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L.A. Unified mental health experts say that self-care is the key to not simply surviving but thriving during the holidays and other times of stress. This means slowing down and taking time for yourself. Stretch your muscles before you get up in the morning, stick to your exercise routine and take time to take a deep breath and slow down. Through a grant from the California Endowment , funded by the David Lynch Foundation , students and staff at Gage Middle School are practicing...

On an early fall evening, hundreds of students, ranging from 1st-graders to high school seniors, filed onto the stage of a cavernous auditorium at a San Francisco Bay Area high school. One by one, they marched to the microphone to state their name and their milestone in achieving perfect attendance for at least a year: Some had made the goal for four years, some for seven years. One girl, a recent graduate, received a trophy in absentia, for 12. Twelve years without a single tardy, let alone...

Taking her seat at the end of a long table, the leader of a Southwest Detroit elementary school was clearly rattled by the bad luck of having been called first. “Good morning,” she said, as she glanced down at her notes, then up at the colleagues and bosses who stared back at her from around the hot and crowded room. “Sorry, I’m very nervous,” she said through a shaky voice before launching into a list of facts about her school. [For more on this story by ERIN EINHORN, go to...

Librarians are already doing their part by posting “All Welcome Here” posters, presenting educational programs that offer insight into different cultures, and providing safe, bully-free environments, but it’s also important to focus on some internal housekeeping with some of our most impressionable members. The following activities have proven successful with tweens in my library and community. ZENTANGLES Zentangles is meditation through doodling. It was much bigger a few years ago, but it’s...

In studies on job satisfaction and burnout, teachers often cite “lack of supportive work environment” as a main cause of attrition. I know my colleagues and I have all felt the stress of increased workloads due to resource limitations, the pressure of performance evaluations and lack of autonomy in the classroom. These factors can contribute to an environment antithetical to the art and science of teaching. The good news is researchers have also found that positive relationships with...

Many K–12 students are experiencing ongoing life stresses. Recognizing this can help educators respond effectively to their needs. Looking at Felitti and colleagues' list of adverse events (which includes experiences like a parent going to jail, the death of a loved one, or substance misuse in the home), teachers will likely realize how prevalent traumatic experiences are among today's students. The ACEs study has been replicated over time and has since included looking at the impact of ACEs...

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Indiana teachers and mental health experts are advocating for communities to implement mental health programs emphasizing a method called “trauma-informed care” inside schools. “Trauma-informed care started from something called the ‘Adverse Childhood Experience Survey,’ and it shows that childhood experiences affect behavior,” said Stephanie Shene, communications coordinator for the Indiana Department of Child Services (DCS). “Instead of ‘kids act badly,’ some...

In the glittery bustle of the holidays, teachers often scramble to fit in last-minute lessons and refocus students dreaming of vacation excitement. It’s worthwhile to pause in the middle of all that excitement to build in reflective moments of gratefulness. Yet without a clear plan to foster classroom gratitude, we risk missing the improved attitude , improved physical and psychological health , and enhanced social and emotional skills that giving thanks can bring. Positive psychology...

Most teachers enter the field of education to make a difference in children’s lives. But many end up, as author Lisa Lucas puts it, “tired, wired, and running in circles.” This leads to many new teachers abandoning the profession or to burnout among veteran teachers. Drawing upon her own experiences, Lisa has written a book to help you more successfully manage the frustration of feeling overwhelmed. Written in an informal, conversational tone, Practicing Presence is filled with ideas,...

Ivan Godinez arrived at Sunnyside High School one recent morning in an angry mood, rudely responding to Principal Ryan Maxwell who noticed Godinez was late and asked him if he was going to class. That’s when teacher Felix DeLeon stepped in. “He’s like, ‘Whoa, whoa, whoa.’ He calmed me down,” Godinez said of DeLeon, who immediately took the teen aside and talked with him privately rather than confronting him in anger. A junior, Godinez has attended several Yakima Valley schools, having moved...

Funding opportunities for social and emotional learning are available through the new Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) — but how exactly? After-school providers would like to know more. “There’s still a learning curve around ESSA,” said Kari Denissen Cunnien, executive director of Minnesota’s afterschool network, Ignite Afterschool . Katie Landes, director of Georgia Statewide Afterschool Network , said: “There are still questions floating around about what it will look like and how it will...

“She’s just going to be a maid anyway.” This was the reason given to me by a fifth grade teacher as to why I, a student teacher at the time, shouldn’t give extra help to a child who was working hard to improve her reading. Once my shock at this disturbing statement wore off, I realized that the teacher’s beliefs and assumptions were potentially jeopardizing the quality of life and future aspirations of this student. Bar none, reading skills are essential to life. And while there is...