“Mindfulness has changed my life and my classroom. Before the training, I had a lot going on in my personal life and my classroom. I was ready to quit teaching because I didn't feel I could handle the stress, behaviors, or demands. In my personal life, I was dealing with trauma and planning a wedding in under a couple of months. Mindfulness is a perspective changer. It wakes you up to notice that you are capable, that there is no judgment, and that worry has no say. It teaches you about how impactful the breath is to the brain and how our brain works. Breathing and moving are the keys to it all. Learning to breathe and move in the here and now allows for the brain to be trained to focus on the present. This is something that no one ever taught me growing up! The world around me can be stressful, not behave, and be demanding, but I can choose to breathe, stay grateful, and be present. My circumstance no longer gets a say in my response. Yes, I fail, but there's no judgment- there is just grace for the next moment. The best part is that my students can explain all of this to anyone! My classroom is now full of noticers, grace-givers, gratitude receivers, and present beings. My morning meeting time has had the deepest, most meaningful conversations.  I have about 6 students who had major behaviors last year or cried every day due to anxiety. This year, the behaviors have not occurred, and those with high anxiety use mindfulness tools every day. Crying is a rarity in our room. Those students are the ones leading our breathing and moving exercises. My class culture is one of kindness and nonjudgment that I have ever had. I have teachers coming to me telling me that they would make a mistake, and my class would say, "No judgment." They are spreading it across the school! When their peers make a mistake, "no judgment." When someone is overwhelmed, "let’s breathe." I have had parents thank me for what we do in the classroom because it has changed their child's perspective on school! Mindfulness has taught my students how to stay focused even when there are distractions. My academic time has become deeper and more meaningful because the breathing and moving time meets their social-emotional needs first before starting academics. Overall, mindfulness has become a key to growth in the classroom and in my own life.

— M. Willett, 3rd Grade Teacher