. Students are being diagnosed with depression, anxiety, ADHD, eating disorders, cutting,
addictions and other self‐destructive behaviors at epidemic rates. Cruelty, bullying and violence are on the rise. Most, if not all, children could benefit from learning to focus their attention, to become less reactive, and to be more compassionate with themselves and others (Mindfulness A Teachers Guide, 1&2). Stress is proven to affect the way students ability to learn in the classroom. Mindfulness is incredibly important to teach students so they can begin relieving stress, avoiding the many common diagnosis of today's society, and learning to focus their attention properly.

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1. "Mindfulness is paying attention to your life, here and now, with kindness and curiosity." I really liked this point because of the language used. I think it is very important to emphasize the kindness and curiosity part of mindfulness. We are not paying attention to be mean to ourselves. We are paying attention to help our brains and our bodies.

2. "We ask our students to 'pay attention' dozens of times a day, yet we never teach them how." I can hear myself asking my students to pay attention. I know that I do it all the time. But, I have never once taught a lesson on focus or "paying attention." We should be explicitly teaching our students, especially our youngest population, how to pay attention during the school day.

3. "It feels sort of strange but peaceful." This was a quote from a student who has practiced mindfulness in the classroom. I think it is such an important skill to teach our students because it can bring them a sense of calm and peace. Even though it will feel strange as they are learning, it can still bring peace.

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1. The first thing that stood out was the idea that we constantly ask children to "pay attention," yet we rarely teach them how to do that. Dr. Satlzman's definition, "paying attention to your life, here and now, with kindness and curiosity," spoke to me both as a student and an educator. It made me realize how important it is to model and explicitly teach this kind of awareness in the classroom.

2. Reading about how stress affects executive fuctioning made me reflect on students I've worked with who struggle with focus, memory, and/or self-regulation. Knowing that mindfulness has been shown to strengthen executive functioning and reduce anxiety really affirmed my belief that we should be prioritizing social-emotional support just as much as academics.

3. I found it reassuring to read more about how mindfulness can help reduce burnout and compassion fatigue. It reminded me that taking care of ourselves isn't selfish, but it's essential. I appreciated the encouragement to develop our own practice first. It makes sense, if we want to help students find their "Still Quiet Place," we need to find our own.

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Mindfulness for Teachers by Patricia Jennings.

My first VIP moment I had when reading this text was in the first sentence, where Jennings states that teachers are facing many obstacles and difficult situations, and then lists many of the obstacles. I found this sentence to be a very important point, but not for the fact that it supports the need for mindfulness. I think it is disappointing that the statement Jennings stated is stated so many other places and is just read as if it is something normal. I don't think it is normal for our career to have these issues. I do not think that these statements should be read like they are normal. I wish that we could take away the normalization of this sentence and find a way to change.

I also think it is a VIP that Jennings makes when she states that teachers' levels of stress not only affect the teacher but it also affects the students. This point is very important in the fact that it shows the cyclical effect of teacher stress. The career creates stress, the stress affects performance, and in turn, the career becomes even more stressful.

Lastly, I think it is a VIP that "mindfulness can be used to cultivate positive emotional states within oneself that can then enhance classroom climate and teaching." This statement stuck out to me because it also shows that the cycle of poor environment and stress can be a positive cycle. With mindfulness, teachers can create positive emotional states within themselves, and with that, their classroom can be a positive environment as well.

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"Mindfulness is paying attention to your life, here and now, with kindness and curiosity." This definitely stuck me immediately after reading it. It's so simple yet it's not a concept that I would think about daily. It really made me stop and think. As teachers, we can sometimes be in a rush or too much in our heads, which can affect us mentally and physically. While it is important to teach mindfulness strategies to our students, it is always beneficial for us to learn and implement those strategies.

From student testimony in the article, "It feels sort of strange but peaceful, I can't really tell how I use mindfulness at home, but I do know it helps me when I am mad at my brother". The fact that the student implements strategies at home that he has learned from school is amazing. Maybe a teacher mentioned to use these strategies at home or maybe not. But the student made the connection from home to school in order to achieve mindfulness. It's great the students apply it to their lives and environment outside of school.

"In fact, learning to balance the emotional demands of teaching with other professional and personal pressures is central to the teacher's art, vital to professional longevity." The article doesn't fail to emphasize the importance of the teacher's mental health. It acknowledges that most have duties outside of the classroom, which is refreshing to read. At times, it doesn't feel like people acknowledge it. Learning the balance of an emotional job such as this one is key.

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1. Teacher stress is comparable to high-stress professions. It’s powerful to see teaching compared to such extreme jobs. It shows how urgent it is to support teachers mental health.

2. Mindfulness helps teachers regulate emotions and improve the classroom environment. This shows how mindfulness is not just about staying calm but about making real changes in how we interact with students and manage our own stress.

3. Self-care isn’t optional. As teachers it's so easy to feel guilty for focusing on ourselves and our needs, but this point shows us that its difficult to be a good teacher without taking care of ourselves.

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1. Emotions affect teachers too.

2. Being a teacher is hard and requires a lot of emotional sacrifice, it leads to stress and mental burnout and all this is greatly affected by the play of negative emotions in the classroom due to so many things.

3. Negative emotions from teachers impair teaching and have a great impact on Students.

4. It is important for teachers to learn to cultivate mindful awareness of their emotions.

5. CARE FOR YOURSELF.

6. It is important to learn how to build prosocial and warm classroom, skills and how to use mindfulness skills to prevent and respond to challenging classroom behaviors.

7. MINDFULLNESS can take up so many forms depending on the individual but it key to maintaining sound mental health as a teacher by helping to reduce stress and occupational.hazards.