A universal language

Nicholas Cook is an EL (English Learner) instructor at Highview Middle School, which means he teaches English to students who speak a different language at home. He studied at Bethany college, and has been in teaching for two years. He works with about twenty-seven kids who have a wide range of language backgrounds.

Recently Nick shared with me that he uses many of our brain break scripts with his small groups. One student reads the script, while the others close their eyes and follow along. He asked me if I had more scripts, as the kids had mastered the originals and were excited for more.

I’ve always tried to make the scripts we use as clear and as accessible as possible, so I was glad that Nick's group had found them useful. Having students lead a brain break can also increase buy-in, as well as foster leadership.

And what a great way to build community- not only having practice in reading aloud and building English skills, but sharing a few moments of calm and relaxation together. The universal language of awareness and peace.

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The conscious and connected student

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Playing Around

Photo by Matheo JBT on Unsplash In March I offered an e nso workshop for art teachers in my district. We had a great time that included discussion, mindful breathing, lots of painting and generally making a mess of things. We talked about how enso painting fits into a Japanese aesthetic context, and how it is also relates to the "action painters" of abstract expressionism . Especially relevant is the notion of wabi-sabi , the embracing of change and imperfection. We began the practice part of our workshop with some focused, mindful breathing, to help us become fully present. The silence was refreshing after a very busy school day. I then demonstrated the traditional enso, where the artist completes a circle in one focused movement. I also showed examples of ensos that I had done in other media, or combinations of media, to illustrate creative options for elaboration. After some practice on newsprint, my colleagues immediately began playing w...

The mindful teacher

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