BY TODD SCHOLL
Welcome to Teachers Aligned! Over the past seven years, I have been working to promote mindfulness in public schools. Through this work, I have had the pleasure of meeting many other educators who share similar goals. Some are doing their own independent explorations. Others are connected to organization like Mindful Schools, CASEL, or the Omega Institute. Some are focused on mindfulness. Others focus on wellness, social-emotional learning, advocacy, yoga or another related area. In creating Teachers Aligned, my goal is to develop a network of these people to magnify their efforts and connect them with educators who want to learn more. As this network continues to grow, my hope is that more public educators, and their students, will have access to the resources they need to be well inside and out. I envision a transformation of public education to a system that values our humanity more than data points. I seek a system where compassion, kindness, peace, and justice are deeply embedded into every classroom. I am the grandson and son of public educators. I am the father of three children in public schools. I am entering my 25th year in public education. I believe that every child deserves an outstanding education, and that can only happen if we recruit and retain outstanding educators. To do this, we must value our teachers and ensure they have the tools to be healthy, happy, and successful. Recently, I have seen some incredible public education advocates suggest that mindfulness, self care, etc. are simply ways to keep teachers from complaining or advocating for better working conditions. I have also seen criticisms by those who think the primary goal of these practices is to control and promote compliance in students. Let me be clear. Where these tools are being used for those purposes, our network stands in firm opposition. While self-regulation and resilience are positive outcomes for these practices, our hope is that the insights and skills cultivated through these practices strengthen critical thinking, advocacy, empathy, and political activism. I hope you will join our network and help us advance our mission to empower educators with tools and information related to mindfulness, trauma-informed practices, restorative practices, social-emotional learning, yoga, self-care, neuroscience, psychology, and teacher wellness.
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AuthorTodd is the founder of Teachers Aligned and the Chief Happiness Officer of Todd Scholl Consulting. Archives
March 2021
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