Volume 2, Issue 1 | January 2022
HeartMind e-News: Teach, Learn, Lead
A monthly publication dedicated to trauma-informed, compassionate school practices that help educators, students, and families move toward a sense of wholeness and well-being
School Shootings
America has yet to find a good solution to school shootings. Certainly additional mental health supports are needed. What do we know about the perpetrators of violence at school?

According to background research conducted by Apoorva Vallampati, there are some common traits among youth who are alienated and angry to the extreme. Her review certainly points the direction towards steps schools could take to identify potential shooters and help them before they turn to acts of horrific violence. One “solution” of sorts that schools have relied on is "lockdown" drills. In our second article, Sophia Katz reviews research on the impact of these drills, including some recommended best practices for factors that may mitigate some of the fear and trauma that surrounds these drills.
 
Tin Nguyen, in HeartMind’s third article, describes a related issue: self-regulation. Self-regulation skills are needed to help youth handle their emotions, and many youth could benefit from learning self-regulation strategies. However, as Tin mentions, self-regulation can also help youth with academic skills, including ways to improve their ability to respond to virtual learning. During this time of COVID, when we are never sure when youth may again need to be learning virtually, the importance of self-regulation is magnified.
Featured Articles
Welcome to HeartMind e-News, dedicated to translating research and theory to practice, to aid implementation of compassionate practices in schools. Each issue has practical suggestions for teachers, researchers, school administrators, educational policymakers, mental health providers, students, and families. You are also invited to join the HeartMind Community to receive discounts on publications and workshops, networking opportunities, and special offers for virtual consultations and additional resources from the Center for Educational Improvement.
The School Shooter:
What We Know, and How We Can Learn From It
Apoorva Vallampati, CEI Intern
What’s next for education? Coming back to school in the Fall of 2021 was full of chaos as teachers and students struggled to find their bearings. With the return to in-person learning came a not completely unexpected surge in school violence (Will, 2021). As we begin 2022, schools are in a precarious position: administrators are rushing to address staff shortages and educators remain uncertain about how to handle physical safety and emotional health in the face of endless COVID variants. Yet, the ever-present threat of school violence endures. Read more.

An Examination of School Lockdown Drills in 2022
Sophia Katz, CEI Intern
Virtual Learning and Self-Regulation
Tin Nguyen, CEI Intern
Upcoming Events and Announcements

Workshop on Cultivating Happiness, Resilience, and Well-Being

With Dr. Christine Mason, Jeff Donald, Krishna Kaur, Dr. Michele Rivers Murphy, and Valerie Brown

February 16, February 23, and March 2, at 7 pm.

Cultivating Resilience Podcast

A podcast series that showcases thought leaders and school leaders at all levels who are working to lessen the impact of trauma that students bring with them to school. 


Search "Cultivating Resilience: A Whole Community Approach to
Alleviating Trauma in Schools" on your favorite podcast provider (Apple, Spotify, Google, Amazon, Stitcher, etc.)

Recharging Education: CEI Survey

Please complete our survey to help CEI understand how we can best support our advocacy for reaches, schools, and students.

Available Now:

Cultivating Happiness, a new book by Dr. Christine Mason, Jeffrey Donald, Krishna Kaur Khalsa, Michele M. Rivers Murphy, and Valerie Brown.



Here's what readers are saying:


“Educators will find much inspiration and support in this book, one that offers insightful and practical ways to support student’s emotional health. It is our bodies that hold trauma and it is through our bodies that we can find release and emotional rest. This compassionate work helps educators with easy to implement strategies and activities that use the breath and body to create change from the inside-out. The goal of this comprehensive resource is to not only lower anxiety and challenging behaviours, but to create learning communities that further joy, wonder, and happiness."

Hannah Beach
Coauthor, Reclaiming Our Students: Why Children Are More Anxious, Aggressive, and Shut Down Than Ever—And What We Can Do About It


"A superb resource! Supported by research, the authors have offered a treasure chest of well-structured mindfulness-based activities, practices, materials, and frameworks for educators, yoga teachers, and students. The authors seek not only incremental improvement in student mental and physical well-being, they have offered a practical roadmap for high-performance functioning, integrating mind, body, and heart. Reflecting the authors’ social justice and equity perspectives, the text and the photos are racially and culturally inclusive.”
 
John Bell, author of YouthBuild’s North Star, a founding staff and former vice president of YouthBuild USA, creator of the Academy for Transformation, and a current Buddhist Dharma


Learn more about Dr. Mason’s recent and upcoming books and availability on her website www.christine-mason.com
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