submitted by Brian Bushner
Each year the ‘Academy for Character Education at The Sage Colleges’ honors outstanding positive leadership in Capital District schools and communities. The Academy recognizes the leadership and dedication to the vision and mission of fostering positive character development.[private]
The awards are given at the annual Champions of Character Awards Banquet, attended by approximately 300 individuals. Honors are given to students, educators,administrators, business leaders and civic leaders who have gone above and beyond in the character education initiative.
The 2016 honors include a new award, “Teacher Organizational Character Development Initiative” and the Hoosick Falls Central School District is proud to be the first recipient of that award.
In September 2015, the Hoosick Falls Central School District introduced mindful education. As part of a broader social-emotional learning initiative, mindful education provides the tools necessary for better managing the stressors that can often disrupt learning.
This past spring, the faculty and staff were introduced to mindfulness during a day of professional development in which they explored deep breathing exercises, relaxation techniques, and mindful yoga movements – practices that can easily be applied in the classroom with students.
A key component to the success of the mindful learning efforts is the teaching staff, who have supported the initiative in a big way. After training the staff in May of 2015, they agreed in their collective bargaining agreement to incorporate mindfulness into the school day.
This remarkable accomplishment was the result of a fantastic negotiation team of HFTA co-presidents Jennifer McDonald and Amy Feurllo, along with Brian VanArsdale, Sabrina Coll, Chris Farley, and Sarah Fleming. The team was led by Charlene Opatkiewicz, a negotiations specialist from NYSUT. This agreement language is the first in the State of New York to incorporate mindful breathing and practices as part of a contractual obligation for teachers.
Eighth-grade teacher McDonald said, “Practicing mindfulness has helped our students learn to focus, manage stress, control their emotions, and develop a positive outlook toward school and learning.”
Seventh-grade teacher Farley said, “Mindfulness has been something I’ve totally immersed myself into. The idea of slowing the pace of the day and just ‘being’ is something students and faculty need and are certainly benefitting from. The frenetic pace of our lives demands time to slow down and reenergize. I’m proud to have played a role in implementing mindful reflection and look forward to it for my students, and myself, every day.”
The awards were presented at a banquet at the Franklin Plaza in Troy, New York on Thursday, April 14. Faculty members accepting the award on behalf of the Hoosick Falls Teachers Association were McDonald (social studies), Laura Pushee (elementary math), VanArsdale (science), and Feurllo (special education).
VanArsdale said, “Our students, our kids, matter to us. Through mindfulness, we are providing another tool for our students to manage their lives with.”
Pushee added, “The mindfulness initiative allows the students to deal better with stress and anxiety in both their school and home lives. The HFTA incorporated mindfulness into the school day because we want our students to deal with adversity without negatively impacting their day.”[/private]