Daily intentions, special words of kindness and empathy, that can be visualized and physicalized, form the foundation of our social/emotional framework. As an extension of our daily mindfulness routine, teachers select special words (intentions) based on observations and values that they want to cultivate in the classroom, establishing a classroom culture with a shared set of moral principles.
Our Workshop
In our workshop we will share video footage of our PreK classroom conversations, videos of children speaking about the intentions, and lead the group through our mindfulness practice and intention conversations. We will also share how we incorporate this language and values throughout the school day and reflect with participants on what intentions they might incorporate into their own classrooms.
We will speak about how we shared this work with families, and how we supported parents to also use the language of the intentions at home. We will share anecdotes from parents about how this work supported their family at home and beyond the school year.
We will address the importance of integrating this work with the ongoing anti-bias work in preschool and primary classrooms.
About
Annabelle Baylin
Annabelle Baylin has taught pre-K through first grade at schools in New York for 10 years, and works as a literacy professor and educational consultant. Annabelle holds a BA in mindfulness in education from New York University and an MS in early childhood general and special education from Brooklyn College. She enjoys bringing mindfulness into the daily routines of the classroom, facilitating an emergent curriculum, early literacy, and having conversations about social justice with children.
Karen Levenberg
Karen Levenberg is an Early Childhood Education Consultant. She was a classroom teacher for 17 years, teaching at the Blue School in Lower Manhattan for 10 years. Prior to teaching, she helped initiate early literacy Even Start programs in public schools in administrative capacities. Karen holds an MS in early childhood education from Brooklyn College, an MPH in public health from Hunter College, and a BA in studio art/art history from Oberlin College.