The Aware Teacher:
Bringing Reflection and Mindfulness to our Schools

Florence Meleo-Meyer   Pamela Seigle

Dates: July 22-23, 2010

Location: Center for Mindfulness, UMass Medical School, Chang Building, 222 Maple Ave, Shrewsbury, MA. Click here for directions.

Instructors: Florence Meleo-Meyer, MS, MA and Pamela Seigle, MS

Cost: $475 ("Early Bird" Tuition: $425 if you register on or before July 1, 2010)

How to register: Pre-registration is required. Click here to download registration form.

You may email the completed registration form to cfm.oasis@umassmed.edu, fax to 508-856-1977, or call Merin MacDonald at 508-856-1097 to register by phone.

In order to teach with vitality and engagement, and respond with skill and compassion to the complex demands of teaching, teachers need support in cultivating their innate capacity to pay attention to what is happening in the moment. They need to develop and strengthen their ability to be aware of and manage their own emotions and the emotions of others, and to create a classroom environment where students can take risks that are a necessary part of learning.

The Aware Teacher introduces Reflective Practices focusing on: connection to what animates commitment to teaching; purpose and values; recognizing personal gifts, strengths, and limitations; holding paradox and ambiguity; and communication. And it also introduces Mindfulness Practices focusing on: sitting meditation; body scan; movement; loving kindness practice; sound and musical expression; and theory on stress, emotional intelligence, and neuroscience related to self-regulation.

Through large group, small group and solitary activities, we will explore reflective practices that make use of stories from our own experiences, and insights from poets, storytellers and diverse wisdom traditions. We will also experience specific practices that can be brought into the classroom and identify times during the school day when these practices can be introduced. Through group discussion, we will share and expand on ways that teachers are already bringing mindfulness and reflection into their classrooms.

The Aware Teacher is informed by the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Program founded by Jon Kabat-Zinn at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, and Courage to Teach® developed by Parker J. Palmer, the Center for Courage & Renewal, and its regional affiliate, Courage & Renewal Northeast at Wellesley College. It also draws on contemporary research in social and emotional learning, mindfulness meditation, and neuroscience.

Other information:

Meals: Please plan to bring your lunch.  There are also plenty of places to grab a quick bite, including grocery stores, within a 5 minute drive. 

Lodging: A room block has been reserved at the Residence Inn Marriott, 503 Plantation Street, Worcester, MA for $124 per night, plus applicable taxes.  Reservations can be made by calling the hotel directly at 508-753-6300 and referencing “UMass Aware Teacher”.  To obtain this reduced rate, reservations must be made by June 30, 2010.

Dress: Please dress casually and comfortably, as there will be periods of yoga and other movement during the training.  We also ask that you refrain from wearing heavily scented colognes, perfumes, lotions, etc., as some participants make have sensitivities.

Cancellation Policy: If you need to cancel, you must do so on or before June 22, 2010 for a full refund, less a $25 processing fee.  No refunds will be offered after June 22, 2010.