Starting off on the Right Foot: Mindful Actions

Christine Mason, CEI Executive Director, and Alison Sumski, Research Assistant

Fall is in the air, and with it comes a time of change and new beginnings. Gone are the lazy, carefree days of summer – replaced by the immensely different routines of rushing to get ready and grabbing breakfast to go while scrambling to catch an early morning bus. In many households, there are the routines of alarms, followed by reminders, followed by an elevated angst to not be late. Once the initial excitement for a new school year wears off, students, their families, and educators can find this transition to be challenging. For many, going back to school does not elicit pleasant emotions.

What comes next? As students enter your building – some who are barely awake, some who have spent 20-40 minutes already just getting to school – what do they see and hear? Is your school buzzing with the excitement of peers seeing their friends? Are teachers and administrators visible and warmly greeting students? Or are students already back in the midst of a conflict that began the prior school year, not ready to let go or to move on past a transgression that seems to be unforgivable? 

Continue to glance around the hallway. What do the expressions on the faces of those in the front office and classroom doorways convey? Also, note any student who seems ill-at-ease, withdrawn, or already frustrated. 

Do you have expectations or biases about how this school year will go based on what you’ve seen thus far? Do you see things you might want to change? Do you have any ideas about what you could do? 

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Striving for Native Educational Sovereignty

Leah Bullinger, CEI Consultant and Christine Mason, CEI Executive Director

As educators, our role extends beyond the classroom; it encompasses creating an inclusive and culturally sensitive environment for all students. Next month, Killers of the Flower Moon is set to premiere globally in theaters (Powster, 2023). With its high budget, all-star cast, and Academy Award winning director, the film is on track to be a box office hit. But the most notable feature is arguably its storyline, which is based on David Grann’s best-selling true crime book.  

The Killers of the Flower Moon story is both a factual retrospective and also a cultural introduction to the Osage Nation tribe. The amazing resilience of the Osage Nation is apparent throughout the story, and this resilience highlights the importance of Native American sovereignty. Through sovereign practices, tribes can protect their land, share their customs, grow their resources, and be better positioned to avoid future exploitation. 

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Cultivating Happiness, Resilience, and Well-Being Through Meditation, Mindfulness, and Movement: A Guide for Educators is a part of SAGE Knowledge

Chandni Lal, Research Assistant

The transition back to school may be overwhelming and unmotivating for some students. Education in the United States is largely focused on academics, falling short of implementing resources to support children's emotional growth and mental health (Department of Education, 2021). Without explicit mindfulness instruction, many students lack an awareness of self and are not able to access their peak energy and motivation levels, creating barriers to their own learning, sense of confidence, and ability to stay focused and engaged in classrooms (Ostermann et al., 2022). 

As educators, we have opportunities to help students understand more about themselves by sharing strategies we have learned to manage our minds and body, increase our energy, stay calm, and power-up our own learning. This holistic approach enhances students' academic journeys and cultivates self-awareness, allowing them to nurture their emotional and mental well-being. This can have a powerful impact on overall happiness, especially on younger children (Shapiro, 2015). In the book Cultivating Happiness, Resilience, and Well-Being Through Meditation, Mindfulness, and Movement: A Guide for Educators, Dr. Christine Mason, and colleagues describe how practicing yoga and mindfulness can significantly support the well-being of students and staff, especially when practiced consistently. 

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