My school serves a diverse, energetic population of students in PreK-5th grade. They are enthusiastic learners whose drive to achieve their goals can sometimes become a source of anxiety for them. School-based yoga and mindfulness practices can help our students learn to manage their stress more effectively, something that will be useful to them throughout the rest of their lives. Yoga and mindfulness can improve student outcomes and quality of life through increased calmness, better sleep, and a greater sense of overall well-being.
Our school is a special, cozy, Title I school where space is very limited.
Our students, like all children, love to engage in activities where they can stretch out and move around and get a break from sitting at their desks. Teaching them yoga and providing our kids with opportunities to practice it throughout the day will give them the chance they need to move their bodies while enhancing their concentration, focus and memory. This, in turn, will help our students with their social, emotional and academic development for years to come.
My Project
As an educator, I will be studying the use of mindfulness, yoga, and social-emotional learning as a vehicle for social change in the classroom and the school community. I have the amazing opportunity to bring this knowledge and utilize these practices within my field.
Research shows that mindfulness and yoga practices for teachers leads to increased performance, self-compassion, and resilience, while enhancing social and emotional well-being for themselves and their students, and reducing stress and burnout.
Professionals receiving mindfulness interventions also experience significantly less emotional exhaustion and enjoy increased job satisfaction.
Training and certification will help me bring the powerful practices of yoga and mindfulness to the teachers and students at our school. I hope this will have a positive, long-lasting impact on the entire school community.
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Ms. Rzerzicha and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.