Mindfulness in Education Conference 2017
June 10, 2017
This event was co-hosted by St. Luke's School, The Spence School and the Community Mindfulness Project
Mindfulness: Paying attention in a particular way, on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally
—JON KABAT-ZINN
Why Mindfulness in Education?
St. Luke's Head of School Mark Davis will open the conference and introduce our keynote speaker, Tish Jennings. The keynote will include discussion time with Tish and will be followed by breakouts, guided meditation, and workshops for teachers, administrators, and parents. Lunch will be served and is included in your registration fee.
Who should attend?
Faculty, administrators, and parents interested in gaining an understanding of mindfulness, its benefits and its application in an educational setting. It is open to the public.
Keynote
"Mindfulness, Science, Learning & Life"
President
Mind & Life Institute
Susan Bauer-Wu has dedicated her career to alleviating suffering and promoting well-being. With a foundation as a registered nurse, she went on to a productive academic career studying and applying contemplative practices in health care and higher education. Prior to joining the Mind & Life Institute (a global non-profit co-founded by His Holiness the Dalai Lama), Bauer-Wu was the director of the Compassionate Care Initiative and the Tussi and John Kluge Professor in Contemplative End-of-Life Care at the University of Virginia (UVa) School of Nursing and associate faculty in the UVa Department of Religious Studies and on the executive committee of the pan-university UVa Contemplative Sciences Center. Full bio.
Agenda
Morning:
8:30-9:00 Registration: Coffee & tea available
9:00-9:15 Introductory remarks by Mark Davis
9:15-9:30 Guided meditation: "Breathe, Friendly
Wishes/Loving Kindness" (CMP)
9:00-9:15 Introductory remarks by Mark Davis
9:15-9:30 Guided meditation: "Breathe, Friendly
Wishes/Loving Kindness" (CMP)
9:30-10:15 Keynote: Susan Bauer-Wu, Mind & Life Institute
10:30-11:30 Moderated breakout and plenary sessions
11:40-12:15 Guided meditation: "Equanimity" (Susan
Bauer-Wu)
LUNCH Optional mindful eating and themed tables
Afternoon:
1:00-1:45 Workshops for teachers, administrators and
parents
Bauer-Wu)
LUNCH Optional mindful eating and themed tables
Afternoon:
1:00-1:45 Workshops for teachers, administrators and
parents
2:00 - 2:45 Panel discussion moderated by Michele Grethel
2:45 - 3:00 Guided meditation "Gratitude" (CMP)
Optional yoga (gentle) for those who want to stay
Workshops Offered
Mindfulness in Leadership & Integration
Zentangle
Very Young Children
Mindful Parenting
Science of Mindfulness
Middle School
Establishing a Personal Practice
Walking Meditation
Mindfulness in Athletics
Speakers
Mark Davis
Mark Davis is the Head of School at St. Luke’s. Mark is a devoted yoga and meditation practitioner. He is a student of mindfulness in education who speaks and writes about raising healthy children. Mark Davis came to St. Luke’s in 2002 from Phillips Exeter Academy where he was Director of College Counseling. Before Exeter, he worked at The Taft School for seventeen years, serving in a variety of capacities including history teacher, Assistant Director of Admissions, Class Dean, varsity baseball coach, and Director of College Counseling.
No Unicorns Time Well Spent
No Unicorns Time Well Spent
Stephanie Bramlett, Ph.D.
Stephanie is the Director of St. Luke's Center for Leadership. She is an avid yogi, marathon runner, aerial dancer, and Crossfit enthusiast. Stephanie came from the University of New Hampshire where she directed a student retention program for multicultural, first-generation, and low-income college students. Stephanie is a Commissioner and Co-Director of the Connecticut Association of Independent Schools Student Diversity Leadership Conference.
Michele Grethel, Ph.D.
Dr. Grethel is Director of Counseling Services at The Spence School. She is an educator, consultant and a psychotherapist providing mental health and wellness education to adolescents, young adults, and families. Dr. Grethel is clinically trained in utilizing therapeutic treatment approaches grounded in Mindfulness. Over the last 20 years, she has integrated her clinical skills with insights gained from her own meditation practice to form strong partnerships with young people learning to manage their anxiety, mood symptoms, behavioral dysregulation as well other mental health disorders.
A multi-method exploratory study of stress, coping and substance abuse among high school youth in private schools
A multi-method exploratory study of stress, coping and substance abuse among high school youth in private schools
Will Heins
After twenty years as a Wall Street trader, Will Heins began practicing meditation over a dozen years ago following an intensive course at the Kripalu Center in Massachusetts. Subsequently he completed a teacher training program there in mindfulness meditation techniques. He has also trained under the guidance of Jon Kabat-Zinn, the creator of Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction. Will has also attended retreats with Jack Kornfield, Thich Nhat Hanh and Fr. Thomas Keating. Will is a co-founder of the Community Mindfulness Project.
Mindfulness & Stress Reduction
Mindfulness & Stress Reduction
Michelle Seaver
Michelle has a background in organizational psychology and is trained as a teacher in Cultivating Emotional Balance, Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy and the .B program for children. She and her husband Nick participated in The Shamatha Project, a study on the effects of sustained meditation practice. Michelle was Director of Mindfulness and Social and Emotional Learning at Phuket International Academy in Thailand. She is a co-founder of the Community Mindfulness Project.
Erika Long
Erika Long began meditating 15 years ago. She has traveled to India to study with Shantum Seth (a student of Thich Nhat Hanh), has studied Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction, and is part of the inaugural Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Training program taught by Tara Brach and Jack Kornfield. Before devoting time to mindfulness work, Erika enjoyed a career on Wall Street. Erika is a co-founder of the Community Mindfulness Project.
Why It's Important for Children to Learn Mindfulness
Why It's Important for Children to Learn Mindfulness
Nick Seaver
Nick Seaver oversees private investments at Ziff Capital Partners. Formerly, he was the CEO of Thanyapura, a destination resort offering programs through its Olympic-class sports training center, meditation center, integrative health center, and affiliated International Baccalaureate school. Once upon a time (2007), in the land before children (twin daughters), Nick and his wife participated in a long-term, silent retreat in conjunction with The Shamatha Project, the first major scientific study on meditation. Nick is trained as a teacher in Jon Kabat-Zinn's Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction.
TEDx video: The Gift of Silence
Lisa Natoli-Sheehan
Lisa holds a Masters degree in Counseling Psychology and is registered as a ‘Qualified’ MBSR instructor through the UMASS Medical School Center for Mindfulness. She is a certified .b Mindfulness in Schools Instructor and has worked with middle school, high school, college & grad students. She is a certified yoga instructor (RYT-200) with many additional hours of specialized teacher training in restorative & Yin Yoga. Lisa is the founder of Relax Into Meditation, llc and is a member of the Community Mindfulness Project team.
Erin Thorkilsen
Erin Thorkilsen is an elementary classroom teacher, adult yoga and mindfulness instructor, and teacher of teachers. She is a frequent speaker for topics such as mindfulness for parents and teachers, effective language with children, and mindfulness practices for young children. Currently, she is the Director of Associate Teachers and a kindergarten teacher at Greens Farms Academy and a yoga teacher at Saraswati's Yoga Joint.
Saraswati's Yoga Joint
Workshop Materials: Mindfulness for Young Children
Saraswati's Yoga Joint
Workshop Materials: Mindfulness for Young Children
Elaine Greene
Charlotte Pecquex graduated from Fairfield University Summa Cum Laude in 2015 and went on to finish her Master's Degree in Education the following year. She is currently in her second year as an English teacher at Central High School in Bridgeport, CT teaching a unique English elective course that focuses on Social-Emotional Learning and Mindfulness through Literacy Skills. She incorporates meditation as a daily routine in her classroom to help students self-regulate and find a safe place within themselves. She often uses mindfulness practices and restorative practices to manage classroom behavior constructively and teaches yoga regularly to both regular and special education students. In addition to being an educator in Bridgeport, she teaches yoga at Saraswati's Yoga Joint.
Workshop Materials: Mindfulness for Teenagers
Workshop Materials: Mindfulness for Teenagers
Emily Tully
Emily Tully has been teaching mindfulness practices to ten year olds for the past decade. She found yoga after a competitive career playing Division I Lacrosse at Sacred Heart University. Since then, she has been cultivating the process of finding and strengthening self awareness and belonging through each breath in her yoga classes. She teaches fifth grade at Bi-Cultural Day School in Stamford, CT and teaches yoga at Saraswati's Yoga Joint in Norwalk, CT.
Emily Tully Yoga
Workshop Materials: Mindfulness for Middle School
Emily Tully Yoga
Workshop Materials: Mindfulness for Middle School
Conference Materials
Slide deck from keynote address by Susan Bauer-Wu, PhD, RN
Mindfulness Conference Co-hosted by:
St. Luke’s School is a secular (non-religious), private school in New Canaan, CT for grades 5 through 12 serving over 40 towns in Connecticut and New York. Our exceptional academics and diverse co-educational community foster students’ intellectual and ethical development and prepare them for top colleges. St. Luke’s Leading with Humanity curriculum builds the commitment to serve and the confidence to lead.
