I need help with funding to bring yoga and mindfulness to my students by attending a 200 hour yoga teacher training designed specifically for educators!
I have the privilege to work with a very special group of high school-aged learners. They are identified with a variety of disabilities, from Autism Spectrum Disorder to health impairments, to intellectual disabilities, to emotional and psychological disabilities. My students come to me at all different academic and emotional levels, they are eager to learn and have a strong desire to be part of our school community. Though my students are all very different from each other, one thing they have in common with all people is their need to learn to respond to stress and emotions in a healthy way.
Teaching young people to handle stress and emotions in a positive way is critical to helping them become independent adults who make meaningful contributions to our school and our community.
Our school is located in a small community in Wisconsin. My class group is very close because we get to spend a lot of time together. This group of kids loves to have fun and loves to learn new things. They are always willing and eager to try whatever is offered to them.
My Project
The Breathe for Change website states their intent is to, “unite, train and support educators in wellness and social-emotional learning practices to unleash the full potential of every student and teacher.” During 200 hour training, teachers take a deep-dive into personal wellness and into mindfulness implementation for the classroom, school, and community through meditation and yoga. Upon completion of the program, each participant is certified as a B4C Wellness Champion and a Yoga Alliance Certified Yoga Teacher (CYT-200). Participants return to their schools and communities with the tools they need to implement mindfulness in a meaningful and effective manner.
I believe that implementing regular mindfulness and yoga practice into the school community can help in three ways: as a resource for other teachers to implement mindfulness in the school community, as a mindful leader in my classroom, and as a resource for staff to enhance their own well-being.
Specifically, in my classroom, mindfulness will lead to a decrease in time out of the classroom, a decrease in the need for intensive staff intervention, an increase in academic performance. Currently, several of my students take multiple movement breaks throughout the day to help with calming, hyperactivity and difficulty with sustaining attention. When students are not able to calm themselves, it leads to intensive staff intervention. If students have the opportunity to acquire and apply tools of mindfulness, they will be able to more readily access these skills in moments of crisis, which will lead to less need for intensive staff intervention. Mindfulness has also shown an increase in the ability to sustain attention and decrease frustration level. Ultimately less time out of the classroom, fewer incidents of crisis and increased attention span will lead to overall improved well being.
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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 Mrs. Nusbaum and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
