Real Stories of Focus, Calm, and Well-Being

I am grateful to the GECDSB for understanding the vital role that Jodi Nolin has undertaken in our school board. She has single-handedly been one of the most influential consultants that I have come to know in my 21 years of teaching. I was first introduced to her work when she offered a one day session last year with my intermediate students. I immediately began using it with them and they bought in right away. It was a like a gift for them, a one minute mindfulness, that time belonged to them and they felt it in their heart and mind. After that success, I took the 101 Mindfulness course offered by the board and then the 200 course to further delve into the study. Honestly, it helped me focus and make major career goals that were authentic and meaningful for myself. Everyone knows that society, families and students have changed post-covid, especially in low SES areas. Our board has proven that they are committed to children's mental health and well-being having Jodi enter schools on the ground level and teach these necessary skills. She is building incredible capacity within our board and making a positive change with her one position. Our staff also loves her Mindfulness minutes during whole board PD. Thank you for supporting this program!

Yes, this has been helpful for me in my own practice and has made it easier to connect with students when dealing with a behaviour issue.

The program is extremely beneficial to my students and to myself. I have seen huge impacts on my personal life and professional life after applying the strategies learned in these sessions. My students have also felt the same gains, especially my students who have lots going on in their personal lives.

I have noticed that it helps students focus and redirect their attention to the task on hand.

My class was already very well behaved and focused on their learning, however with mindfulness practice I have found that they are even more relaxed and happier in the classroom. They often ask for mindfulness time like they ask for Daily Physical Activity. This is the biggest take away for me, as the students feel it is something they want and need daily.

I noticed a more focused classroom after mindfulness, students who are more aware of their feelings and are better able to articulate how they are feeling and why.

I have been so grateful for the GAINS friendly practices and for Jodi's skill in pivoting the lesson to meet the students where they are. As with any skill in GAINS it can take a long time for some students to understand and use a skill, we are committed to using the practices for the "long haul". Thank you for this opportunity to learn and grow in mindfulness practice.

My class this year is challenging sometimes and I find myself using the tools, then thinking aloud as a mindfulness role model for my students. I say things like, "I am feeling frustrated because I have repeated myself many times and not everyone is listening. I'm going to take two deep breaths and see if I can get back on track."

This has added to my own personal toolbox as well. I have been able to incorporate the ideas in Mindful practice into both my personal and professional life. I cannot overstate the value of this program. If the board is truly committed to the mental well being of staff and students then this program will be supported and expanded.

Jodi is an incredible asset to mindfulness and her coming in to the classroom was vital for success. Expanding this program so more schools can take part would be highly beneficial.

A calm over the class is beautiful.

I can't say enough about this incredible program. Jodi has shared a wealth of knowledge and resources. I have made myself a binder and plan to implement this daily. Again, this has helped out students, myself and my family. We NEED more of this in our school, A LOT more. Jodi went above and beyond and is remarkable at what she does.

Students who consistently participated overall experienced an increased level of calmness and focus, especially immediately following the practice.

Thank you! Love the program and how it was set up. Very teacher and student friendly!

Mrs. Nolin was a breath of fresh air in the classroom, students really enjoyed their time with her.

This program should be taught in every classroom by a Mindful Schools certified teacher. I would consider taking the coursework myself out of my own interest and applying it for my students.

It has proven to be very beneficial in regulating my own emotions at school when things get tough.

Jodi's visits have helped me and the students tremendously! Seeing her lead the lessons has been a great model for me on how to proceed with the program on my own. Also, being able to observe students while they are participating has allowed me to appreciate how different students have different experiences with each lesson. The lesson on emotion was particularly helpful because the day Jodi taught the lesson, several of my students were very upset about a recess issue. What Jodi was able to teach them was incredible and empowering. After her time was up, Jodi offered to talk to the students about the issue now that everyone was calm. It was very helpful to me and the students. I was able to use the same strategies with these students the next time a conflict came up and it worked very well at settling emotions, feeling grounded and finding solutions. Thank you Jodi!

I enjoyed having this program introduced to my classroom and will incorporate this into my classroom next year. I also started using these tools and practices in my own personal life. If I could make one suggestion it would be to have this 8-week program introduced closer to the beginning of the school year. This way I could have implemented these helpful tools all year long. Thanks again for everything!

It was wonderful having Jodi in my classroom for the 8 weeks. My students actually looked forward to doing mindfulness exercises and learning new tools from her. Jodi is an awesome facilitator for this practice.

I worked with Jodi at an elementary school. She sometimes started our staff meetings with a few minutes of mindfulness. I really noticed the difference in my ability to face the staff meeting and all the initiatives and responsibilities it covered with less anxiety and a more positive outlook.