Mindful Transitions: Tips for Navigating the Start of the School Year with Ease

Alexis Richmond, CEI Research Assistant, and Christine Mason, CEI Executive Director

Teachers and students alike often feel a plethora of emotions as they begin a new school year. Consider the excitement of new beginnings, the optimism for a fresh start, and also the anxiety or fear of uncertainty – there are so many unknowns. Some students and teachers will also be facing new circumstances – a new school, a transition between elementary and secondary schools, or all that accompanies moving to a new community. As you begin to think about what this upcoming school year is going to look like in your classroom, we have a few tips to help you create a mindful space for yourself and your students. 

Here are three areas to focus on when building habits for a new school year: classroom environment, classroom expectations, and movement/breathing. Whether you are a first-year teacher or a 30-year veteran, these tips for implementing a mindful classroom can help you have your best school year yet!

Read more.

Mindfulness in Classrooms: A Window to Well-Being

Chandni Lai, CEI Research Assistant

As we get closer to the start of a busy school year, we must choose to prioritize our own and our students' mental and physical well-being. Yoga and mindfulness practices have gained popularity as effective tools for preventing burnout and reducing stress. Whether you are a student, parent, or teacher, you have the power to choose the approach to yoga that aligns with your needs and preferences. Recognizing that every individual's wellness journey is unique, we will guide you on how to craft an optimal structure for a yoga class that will empower students to adapt and make their own choices.

Strategies to Meet a Variety of Students’ Needs   

Yoga instructors and teachers have many options for structuring yoga classes, or even introducing yoga exercises, to students of all ages. For example, some students might prefer power yoga, a type of faster-paced yoga class that aims to build strength and endurance (Birch, 2010), while others may prefer slower-paced sessions. The following suggestions will be helpful both for yoga instructors working with schools and also for classroom teachers and other staff who are finding ways to integrate yoga into their classes.

Read more.

Bringing Science Enrichment Camp to Rural Oklahoma

Kelly McGlothin, Teacher, Anadarko Middle School

Anadarko Middle School partnered with the Center for Educational Improvement to provide an awesome learning experience for its sixth- to eighth-grade students through a Science Enrichment Camp this summer. Anadarko Middle School is a Title 1 school district in rural Oklahoma and serves Grades 6-8. Anadarko is located between the Wichita, Caddo, and Delaware reservations to the north, and the Kiowa, Comanche, and Apache reservations to the south. The school serves largely non-White students, with approximately 60% of the students American Indian or Alaska Native, 17% Hispanic, and 4% Black (United States Census Bureau, 2022). Since the Center for Educational Improvement is working closely with the National Indian Education Association, they were particularly interested in furthering the well-being of students in Native American communities.

This was an especially great opportunity for Andarko’s students because many of them don’t typically experience enrichment opportunities that urban students have access to due to economic, social, or geographical barriers. Many students do not have the opportunity or means to travel outside of the county unless the school organizes the trip. CEI funded this project in response to its concerns that summer school programs were not available to Anadarko Middle School students and a desire to create one.

Bringing Physics, Wildlife, Ecosystems, and Space to Life

The first day of camp, Anadarko’s students explored physics, with the students building, evaluating, and revising roller coaster designs using Legos. Students also explored properties of matter through experiments dealing with volume, mass, density, magnetism, and chemical and physical properties in the lab. One student, Jeremy Edge, shared, “I had a lot of fun at camp and like working in the lab.” Students Greyson Lewis and Logan Johnson said the best part of camp was racing the roller coasters.

Read more.