Helping students access the benefits of mindfulness starts with a mindful approach from educators. By honoring the diversity of our learners and celebrating their progress, we can make mindfulness a practice that feels achievable for everyone.

“A lot of scientific evidence suggests that the difference between those who succeed and those who don't is not the brains they were born with, but their approach to life, the messages they receive about their potential, and the opportunities they have to learn.” - Dr. Jo Boaler

There is new science to support the claim that music can be used to strengthen and heal our brains. As a classroom teacher, I am curious how some of these discoveries can be used to help “strengthen and heal” learning in the classroom.

How do teachers and administrators spend their summer down time? Essentially, we spend these weeks taking care of responsibilities we’ve had to put off because of the all-encompassing work of teaching. While I’m waiting at the service center or the doctor’s office, I often like to read, maybe you do, too?

Adopting a growth mindset, which asserts that abilities and intelligence develop through effort and learning, is vital for building resilience. We can all form new neural connections and intentionally myelinate neural pathways of resilience.

Imagine a world where our bodies generate molecules of hope—molecules that travel through our bloodstreams and uplift our spirits.

If something as simple as playing music when students enter the classroom could have such a profound effect, I wondered how else could it be used in the classroom.

We’ve been digging into Street Data by Shane Safir and Jamila Dugan and their insights into our over-reliance on big data to improve education.

The end of the year often offers us moments of quiet reflection. There’s something about the shortening of daylight and the slide into darkness earlier and earlier each day, crisp, cold air, and the twinkling lights of a fire that nudges our bodies and brains toward stillness.

Recently, I had a student who had missed several days in a row while we were working on a research project in the classroom. He asked the question that most students will ask when they’ve been out of the classroom for an extended period of time: “What did I miss?”

In elementary school, my PE teacher announced that we were doing a unit on juggling. As a high school teacher now, I cannot imagine the bravery

Recently, Neural Education’s very own, Dr. Missy Widmann was interviewed by Dystanie Douglas-Berger and Jasmine Hauser from Cultures of Dignity.

I’m awake, not because of a mountain of work or an inspiring idea. I am awake as a show of solidarity for my 12-year-old child, who was still working on one night’s worth of homework.

“We started noticing no-nonsense little signs telling people what to do. I mean no clam shells, yes please, that makes complete sense…I don’t want to smell your old clamshells.”

“A lot of scientific evidence suggests that the difference between those who succeed and those who don't is not the brains they were born with, but their approach to life, the messages they receive about their potential, and the opportunities they have to learn.” - Jo Boaler

Enjoy Neural Education’s suggestions for spring and summer reading. Grab a spot in the sun with an iced tea. Open a book. And read about neuroscience in the context of the learning.

Situated leadership utilizes a different lens and uses the magic and expertise that is in the room. Instead of implementing outside leadership, it allows an opportunity for educators to become adaptive experts in their field.

Education has had a “Titanic Ship” mentality. We are all on the same boat. We are all aware that the ship is going to sink, but we continue to re-arrange the deck chairs to “fix the system.” To move the boat takes a large-scale collective effort or a single captain.

What was once considered a quality education 50 years ago, is not enough for students to be career and college ready today. We are preparing our 21st century students for careers that haven’t even been invented yet. This has prompted a new vision for our students across the nation. Today’s teachers are encouraged to move beyond the basic curriculum by embracing the four C’s of 21st Century Skills.