YMTP² Teachers in Action
Find out how YMTP² teachers are making an impact.
YMTP² Teacher Bill Dugan Leads Mindfulness Sessions at our Regional Enrichment Centers
April 2020
Bill Dugan a YMTP² graduate works at one of the New York City Department of Education’s Regional Enrichment Centers (RECs) as a supervisor two days a week. These centers are places where the children of these front-line workers can be safely cared for while their parents continue to serve the city in this time of need. Bill has volunteered to support students, staff, and families of his local REC.
Bill offers mindfulness activities for the staff every Thursday. The staff takes care of the children of Essential Employees and First Responders. We are happy that our work is reaching and impacting these adults and children at this time.
Colorful messages of gratitude outside of P.S 56
Bill leads mindfulness sessions for staff at the REC located at P.S. 56, the Louis Desario School in Staten Island.
YMTP² Teacher Lauren Levine Leads Weekly Children’s Yoga & Mindfulness Classes for P.S. 380 in Brooklyn
Since January 2020, Lauren Levine has been providing weekly yoga & mindfulness classes for Kindergarten & 5th grade students at P.S. 380 in Brooklyn. Since transitioning into remote learning, Lauren has continued these sessions virtually. Each week Lauren joins Ms. Dreher’s Kindergarten class as well as Ms Romano's 5th grade class to lead children’s yoga and mindfulness sessions.
During these sessions, students learn different breathing practices, yoga poses and mindful meditations. Each class begins with a discussion of how students have practiced the skills they have learned since their last meeting. Students have the opportunity to share how yoga and mindfulness have helped them during the week in various ways. As students practice yoga poses together they learn how to incorporate different breathing techniques into their practice and how particular poses help you to focus and cultivate a sense of balance on and off the mat. Following the mediation portion at the end of the class, students come back together to discuss what they have learned in the session and share how they may be able to practice this skill over the next week to support them in this remote environment.
Yoga & mindfulness with Ms. Dreher’s Kindergarten class at P.S. 480
Yoga & mindfulness with Miss Romano’s 5th grade class at P.S. 480
Jessica McJunkin-Flatts, School Mental Health Supervisor Provides All-Accessible Yoga & Mindfulness Practices for P.S. 257 Staff & Families
School staff of P.S 257 engage in yoga & mindfulness practices
Jessica McJunkin-Flatts lead the P.S. 257 community in yoga & mindfulness practices for self-care
February 2020
Jessica McJunkin-Flatts is a certified YMTP² yoga & mindfulness teacher. She is currently the only certified teacher from an agency outside of the Department of Education. Jessica works closely supporting school communities and leading a team of mental health consultants that assist schools with securing community mental health resources and partnerships, engage in crisis response and provide targeted professional development that supports the social-emotional needs of school communities.
As a part of her workflow and support, Jessica led an all-accessible chair yoga and mindfulness practice for the staff of P.S. 257 in District 14 of Brooklyn. Jessica created customized yoga booklets as a tangible tool to help school staff with embodying these practices and provide them additional practices for stress reduction, self-regulation, and self-reflection. These tools coupled with mental health resources and mindfulness and yoga practices provided P.S. 257 staff with rich resources for self-care. Twenty-five members of the school community engaged in this workshop and practice, dedicating time to take care of and re-charge themselves.
As this preliminary session was so successful, Jessica was invited back to lead an all-accessible chair yoga & mindfulness session for parents & families of P.S. 257. During the session, Jessica discussed the many waves that accompany parenting and how with increasing demands of both work and home life responsibilities, we can neglect our own self-care. Jessica created a space for caregivers to collectively engage in mindful breath practices and a community yoga session.
Jessica McJunkin-Flatts Supports Families & Educators with Yoga & Mindfulness Sessions in Brownsville, Brooklyn
As a school Mental Health Supervisor, Jessica McJunkin-Flatts supports multiple school communities across district 23, in Brownsville, Brooklyn. As a part of this work and ongoing support, Jessica has provided ongoing yoga & mindfulness sessions targeted to meet the unique needs of the staff of P.S. 178. Prior to the transition to remote learning, Jessica met with Universal 3K through second grade teachers to discuss the challenges of their work and some of the stressors associated. Educators engaged in various breath practices and acknowledged the emotional, physical and mental toll of their work and the impact that breathing practices can have in improving their ability to take care of themselves. Over the course of these sessions, Jessica encouraged the P.S. 178 community to re-charge and restore themselves through the incorporation of restorative mindfulness and yoga practices.
Jessica was invited to lead more yoga and mindfulness practices over the course of the school year to even more members of the P.S. 178 community. In February 2020, Jessica designed and led a mat-based yoga & mindfulness practice for a variety of staff, including school social workers and para professionals. Many brought their own mats to participate fully and the gym teacher provided additional mats for those who needed them. The session was a 45 minute opportunity for all staff members to engage in mindful breath practices followed by a yoga flow and relaxation practice. Participants reported a greater sense of relaxation and reduction in stress level following this experience.
Jessica also provided workshops for P.S. 137 parents and families this year. Ms. Potter, the school’s Parent Coordinator reached out to ask for a specially designed experience for families to support them with self-care and techniques and practices that they can use with their children. Jessica dedicated time and space in this session for parents and families to share how they experienced the practices and brainstorm collectively as to how to explore yoga and mindfulness at home with their children.
Jessica McJunkin-Flatts and P.S. 178 staff
Jessica McJunkin-Flatts Continues to Provide Virtual Yoga & Mindfulness Practices for Affinity Schools
June 2020
As we have transitioned into this remote learning environment and become masters of various digital platforms to stay connected with schools, Jessica McJunkin-Flatts has continued to provide schools with yoga & mindfulness practices. In June 2020, Jessica led an all-accessible chair yoga & mindfulness practice for Affinity school counselors & social workers. Jessica was invited to lead this workshop by Ms. Manrique's, a New York City Department of Education Counseling Manager supporting school counselors and social workers in Affinity schools. Jessica integrated yoga & mindfulness practices into her Vicarious Trauma Presentation. This experience was thoughtfully designed to support school counselors and social workers with self-care after processing and managing powerful feelings that may have surfaced with the discussion of this potentially sensitive material.
Jami Whitney leads a Mindful Art Making, Mindfulness & Yoga Workshop for Families of P.S. 298
Scribble Drawing from the Family Mindful Making Workshop led by Jami Whitney at P.S. 298
Jami Whitney leads an all-accessible yoga practice for P.S. 298 families.
May 2020
Jami Whitney is a certified YMTP² yoga & mindfulness teacher and trained Art Therapist. Jami values the unique therapeutic process that is inherent in the art-making process as well as in yoga & mindfulness practices. In May 2020, Jami was invited to provide a mindful art making workshop for the families of P.S. 298 of Brownsville, Brooklyn. During this session Jami introduced the benefits of mindful art making, mindfulness and yoga as a means of tuning into the present moment and enhancing the ability to self-reflect and engage in mindful decision making.
During this workshop Jami introduced the scribble drawing as a mindful art-making practice and included space and time for participants to share out their pieces and reflect on the experience and the pieces made. The session continued with a mindful meditation practice and an all-accessible yoga flow. Families debriefed their experience at the end of the session. The materials used to present information, videos and practices were edited and shared with the school as a finalized resource for additional families to benefit from.
Just a Spoon Full of Mindfulness Help the Meeting Go Down
Barnaby Spring
In the demanding work of public service, particularly in COVID-19 times, professionals in public education are required to engage in back-to-back remote meetings. These meetings are packed with critical information requiring focused discussion in order to use the time as concisely and purposefully as possible. Following cues from the medical and mental health fields now applying mindfulness for practitioners and clients - referring to "doses of mindfulness" as forms of medication - Barnaby Spring is often called on to provide three to five minute mindfulness centerings as either an opening or a close to a meeting. These opportunities to engage in mediation and self-reflection support leadership meeting goals that include requiring the kind of focus and resilient concentration needed for deep listening and fidelity in making key decisions that are both mindful and effective.
This aligns to the emerging knowledge around best practices for applying mindfulness in ways that are less about how long you sit in a mindfulness practice and more about how often you might pause throughout your day as you transition from one task to the next.
Kate Goldberg & Marlene Morris Provide Yoga & Mindfulness for our Littlest Learners
Kate Goldberg and Marlene Morris are graduates of the first YMTP² cohort. They are Committee on Preschool Special Education (CPSE) administrators in CSE 6, serving students and families in districts 17, 18, and 22 in Brooklyn. During the COVID-related school closures the CSE has been continuing to support families, schools, and community-based organization by ensuring that students receive their special education services through remote learning platforms. Additionally, Kate and Marlene provide weekly yoga and mindfulness sessions for the CSE staff, which includes over eighty clinicians, educational administrators, and support staff. They lead sessions that are designed to incorporate mindfulness and mindful movements, as well as focus and self-care strategies and intention-setting. Various CSE members have noted that the sessions help them increase focus and attention, as well as deal with the overwhelming stress of transitioning from a familiar work environment to working remotely. Kate and Marlene also provide resources for their colleagues to address their individual needs by directing them to pertinent literature and helpful websites. When possible, Marlene and Kate provide additional individual or small group support sessions to those colleagues who seek out additional support.
Marlene Morris leading remote yoga experience
Kate Goldberg preparing for a remote mindfulness session