Restore the Emotional Health of Teachers and Students
First Presenter's Institution
Gifts of Joy
First Presenter's Brief Biography
Jewelisa Blanks is a public speaker who uses her 10 years of educational experience and recent emotional health research to help empower teachers and students. After years of working within the classroom walls, she decided it was time for a greater impact and real change. Today, she assists administrators and district leaders in restoring the whole educator and the whole child. She now serves over 1,000 schools across the US and has trained over 5,000 educators in trauma-informed practices and emotional health restoration.
Document Type
Event
Primary Strand
Mindfulness and Wellbeing
Relevance to Primary Strand
The proposal relates to the primary strand ‘Mindfulness and Wellbeing’ by reviewing and discussing published data that proves the need for staff awareness, and reduction of stress within the educational environment. The proposal also leads participants through hands-on strategies that allow them to practice the reduction of stress, and anxiety. These strategies will reinforce and introduce participants to evidence-based mindfulness practices that can also be reenacted with their students, and staff. These activities will meet both objectives listed within the ‘Mindfulness and Wellbeing strand.
Alignment with School Improvement Plan Topics
Student Learning and Development
Brief Program Description
Discover five easy-to-follow steps that empower educators to restore and sustain the emotional health of themselves and their students. Experience an interactive presentation, where strategies are discussed, modeled, and practiced. Explore social-emotional learning through a sensory-based approach and change how you see SEL forever.
Summary
The “Restore the Emotional Health of Teachers and Students” proposal will be structured as a “modeling method.” This method will allow participants to be hands-on and engaged.
Participants will have the opportunity to see various strategies in action, thus making it easier for them to envision themselves implementing the given strategy in their classrooms and with their students and staff. The attendees will participate in the following classroom connection strategies: “Highs, Lows, and In-Betweens,” “Journal prompts,” “Post-it note thoughts,” and “real thoughts.” These connection strategies will demonstrate to participants the various degrees of vulnerability and the importance of cultivating a safe classroom climate of connection. These fundamental elements are pivotal when building and restoring safe spaces for emotional connections in classrooms and creating an inclusive and trusted classroom community. Participants will also engage in interactive activities and group discussions such as table talks and easy-to-implement sensory exploration activities that they can duplicate with everyday objects and materials in their classrooms. Participants will be able to see the significance of our senses and how our individual experiences can play a significant role in our self-regulation methods. Quick, sensory-friendly activities will allow students and teachers to discuss and explore sensory strategies, such as incorporating sensory breaks and tools daily in the classroom.
Participants will see recent data that illuminates the importance of addressing focus, stress, and anxiety within the classroom setting. Lastly, participants will practice deep breathing techniques and “real thoughts,” representing space within the instructional environment that allows for transparent and impactful conversations around their true thoughts on various exercises before learning the science behind the activities they just practiced.
Evidence
The presenter has over ten years of experience in early childhood education. The presenter has collected live data to confirm further preexisting scientific studies on the topic of sensory-based strategies in the classroom and the effectiveness of mindfulness strategies shared within the presentation. The presenter has also worked alongside Occupational therapists, superintendents, principals, teachers, and parents to present the best practices in the educational field. The presenter has taught in general education classrooms and special education classrooms. In addition, the presenter has been on the PBIS board at their school and led numerous professional development trainings on innovative strategies around social-emotional development and inclusive strategies. With published data and scientific research, the presenter will share practical methods to incorporate these practices within the classroom environment.
Learning Objective 1
Practice three classroom “best practices” that will improve connections and compassion and can be implemented immediately in your classrooms.
Learning Objective 2
Analyze current data on the mental health of teachers and students nationwide.
Learning Objective 3
Identify practical everyday items to use in the classroom to achieve a sensory-based approach to social-emotional development, self-awareness, and self-regulation for educators and students.
Learning Objective 4
Develop strategies to increase mindful awareness and make the classroom environment more inclusive for all students and staff.
Recommended Citation
Blanks, Jewelisa, "Restore the Emotional Health of Teachers and Students" (2023). Southeast Conference on School Climate. 54.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/secsc/2023/2023/54
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Restore the Emotional Health of Teachers and Students
The “Restore the Emotional Health of Teachers and Students” proposal will be structured as a “modeling method.” This method will allow participants to be hands-on and engaged.
Participants will have the opportunity to see various strategies in action, thus making it easier for them to envision themselves implementing the given strategy in their classrooms and with their students and staff. The attendees will participate in the following classroom connection strategies: “Highs, Lows, and In-Betweens,” “Journal prompts,” “Post-it note thoughts,” and “real thoughts.” These connection strategies will demonstrate to participants the various degrees of vulnerability and the importance of cultivating a safe classroom climate of connection. These fundamental elements are pivotal when building and restoring safe spaces for emotional connections in classrooms and creating an inclusive and trusted classroom community. Participants will also engage in interactive activities and group discussions such as table talks and easy-to-implement sensory exploration activities that they can duplicate with everyday objects and materials in their classrooms. Participants will be able to see the significance of our senses and how our individual experiences can play a significant role in our self-regulation methods. Quick, sensory-friendly activities will allow students and teachers to discuss and explore sensory strategies, such as incorporating sensory breaks and tools daily in the classroom.
Participants will see recent data that illuminates the importance of addressing focus, stress, and anxiety within the classroom setting. Lastly, participants will practice deep breathing techniques and “real thoughts,” representing space within the instructional environment that allows for transparent and impactful conversations around their true thoughts on various exercises before learning the science behind the activities they just practiced.
