Sarah Wszalek: Breathe For Change
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Did you know that ⅓ of teachers leave within their first years of teaching? Stress levels have increased by over 50% in the last two decades and this leads to teacher burnout- which negatively impacts student achievement and school culture. Breathe For Change draws upon and contributes to a growing body of research demonstrating the benefits of mind-body wellness practices and social-emotional development for individuals, relationships, and communities.
Enhancing the physical, mental, and social-emotional well-being of individuals has been shown to have positive impact on their entire communities. In the context of education, prioritizing teacher well-being enhances teaching and learning, which leads to improvements in students’ social-emotional and academic outcomes.
For the past two years, Sarah has worked on making social-emotional learning a bigger focus in her classroom. She began incorporating mindfulness practices in her classroom and has taken the initiative to learn more about mindfulness techniques. She has seen the benefits it has on both students and educators first hand. When she heard about Breathe for Change she was immediately interested. She had a desire to become a part of Breathe for Change to inspire others (both educators and students)!
As an educator, kindness and respect are two of the most important traits Sarah tries to instill in her students. She teaches her students daily how loving themselves and finding peace in their own minds will help them open their hearts and minds to others. She hopes to use the Breathe for Change training to grow her own practice with yoga and mindfulness and use that practice to the benefit students in her class and school.
Sarah's students work daily on spreading kindness to themselves and others. They have a weekly kindness challenge and constantly discuss respect, tolerance, and treating each other peacefully and non-judgmentally. This year, she started incorporating a weekly mindfulness practice in her room. She creates different activities for her students involving meditation, yoga, and help them become more connected to their body and their thoughts. They take breathing breaks daily and she uses affirmations and mantras to increase positivity in her room.
Mindfulness has made a huge impact on the lives of students in Sarah's class this year. Below are direct quotes from Sarah's second graders:
“I like mindfulness because it helps us relax.”
“I like doing mindfulness because it’s good for our bodies. It helps our bodies get calm.”
“I like mindfulness because it makes our bodies calm.”
“Mindfulness helps me talk about how I feel.”
“Mindfulness calms me down and makes me focused.”
“I like mindfulness because when you do it you’re in the present moment.”
Sarah hopes to use what she learns to inspire and help her colleagues. Teaching is a high-stress occupation and hopes to use this training to make everyone's lives a little more peaceful.
Sarah's journey with yoga began about five years ago. She started trying videos online and going to classes around Madison. She became more focused in her practice within the last two years. She uses yoga to find peace within her own mind and body and hopes to help her students and colleagues do the same. Her experiences have given her a more peaceful and positive mind-set. She has realized how much the practice benefited her teaching and everyday life and continues to make yoga and self-care a priority!
She has been accepted into the program and needs our help funding this amazing opportunity! As part of her application Sarah had to write a letter to try and receive a partial scholarship. Although she received a scholarship she still has $1500 to cover. Let's help her fund this dream and help her teach mindfulness to students for years to come.
Enhancing the physical, mental, and social-emotional well-being of individuals has been shown to have positive impact on their entire communities. In the context of education, prioritizing teacher well-being enhances teaching and learning, which leads to improvements in students’ social-emotional and academic outcomes.
For the past two years, Sarah has worked on making social-emotional learning a bigger focus in her classroom. She began incorporating mindfulness practices in her classroom and has taken the initiative to learn more about mindfulness techniques. She has seen the benefits it has on both students and educators first hand. When she heard about Breathe for Change she was immediately interested. She had a desire to become a part of Breathe for Change to inspire others (both educators and students)!
As an educator, kindness and respect are two of the most important traits Sarah tries to instill in her students. She teaches her students daily how loving themselves and finding peace in their own minds will help them open their hearts and minds to others. She hopes to use the Breathe for Change training to grow her own practice with yoga and mindfulness and use that practice to the benefit students in her class and school.
Sarah's students work daily on spreading kindness to themselves and others. They have a weekly kindness challenge and constantly discuss respect, tolerance, and treating each other peacefully and non-judgmentally. This year, she started incorporating a weekly mindfulness practice in her room. She creates different activities for her students involving meditation, yoga, and help them become more connected to their body and their thoughts. They take breathing breaks daily and she uses affirmations and mantras to increase positivity in her room.
Mindfulness has made a huge impact on the lives of students in Sarah's class this year. Below are direct quotes from Sarah's second graders:
“I like mindfulness because it helps us relax.”
“I like doing mindfulness because it’s good for our bodies. It helps our bodies get calm.”
“I like mindfulness because it makes our bodies calm.”
“Mindfulness helps me talk about how I feel.”
“Mindfulness calms me down and makes me focused.”
“I like mindfulness because when you do it you’re in the present moment.”
Sarah hopes to use what she learns to inspire and help her colleagues. Teaching is a high-stress occupation and hopes to use this training to make everyone's lives a little more peaceful.
Sarah's journey with yoga began about five years ago. She started trying videos online and going to classes around Madison. She became more focused in her practice within the last two years. She uses yoga to find peace within her own mind and body and hopes to help her students and colleagues do the same. Her experiences have given her a more peaceful and positive mind-set. She has realized how much the practice benefited her teaching and everyday life and continues to make yoga and self-care a priority!
She has been accepted into the program and needs our help funding this amazing opportunity! As part of her application Sarah had to write a letter to try and receive a partial scholarship. Although she received a scholarship she still has $1500 to cover. Let's help her fund this dream and help her teach mindfulness to students for years to come.
Organizer and beneficiary
Nicole Quevedo
Organizer
Madison, WI
Sarah Wszalek
Beneficiary