Voices from the Mindful Classroom Training
These reflections come directly from educators and administrators who participated in the Mindful Classroom training. Responses are shared anonymously and grouped by theme for clarity.
QUESTION 1:
Supporting Educator Well-Being & Preventing Burnout
​One of my goals in creating this training is to support teachers in adopting a mindfulness practice (or to refresh an already existing practice) in order to help with job satisfaction and prevent burnout. Did you have any experiences that speak to this goal?​
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Yes! I have casually and inconsistently practiced mindfulness and meditation throughout the past 8 or so years, but I have never stuck with it! Learning more about the benefits of mindfulness, how stress affects our brain and all of the amazing ways we can reduce this stress and prevent burnout was so helpful. I have started practicing mindfulness and meditation more consistently since the start of the course and I plan to continue this so it can become a daily practice of mine! — Elementary Teacher
It definitely helped me to refresh what I Knew about mindfulness and equipped me with new information and tools to start a personal practice. The sessions were also a safe space to stop, breathe, reflect and allow myself to observe. This was very valuable.
— Elementary Teacher
I noticed a huge difference in my mindfulness, both within myself and within the classroom as a result of this training. I already had established routines with mindfulness in the classroom, but this training strengthened my practice. I wasn't feeling burnout, but I can see how this course would help that -- specifically with the aspect of mindfulness for ourselves. — Elementary Teacher
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I felt this program did exactly that. I had already had some experiences, as well as a consistent routine of meditating a couple of years ago, and I found this program helped revive these routines and practices that I had lost over the years. It also equipped me with strategies and tools that I could use throughout the working day when feeling overwhelmed or to just help with reflecting and grounding. — Elementary Administrator
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QUESTION 2:
Impact on Teaching Practice
​Was this training beneficial to you as a teacher and to what you teach? If so, in what ways?​
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Absolutely! Beneficial as a teacher because it allows you to develop strategies and practices to deal with the stress and overwhelming burden of taking on all of your student's feelings and emotions whilst also validating this stress. This training encouraged me to create routines and practices to help mitigate the overwhelming feelings that come with being a teacher.
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It was also very beneficial as a teacher of Grade 2 students because it provided me with many ideas of ways to implement mindfulness into my students' daily routines. Although we already had a mindfulness practice in place, this training encouraged me and allowed me to incorporate new "tools", strategies, and ideas and enlightened me on wonderful new ways to support my students in certain situations. — Elementary Teacher
It was beneficial for me as a person and as a teacher as well. It provided me with knowledge, tools, time for reflection and practical practices that I am introducing in the classroom. — Elementary Teacher
This was incredibly beneficial! I was already doing some of these practices in my classroom, but understanding the why and how behind everything makes a huge difference. Also, you gave so many techniques and tips to share with students that it has strengthened our overall mindfulness in the classroom. I find I am a calmer teacher and trying to react to students in a kinder, more patient, and more empathetic way overall.— Elementary Teacher
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Whilst I am not teaching a class at the moment, I did still find the training beneficial. It has made me more conscious of mindfulness and meditation techniques and practices that can be used for SEL. I've also started having mini mindful moments at the beginning of our curriculum planning meetings as it's a good way to ground educators before jumping into planning! — Elementary Administrator
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QUESTION 3:
Access to Tools and Resources
What is your experience with the digital toolbox? ​
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I love the tool box. Super useful!!!!! I use it and it is one of the big takeaways of this course. — Elementary Teacher
The resources in the toolbox are amazing! It is really helpful having it as a reference after finishing the training.— Elementary Teacher
I've copied and pasted certain tools that I made connections with, and included them in my personal planners. It's a great idea to have all of the resources in one place.— Elementary Administrator
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QUESTION 4:
Personal Changes and Growth
Have you noticed any personal changes since beginning this training? ​
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Yes! More aware of my physical responses to stress, frustration, disagreements. An ability to pull from some of the strategies and practices we have learned in order to ground myself during these moments. An increased awareness of my needs and a feeling that I am more in control of my responses. More openness to meditation practices and knowledge around how and why it is so beneficial! — Elementary Teacher
Yes, I am way more aware of my own state, my self talk and my perspective on things. I feel that I have a long way to go but I am happy I started a journey.— Elementary Teacher
Yes! I've started meditating in the mornings again.. not every morning, but it's a work in progress! The training reminded me of the benefits of making space and time for meditation in the mornings. It's like exercise, you never regret a gym session! I've also been more mindful of my feelings and emotions during work, and how I respond to colleagues. It has reminded me to practice self-compassion.— Elementary Administrator
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QUESTION 5:
Impact on Students and Classroom Environment
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If you've added any of the practices into your classroom, have you noticed any changes in your students or your classroom environment?
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They are becoming more skilled at following the mindfulness practices and focusing while we are doing them. They have also incorporated the vocabulary and some breathing techniques independently. — Elementary Teacher
My kids are MUCH calmer. We start our mindfulness with different kinds of breathing and I've led them through some meditations. I was unsure of how the meditations would work for them, but it was a very powerful experience. We did the loving-kindness meditation and the students were very engaged. We also do mindfulness throughout the day (breathing, gentle movement) instead of only during our dedicated mindfulness time post-lunch. I also tried the 4-7-8 breath, drawing around our foot, heartbeat exercises, and 5 senses. The kids like all of them! — Elementary Teacher
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I feel since adding mindful moments to the beginning of our curriculum planning meetings, the meetings are usually more productive as it refocuses educators and grounds them in the practice. — Elementary Administrator
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QUESTION 6:
Clarity and Pacing of the Training
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What was your experience with the amount of information presented in each session?​
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It felt very digestible! I think there was a perfect amount of information presented each session.— Elementary Teacher
The information felt digestible. I know sometimes we did not get through all of the info planned- I think it depends on the group and how willing people are to "share" which can take time.— Elementary Teacher
The session sizes were a good length of time. I appreciated that the content was organized in a way that was easy to process, and allowed time for reflection. Katie also made links to prior sessions, which I found beneficial. It was good to have the opportunity to practice some of the tools that Katie shared, and these were a great way of breaking up the sessions too. When our conversations were rich, I liked how Katie didn't feel the need to rush through the remaining information but simply adjust the scheduling for the following sessions. — Elementary Administrator
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