Presentations in Education (Including a new Resilience Program)!

Children are frequently told to “pay attention”, but no one has ever showed them how. Mindfulness can actually train the brain to create new neurological pathways for paying attention. Focus skills help students to gain awareness of their thought patterns and feelings, directly resulting in more positive actions. Instead of reacting automatically, students learn to pause and assess the situation choosing a less reactive, more positive response.  Self-regulation is enhanced with mindfulness affecting relationships with friends and family. The increased ability to focus also directly affects performance in schoolwork and extra-curricular activities.  Mindfulness improves the social and emotional intelligence of our students and is an effective positive behavior intervention.

 A Few Words From Trina

I have experienced first-hand the transformative power of Mindfulness.  After experiencing my own success with implementing Mindfulness strategies into my life, I decided to share it with my sons.  They enjoyed the lessons and easily caught on to the techniques of noticing their thoughts and emotions and the importance of living in the present moment.  I decided to try incorporating these skills into my classroom.  My students enjoyed the activities and I began to see them using the techniques in the classroom and on the playground to self-regulate.  I wanted to learn more, so I began to research how these tools can further be used in the classroom.  I became officially trained as a Mindful Teacher and wrote my own Mindfulness curriculum to use with the students that also served to meet the outcomes of the Saskatchewan Health Curriculum.  The Mindfulness strategies were the main form of behavior intervention in my own classroom. 

I enjoy sharing these skills with teachers, parents and working directly with the students to show how these practices can enrich their experience.  I feel visiting schools and working with the students and teachers is a very valuable experience and can help bring more peace and happiness to an entire school community.  

Special School Package! This popular package includes one staff PD session, 4 one-hour student sessions (full day) and one evening parent/community session. When you get teachers, students and parents all using the same language and tools for resilience, that’s when we begin to see changes in the mental health of our children. References are available at your request. Contact Trina for special pricing on this package.

Mindfulness in Education Presentations Offered:

1.   The Resilient Teacher: An Introduction to Mindfulness

(For Educators/Administrators)

Are you really present in the classroom or are you caught up in the busy-ness of the profession running on automatic pilot? How does our own resilience and ability to self-regulate affect our classroom climate?  Paying attention to our own state of presence helps us to be more aware of the happenings in our classroom.  We can easily diffuse situations, hold the attention of students and create a relaxed and accepting environment for all students to learn and grow.  Our teaching becomes authentic and natural and we are able to make positive choices when it comes to our actions and speech. When your students feel they are cared for and you are truly "in the room", a more authentic dance happens and connections are strengthened. These strategies change the way we interact with our students. Trina Markusson uses her classroom experiences and training in Mindful-based Stress Reduction to help you "be" in the room and understand the implications for teaching presently, making meaningful connections with your students.  Teaching presently is the first step to having an effective classroom.   

2. Mindfulness in the Classroom

(For Teachers/Administrators)

Life for students can be stressful! School, extra-curricular activities and relationships can cause anxiety and worry affecting all areas of life including academics, social interactions and emotional development. 

Are your students stressed, anxious or over-active?  Learn how Mindfulness can help create a calm, peaceful and caring classroom.  Mindfulness nourishes the social/emotional side to support the “whole” child by training their brain to self-regulate, directly affecting their level of achievement.  Teachers will understand the importance of modelling Mindful strategies, learn the benefits and try some sample activities to use with students in the classroom. Mindfulness is an educational tool promoting wellness strategies for children and teens.  Although it matches specific Saskatchewan Health Curriculum outcomes, it is beneficial across all grade levels, classrooms and subject areas. 

Children use Mindfulness strategies by learning to focus on their experience in the present moment.  This helps them to pay attention, reduce stress, helps promote positive choices by improving impulse control, creating a calmer classroom climate. Sample lessons include awareness of our breath, thoughts, movement and feelings.

3. Student Introduction to Mindfulness

(For K-12 Students)

Students will gain a solid foundation of the concept of mindfulness, learn tools for resilience and gain an experience of being in the precious, present moment. All presentations are geared to the specific age groups with meaningful examples and activities.

4. Introduction to Mindfulness Parent Presentations

Parents and Grandparents can learn the tools for resilience in this hour and 15 minute evening presentation. These sessions have become very popular and the feedback has been incredible. Parents learn tools for their own wellness and tools to be able to help their own children. This presentation can also be extended to introduce Tapping as a simple and easy tool to help ourselves and our children release stress, difficult emotions and limiting beliefs to foster positive mental health. (1 hour and 15 minutes)

5. Tapping for Resilience

As an accredited advanced certified EFT practitioner, Trina now offers “Tapping” Presentations to both staff and students! Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) or “Tapping” is a psychological acupressure technique that supports emotional health. This easy to learn technique can be used to reduce stress, deal with difficult emotions and even bust through limiting beliefs by lightly tapping on specific points on the body to calm the nervous system, and rewire the brain for health. In this session teachers and students will understand how EFT works, learn the technique and try some easy tapping sequences to add to their wellness toolbox.

NEW! EMPOWERED RESILIENCE PROGRAM

This is a unique program supporting mental health and wellness. Participants learn the real cause of stress and become empowered with simple tools to release stress and limiting beliefs that may be holding them back. They learn how incorporating Mindfulness strategies can help to train their brain to gain awareness of thought patterns and feelings, resulting in enhanced self-regulation and resilience. Trina also shares valuable tools for decreasing the intensity of difficult emotions and limiting beliefs through “Tapping”. This easy to learn resilience tool yields promising results for mental and physical wellness and has recently been called the NUMBER ONE technique for stress reduction.

The program begins with two main presentations on both Mindfulness and Tapping, and is followed up with a series of weekly, bi-weekly or monthly sessions based around a variety of topics chosen by the audience. Topics include: Working with Fear, Anxiety and Worry, Overcoming Sleep Stress, Releasing Unworthiness and Feelings of Not being Good Enough, Decreasing Overwhelm and Finding Balance, Navigating Emotions Around Change, plus many more. Contact Trina for more detailed information or to book a PD presentation, student visit or SCC presentation.

Mindfulness in Education TRaining and Retreats!

These retreat-style trainings have been the most requested professional development in many Sask. School divisions! It takes place at the beautiful Windy Acres Bed and Breakfast near Yorkton, Saskatchewan. For two days and two nights, participant are immersed in mindfulness practices, focusing on their own wellness and learning strategies to bring more calm to their classroom or school community. Highly recommended for Teachers, Administrators, Student Support Teachers, Educational Assistants, School Social Workers, Speech and Language Workers, Occupational Therapists, etc.

Here’s what participants are saying:

“This PD is priceless. I’ve never felt so balance, inspired and motivated after a pd session. I am excited to take all I have learned and apply it to my classroom and personal life. Thank you!” - Grade 6 Educator, Good Spirit School Division

“This was an incredible privilege to be a part of. I feel refreshed and prepared to prioritize peace in my life and stillness in my classroom. Thank you for your leadership and guidance. As you support each educator, it creates a ripple effect in our students lives and their families. Together, we are changing the world, one precious present moment at a time.”

- Grade 2 Educator, Regina Public School Division

Next Level One Training is March 6th - 8th, 2023. Contact Trina for more info or to register!