• Christina White

We tend to forget about our own emotional needs and our mental health. A way to embed self care during my day is drinking more water, working out, and eating whatever food I want. I love food. We cant neglect ourselves from the things that brings us joy. 

One of the strategies is noise isolation in the classroom. 

• Noise isolation: There are a variety of sounds that your students hear when they’re in your classroom, from students walking in the hallway to outdoor construction noise. Have your students focus on one noise and describe it to themselves and recall the last time they interacted with it.

This week I am going to try and incorporate more mindfulness moments in my classroom because I had not been doing them as often as I have in the passed. I am going to find mindfulness videos as well as using my bell chime to ding while the kids rest their head on their desk and focus on their breathing.

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Tammie Perkins

I often have my students participate in circle time to share their experiences and ideas.

Maria Salas

Morning meeting/circles are my favorite way to connect with my students and for them to connect with each other. Since I taught second grade, they were more than happy to share about their feelings.

Michele Jarrett

SEL Activity: The SEL activity that I would have loved to implement in my 4th grade classroom would have be "Appreciation, Apology, Aha". This is such a great closing activity for collaborative group work such as math tasks or projects. Many times, we are so focused on the end product, that we rarely take the time to give feedback on what was happening behind the scenes. Taking time for students to reflect on what they appreciate builds relationships. Additionally, having students apologize for wrong doings or their mistakes can help with self-awareness.

MRamzan

-MRamzan

The SEL activity I would like to try in my classroom is Write down, rip up and throw away your stress. This seems like a good way to start the day because everyone can have a positive start if they have a chance to "throw away their troubles." I also see this as something that could be used anytime a student is stressed or angry about something. If they are given the chance to write about it and then throw it away, I believe this could be very effective to help them forget about their troubles.

Jennifer McDonnell

This past week, I read two books and gained a lot of new knowledge. I really enjoy expanding my horizons through reading during my free time. Specifically, I'm drawn to dystopian novels. Recently, I read a book about the science of reading and it completely blew my mind. I loved the feeling of learning new information and feeding my brain.

During my time as a teacher, I used to do mindfulness exercises with my students. We would participate in circle time and they really enjoyed it. This was a great opportunity for them to express their emotions and share how they were feeling.

-Veronica Salcedo

This week, I would like to focus on home when I am home. I often take work home and am finishing things at home. I also plan on going to bed earlier so that I feel better rested.

Self-care: This week I sat outside after dinner and read for about half an hour (while my husband weeded)😁. It was very peaceful. Usually after work it's - run errands, make dinner, start laundry, clean dishes, work on homework, etc... I RARELY take time to do something enjoyable. Moving forward, I am going to try to sit outside in the evenings and read at least a couple of times a week.

SEL activity: Growth mindset vs. fixed mindset. Students are so quick to say "I can't do this". (Aren't we all?) I present the idea of "I can't do this...yet". This turns a fixed mindset into a growth mindset. I will continue to use this strategy as long as I'm in the classroom to help my students develop a positive outlook of their abilities.

SEL Activity-

Being a 6th grade self-contained teacher, I try to implement SEL throughout the day. We start the day off with a check in and come back to it before lunch. I do several things on the list but would like to try a Quote of the Day as this can open up discussions about topics or events that are relevant to them and help them to understand different perspectives and hopefully gain some empathy and compassion by doing so.

-Jane Delgado

Kimberly Roberson