Early on in my time in the classroom I noticed the most successful students were also the most regulated. What does this mean? Those who arrived in my classroom with some built in resilience- through nature, nurture, or maybe a little of both- had the best outcomes. They were ready to work and ready to learn. They accepted their weaknesses and were proud of their strengths. 

Struggling Students & Behavior Concerns

But what about our struggling students? The ones we expect to show up every day cheerful and ready to go while carrying the weight of just trying to make it through the day. The ones who see the glaring gap between their abilities and that of their peers and don’t know what to do about it. They might try to shrink themselves down in an effort to not be noticed. They might act out in all sorts of ways to distract everyone around them, including themselves. It’s hard for any of us to struggle to learn something. But imagine if that includes the most important focus of school- reading!

Encouragement or Discouragement?

Our well intentioned, “Just try your best!” and reminders to stay on task fall short of actually providing students with what they need. Maybe they are already trying their best! What a discouraging suggestion to hear from the expert in the room. It doesn’t take long for the student to decide something is wrong with them.

While the power of positive thinking is real, it does little to convince the body of what it knows to be true. Processing our emotions in an authentic way is vastly different from trying to compliment ourselves when we feel down. The body is very good at holding onto stress and emotions in an effort to protect us. That stress stays deep in our tissues trying to make sure we recognize that feeling in order to avoid it. But we can’t avoid reading!

Enter Mindful Readers!

At its heart, Mindful Readers is a unique blend of yoga therapy practices to include yoga poses (asanas) and breathing practices (breath work) to help students process both what they are learning and what they are feeling. When we can provide students with the tools they truly need to be willing and able to make progress and ultimately find success, everyone wins!