Hey, teachers! My favorite, new-to-me tech tool is a little vibration hint from my watch at daily intervals advising me to take a basic deep breath. I want to share this respiration motivation with the world since these standard breaths are big-time valuable to my performance and mindset. I can just envision how handy these breathing reminders wouldve been when handling school anxiety during all those years I invested teaching 6th grade!
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In her NSCA School Counselor short article “Address Student Anxiety,” school therapist Mary McCormac reported, “School counselors at all levels experience students with a range of types of anxiety and report finding those who likewise have cognitive rigidness and perfectionism to be among the most challenging to help.”
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McCormac goes on to suggest numerous ways we can support having a hard time trainees, however for now, lets focus on one simple, but effective method to neutralize anxiety– deep-breathing. My friend is a nurse in a large suburban high school, and her health office has experienced a substantial boost in trainees looking for support for stress and anxiety in the everyday school setting. In my own everyday mentor practice, I used this think-aloud breathing method with the entire class and it assisted my students– and me! Here are some links to offer serene video/audio breathing reminders for instructors and trainees alike!

Here are some links to supply peaceful video/audio breathing tips for instructors and trainees alike! When you click these, dont quick forward – give yourself a gift of deep-breathing as you examine them for possible classroom usage! You will be impressed how transformative 2-3 minutes can be..

Heres a link to an article that caught my attention–” 18 Benefits of Deep Breathing and How to Breathe Deeply”
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EIGHTEEN advantages? Put me down for “YES!” Deep-breathing is plainly a no-brainer for teachers and trainees! Deep-breathing is a proactive mentor habit you can activate with a surefire assurance trainees will discover it and support themselves and each other in no time! Its a simple, yet serious strategy – lets take in and out together the calm assurance of school success! Resources: https://www.schoolcounselor.org/magazine/blogs/september-october-2016/address-student-anxiety  .

Morning Meetings– common practice in Responsive Classroom – include in a breathing practice step..
I-Charts– make several for different breathing techniques – turn them weekly to practice.
Checking out to Self– include in a breathing step with posture practice into literacy routines.
After Recess/Lunch– go back to desks/tables and do class breathing for re-focus.
Before and Mid-Assessments– the entire group stands and takes deep breaths together.

A lot of teachers concur – stressors have actually increased and students present more extremely negative reactions. In her NSCA School Counselor short article “Address Student Anxiety,” school therapist Mary McCormac reported, “School counselors at all levels experience trainees with a range of types of anxiety and report finding those who also have cognitive rigidity and perfectionism to be amongst the most difficult to assist.”
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Pressure and high expectations now begin in preschool, with even kindergarten students feeling stressed and anxious, however without the capability to inform grownups why they are distressed. More and more school counselors are being asked to help trainees experiencing severe panic attacks in school and choose if they require to be sent out home from school.” This might sound like the “School of Dire Straits,” but I ensure you its “Every School USA.” Browse and see educators everywhere shaking their heads in arrangement – too many students are anxiety-ridden and might benefit from more proactive support vs. reactive interventions. Add the pandemic to the list of trainee and teacher stress factors and the intensity of responses make sense
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McCormac goes on to recommend numerous methods we can support struggling students, however for now, lets focus on one simple, however effective strategy to combat stress and anxiety– deep-breathing. According to McCormac, “Teachers can serve as powerful designs and think out loud so students understand adults require to be tension smart too. For example, instructors can say, Lets just all take a minute to breathe slowly and know our surroundings before we begin our day.” My good friend is a nurse in a big suburban high school, and her health workplace has actually experienced a huge increase in students looking for support for anxiety in the daily school setting. The treatment/remedy always starts with taking deep breaths together. Utilizing a peaceful voice, she asks the trainee to take deep breaths with her, “Breathe in deeply through your nose 1,2,3,4,5. Hold for 1,2,3. Breathe out through your mouth 1,2,3,4,5.” This exercise is duplicated as required till breathing steadies and anxiety is noticeably minimized. After a struggling student has cooled down, any other required assistances can be activated. In my own daily teaching practice, I used this think-aloud breathing strategy with the entire class and it assisted my students– and me! As I became mindful of my own anxiety and everyday triggers, I started to apply deep-breathing methods to restore balance and a concentrated frame of mind. I felt my own stress dissipate and observed my trainees collectively reach discovering composure and attention to the next knowing job. Many teachers use deep breathing activities before or during standardized testing, or during an especially long class session where students need to stand up and breathe as a wise brain and body break. If you are already tuned in to this conscious mentor and learning practice– kudos to both you and your lucky students! If you havent attempted it– on your own or your class– here are some easy concepts you may think about. Easy Ideas to Incorporate Deep Breathing Practices that Support Learning in Your Classroom:.

Originally Published by Barb Istas, a previous member of our Curriculum and Direction group and existing Learners Edge course evaluator on February 21, 2018, and revised by Susanne Leslie on February 25, 2022.