I am so lucky to be the school counselor at my school! Our school is a Title I school that also implements a Dual Immersion Program from Kindergarten-5th grade. I have started implementing Mindfulness both in my office and in every classroom at our school. I spend time in each class twice a month, working with students to build their ability to self-regulate and understand how their brain influences everything about their lives. We use breathing techniques, guided meditations, and visualization to help students learn how to control their intense emotions and "give their brain a break". Research has proven that with the use of mindfulness, our students's brains grow in the pre-frontal cortex (the regulation/decision making part of the brain) and allows them to make better choices, be more self-aware and cope with difficult emotions.
Mindfulness has changed my life!
I strive to provide my students with the skills to build their own mindful skills to use as a coping skill for the challenges and problems they will face. When a child understands their own brain, they have the power to make better decisions to support their learning and deepen their social-emotional intelligence.
My Project
As a school counselor, my goal is to provide my students skills they can use to foster resilience in their lives when faced with the inevitable challenges life holds. I work with each classroom in my school twice a month to build mindfulness skills and understanding for my students, while also addressing topics such as growth mindset, conflict resolution, coping with difficult emotions, and having empathy for others. Mindfulness is an evidence-based practice that allows children to understand not only how their brain works, but further how they can work to control their emotions and strive to engage in mindful responses to stimuli from their lives, rather than "unmindful" reactions. We use and need musical chimes to signal the start of and close of our mindful practices together, such as visualization, breathing strategies, and progressive muscle relaxation.
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