What?
Teachers Circles are facilitated activities for teachers that build support, community, well being and enhance creative responses. They support more positive responses to the impacts of secondary trauma and difficult situations.
How?
Activities could include mindfulness/stilling, presence, systemic, and creative art exercises. The meeting can happen weekly or monthly at your school or remotely through zoom calls.
Why?
Going through these activities help develop resources and untangle challenges for participants. It will cultivate your ability to stay heart-centered even in the most challenging circumstances. Participants will walk away with tools to reinforce and support learning and enhance creativity. These exercises and tools are easily transferable to the classroom.
Background on Teachers Circle
Teachers Circle was created to give teachers a “breathing space” to enhance self-awareness, practice presence and learn about ECL(Enhancing Children's Lives) and Supporting Systems tools. The teachers develop a systemic lens to learn about their own systems and those of their students. This can build resources but also honor the difficult circumstances of the teacher and student and how it affects the classroom system. Teachers learn how to bring support and inspiration to each other and their classrooms. There is always some fun included. Participants co-collaborate on how the activities can be adapted to different grade levels. Developing resources and creating space for the teachers’ self-awareness enhances their well-being and their students’ learning.
“ECL circle has had such a positive impact on our school community for both teachers and students. Teachers had a safe and comfortable place to discuss what weighs heavy on us and access our resources. By finding comfort within ourselves and through our colleagues, we were better able to meet the needs of our students who may be struggling emotionally. It brought our community together and equipped us with tools and resources to use in the classroom each day. I am so thankful to have experienced ECL Circles!!!”
— Alessa, Conte West Hills Magnet School
Case Study
Conte West Hills Teachers Circle
est. 2014 New Haven, CT
The purpose of the Teachers Circle (TC) at Conte West Hills was to help adults create learning environments in which children and young people can flourish. The circle supports the emotional well being, creativity, and learning of the teacher and thereby supports their classroom community. The TC supports school-wide innovators to create electrifyingly useful ‘next practices.'
The TC met once a month. Practices included stilling and systemic experiential exercises. Teachers extended their experience creativity through art and shared with each other in a co-creative way. They actively learned about the components of belonging, exchange, place and time which contributed to the teachers' personal growth and that of their students. Different practical tools were shared to support teachers with students that may have "fates" that are difficult for teachers, students, and their families.
