EdCamp Encore

This Saturday, eight members of our team went to Grover Middle School once again, this time to present at EdCamp Encore - the follow-up discussion of EdCamp NJ. In this event, teachers and educators from all around New Jersey came to discuss topics previously brought up in EdCamp NJ. We held a discussion with teachers about mindfulness in the classroom, and led them through a "Get off Autopilot" activity in which teachers followed commands, such as "walk" and "stop," but them having the definitions changed. Suddenly, when we said "walk," they'd stop, and at "stop," they walk.

Next, we talked about how teachers can implement mindfulness in their classrooms - and what they're already doing for that. Some shared that they held meditation practices occasionally before and after a test, and we shared simple mindfulness practices that they could do as well, such as:

- Gratitude journaling each morning

- Meditation in the morning

- Keeping a gratitude jar

We also introduced a few events that we were holding or have already held, including the Wellness Fair, Panther "Pause" Challenge Sessions, and Yoga Night (something new coming up!). We shared resources with teachers as well - including The Mindful Teen by Dr. Dzung Vo, The MindUP Curriculum by the Hawn Foundation, and various books and articles on stress and the brain.

Some teachers attending this discussion attended our last EdCamp session, but most didn't. Using this session was a great way to continue spreading the word about our project and encouraging teachers to implement mindfulness into their classrooms. We met with several teachers afterwards to discuss various methods of implementation, and continue corresponding with them - we even started planning a meeting date in which we would meet with one of the teachers' students to teach them about mindfulness!