For Teachers
Based entirely on new research about the brain and the efficacy of both restorative practices and trauma-informed methodology in education, we’ve designed 5 Radical Minutes for Teachers to connect each student with every peer in the classroom in a compassionate, mindful, and meaningful way.
Experience How 5 Radical Minutes Can Change Your Classroom
How It Works for Students
5 Radical Minutes for Teachers starts with listening skills, but not just ordinary listening skills. Over time, students find acceptance for those who are different and compassion for those who are struggling.
The process is easy to implement. Working in pairs, students begin with fun, easy topics that uncover commonalities. You’ll gradually move into areas that build trust. As the program progresses, students learn complex, critical concepts that increase personal ownership of behaviors toward others. The program connects isolated students with peers in meaningful interactions. As a result, these interactions likely prevent a range of problem behaviors to which isolation often gives rise. Finally, 5 Radical Minutes for Teachers fosters heightened emotional intelligence. All this leads to greater kindness and compassion and creates a fundamental change in classroom and school climate.
Gain Valuable Teaching Time
In just 5 minutes daily, you’ll lead your students through our communication activities and actually gain more teaching time.
Both staff and students gain common language and concepts that address tolerance, acceptance, and non-violent communication. Due to the improved emotional intelligence for students and staff as you move through the program, classroom and school climate improves. Student conflict decreases as students grow in their understanding, acceptance, and compassion toward one another. As a result, you’ll gain more teaching and learning time.
Build Stronger Classroom and Peer Connections
When you know others’ stories, it is much more difficult to be unkind to them. 5 Radical Minutes for Teachers addresses school safety and prevention by promoting both peer connection and school connection.
5 Radical Minutes for Teachers not only gives students meaningful connections with all other classmates, it also teaches language and concepts necessary for healthy and respectful relationships. Some activities allow students to work together to discover ways to calm down. Others help them explore active, positive ways to discharge anger without acting it out on someone else. As a result, students learn to more easily identify issues and seek help for themselves and peers in need of support, rather than maintaining the code of silence.
Teach Positive Coping Skills
Daily engagement in the program gives students effective coping strategies for a range of stressors and challenges.
Once students have mastered the paired activities, we introduce weekly individual activities to address anxiety, depression, isolation, and self-harm. Using techniques from mindfulness-based stress reduction, students and staff learn how to find inner calm. This results in less peer conflict, less stress, and increased self-esteem. 5 Radical Minutes for Teachers addresses issues that many students face silently on their own, such as anxiety, suicidal thoughts, or depression. It also positively impacts more generalized school issues like cliques, tattling, bullying, and violence in schools.
Address Difficult Topics
Our kids are growing up in an increasingly complex world. They need to learn as they grow, and this program grows with them.
5 Radical Minutes for Teachers addresses issues related to focus and task completion, collaboration and cooperation, bullying, bystander skills, racism and a range of other issues. Over time, additional topics will be available as well.
See 5 Radical Minutes In Action
The program is easy to implement and simple to use. We walk you through each step of the process, and provide the words to say at every turn. Here’s what a sample day looks like:
The Neuro-Biology of Kindness
Acts of compassion or love exercise the vagus nerve. Research shows us that teaching kindness in schools is essential.
Students who have a high vagus nerve response will voluntarily stay in from recess to help a peer who is behind on schoolwork or step up to support a victim. 5 Radical Minutes for Teachers gives you brief, daily instructions that help students engage this nerve, relax the body, and listen from a place of kindness. This transformative program takes the positive outcomes from the mindfulness programs already in some schools and gives them life as students actually practice these positive skills in their relationships every day.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
Dacher Keltner on the Vagus Nerve
Teaching Children Belly Breathing
The Importance of Kindness in Schools
Need a little more information?
We’ve got you covered. Implementing change can be challenging, so we’ve added a few more details to help you understand the radical difference our program can make on your classroom climate.
Detailed Program Overview
Download a more detailed program overview that explains our three constants, how they work and their benefits. We also include tips on implementing 5 Radical Minutes in your classroom.
How Our Circles Work
Download an overview of our stress reduction techniques: how they work, why they work, and the resulting benefits your students will experience. (Spoiler: Benefits include better test scores!)
Check Out Our Parent Program
A supporting parent program is available to teach parents how to listen to their children, how to provide a safe space for their children to speak their truths. This positive reinforcement at home will only enhance outcomes at school and increase resilience in school youth.
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