Presented by Seewan Eng, Executive Director, Mindful Schools; Argos Gonzalez, Head of Instruction, Mindful Schools; and Dr. Cicely Warren, Assistant Superintendent, Paterson Public Schools (NJ)

Sponsored by Mindful Schools

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Are you worried about educator well-being and retention, or wondering how to support students struggling with stress and trauma? Does it seem like your current initiatives are coming up short?

There’s a proven solution that’s always within reach. Mindfulness has been around for millennia, and modern science has now confirmed that practices like focusing on the present moment, being aware of thoughts and feelings, and acting with compassion are powerful interventions that can strengthen relationships and foster a sense of agency and belonging. But where do you start?

Join Seewan Eng and Argos Gonzalez from Mindful Schools in conversation with Dr. Cicely Warren, Assistant Superintendent of the Paterson Public Schools (PPS), as they discuss successful strategies to build resilient school communities. Mindful Schools has partnered with PPS on a multi-year strategy to integrate mindfulness into the district’s culture and SEL programming. Drawing on experience in PPS and hundreds of other schools, we share tips on adapting mindfulness practices to your specific school and district. In this edWebinar, you:

• Learn how to stay grounded as a leader
• Hear about building mindfulness into your existing programs (SEL, equity, etc.)
• Discover specific strategies tied to Mindful Schools’ free, research-based frameworks: Domains of Mindful Teaching and Rubric for Assessing Schoolwide Mindfulness
• Take away practical tips for getting started, even if conditions aren’t perfect

This recorded edWebinar is of interest to PreK-12 teachers, school and district leaders, and school counselors.

About the Presenters

Drawing on more than 13 years of experience as a high school English teacher in the Bronx, Argos is an equity-driven educator and thought leader who leverages his mindfulness practice to engage communities in creating positive change. Argos first learned about mindfulness when he was searching for practices to support his high school students and the pre-service and inservice teachers he guided at Hunter College, CUNY – a role he continues to play today. Argos joined Mindful Schools in 2014 and currently serves as Head of Instruction, where his experience as an educational leader helps him shepherd the internal learning journey and shapes program delivery. Argos recognizes the power of love as a radical tool for personal and community change and shares mindfulness to foster healing and transformation, especially for communities most impacted by systems of oppression. Argos immigrated from Venezuela as a boy, grew up in Queens, and lives in New York City.

Dr. Cicely Warren is an educator who loves to learn. Her experience as a student in public and independent schools in NYC provided a unique understanding of the importance of access to resources and instruction in shaping student experience and outcomes. Dr. Warren’s experience as an undergraduate at Wesleyan University solidified her commitment to public service and validated her belief that education is a pathway to opportunity. After joining Paterson Public Schools as a Teach for America corps member in 1995, she has served as a teacher, vice principal, and principal, and was appointed Assistant Superintendent of School Operations in 2015. Dr. Warren is known for her ability to bring diverse perspectives to the table and promote student-centered, equity-focused practices at all levels of operations. In addition to supervising schools serving grades PreK-12, she leads equity and inclusion efforts for PPS with partners such as Mindful Schools.

Seewan Eng is passionate about empowering educators and building cultures and systems that sustain resilience, compassion, liberation, and justice in schools. She believes that mindfulness was a missing piece during her nine years as a middle school teacher, and that having a personal practice would have empowered her to foster a braver and more loving classroom community where all students were thriving. Seewan has led teams bridging research to practice at WestEd and supporting assets-based coaching and professional development models at New Teacher Center. Today as Executive Director of Mindful Schools, she is honored to be creating conditions for educator well-being and a more sustainable, thriving school culture. She received a B.A. from Brown, an Ed.M. from Harvard, National Board Certification, and is a 2023 Pahara Fellow.

Learn more about viewing the live presentation and the recording, earning your CE certificate, and using our new accessibility features.

Join the Mental Health and Wellness community to network with educators, participate in online discussions, receive invitations to upcoming edWebinars, and view recordings of previous programs to earn CE certificates.

Mindful Schools has trained over 70,000 educators and currently works in 500 schools across the country, where we are helping school communities become the best version of themselves. We guide educators to practice, apply, and embody mindfulness in their day-to-day interactions so they can nurture social and emotional well-being, strengthen relationships, and help all students thrive.

Mindfulness is a simple, accessible, and profound entry point for addressing the disconnect between what overwhelmed educators know and what they have capacity to do. Through our courses, curriculum, and consulting work, we support school leaders to make a lasting change. Together, educators learn to manage stress, become aware of and address bias, create trauma-sensitive classrooms, and cultivate resilient communities of belonging, inclusion, and well-being.