Generation Wellness Blog

Do you believe in creating a positive school climate, educating the whole child, and implementing cutting-edge discipline practices that decrease behavior referrals?

If your answer is yes, then we invite you to join over 15,000 educators who've experienced the Generation Wellness Training! You can host a training at your school or email us if you're interested in hosting a "public training" for significant savings.

This fun, interactive training provides the blueprint for creating a trauma-informed school with practical tools that build self-regulation, connection, and focus, so that all students and staff have the opportunity to thrive. Also included in the training:

• The latest research on the brain and body response to stress/trauma.
• A packet filled with all cutting-edge information and all 50 activities.
• One year free subscription to the Generation Wellness App.
• Help developing a plan to immediately integrate mindful practices and social/emotional learning into...

While traveling around the country and facilitating trainings, I get to meet extraordinary educators. Not only do we share a day or two of laughter, tears, stories, and strategies, but we stay connected through email, the app, webinars, and the Facebook group.

Last week I received an email from an amazing person who attended the Generation Wellness Training earlier this year and I feel that many of you may be going through the same thing, so I felt it was necessary to share:

We've got a simple practice for you that will increase student engagement, focus, and the overall learning experience! Are you ready for it? Drum roll please....

Get up and move!

Simple, but profound.

The science is clear: In order for students to learn, they need to be able to pay attention. In order to pay attention, we need to let students move.

Brain breaks re-energize the brain, so that more learning and retention can occur. According to Wendy Suzuky, "Movement is the most transformative thing we can do for our brains." Let's examine the reasons why according to research.

Benefits of Brain Breaks:

• Increase focus
• Increase productivity
• Improve student problem solving
• Improve cognitive skills
• Decrease stress
• Reduces disruptive behavior
• Promote physical fitness
• Improve mood
• Improve short-term memory
• Improve long-term memory

What We Can Do (Simple Action Steps):

• Research shows that more learning occurs when taught in smaller chunks of time with many short breaks,...

The beginning of the school year is often an exciting time filled with decorating classrooms, collaborating with staff, meeting families, and more. Many schools and districts are also planning for daily practices that combat stress and innovative interventions that actually teach skills. Why? Take a look at these sobering statistics:

• Stress is the number one cause of disease in America. 3 out of every 4 doctor visits are because of stress. At the core, stress is America’s #1 Health Problem.
• More than two thirds of children in the U.S. report experiencing a traumatic event by age 16.
• Stress and trauma impact school performance. Research shows that students who experience chronic stress and trauma have a lower GPA, higher rate of absenteeism, increased dropouts, increased suspension/expulsion, and decreased reading ability.
• Suspensions drastically increase the chance of students dropping out, which increases their chance of going to prison. In fact, our...