Are you looking for strategies to improve classroom management? A great place to start is by teaching emotional regulation skills to your students. This will help them better self-regulate and better manage their behaviours. But how do you teach self-regulation skills to kids? Yoga and mindfulness is a great way to teach emotional regulation to stu…

Are you a new teacher feeling overwhelmed by all there is to figure out in the classroom? Do you want practical strategies for how to avoid teacher burnout? In this episode of The Balanced Educator Podcast we’re interviewing Alisha, a seasoned educator and co-host of the teacher podcast, Rainbow Skies for New Teachers. We discuss the challenges tha…

Is there a way to live your best life without constantly feeling overwhelmed and burnt out? Learn how to improve your work-life balance and avoid teacher burnout with these time management tips from Shawna Lapointe of Too Busy Livin’. In this episode of The Balanced Educator Podcast, we’re interviewing Shawna Lapointe, teacher, entrepreneur, and mo…

Today, we’re tackling a fun topic on The Balanced Educator Podcast… who doesn’t love a good seasonal topic! We share concrete ways to incorporate social emotional learning and mindfulness on the theme of winter! With the winter season upon us, it’s an opportune time to explore mindfulness in winter and dive into some calming breathing exercises tha…

There are so many great ideas for classroom mindfulness activities! In this super practical episode of The Balanced Educator Podcast, we talk about one of our favorites: mindful coloring (and hint: we share a link to some free coloring pages for kids for your use in the classroom!). We share the what, why and how to use kids coloring pages in your …

Today on The Balanced Educator Podcast, we are chatting with Grace Stevens all about feeling less stressed as teachers and more empowered. A perfect episode to listen to in the first few months of the school year to set yourself up for success! A former corporate girl, Grace quit VP life to pursue her dream job as a public school teacher. After 20 …

Tired of managing off-task students? Or having a hard time in the classroom distracted students that lack focus? In this episode of The Balanced Educator Podcast, we walk you through a simple and easy lesson plan for K-12 classrooms that will show you how to explicitly teach your students focus strategies in a systematic and efficient way (and make…

Join Lindsay Miller, a distinguished kids mindfulness coach, mindfulness educator, and host of The Stress Nanny Podcast, as we embark on a captivating exploration of child stress. Lindsay’s expertise, backed by 20+ years of child development study and mindfulness certification, equips us with invaluable insights to support children’s emotional well…

Have you noticed that when you arrive to the classroom stressed, your students’ behavior problems increase? In this episode of The Balanced Educator Podcast, Kailey explains the neurobiology of why emotions seem to be contagious. She talks about how emotions have the function of communication internally and interpersonally. Then, Kailey explains ho…

Are you looking for simple, yet highly effective classroom ideas to get your students ready for learning? In this to-the-point episode of The Balanced Educator Podcast, we share an excellent easy-to-teach self-regulation strategy that will help to create a calm, respectful and focused classroom environment. This teaching strategy won’t take more th…

Do you want to make classroom management easier for yourself and your students (and be able to focus better and enjoy your time in class together a whole lot more)? In this short and sweet episode of The Balanced Educator Podcast, we share how to make classroom management easier by teaching your students emotional regulation through breathing exerc…

A big struggle in the classroom, especially in middle and high school, is managing students’ use of technology. Smartphones and other devices can be powerful tools in the classroom. However, they can also be major distractions for students and a constant struggle for teachers. In this episode, we interview Emily Cherkin, The Screentime Consultant. …

Looking for books to help you teach social-emotional skills in your classroom? In this episode of The Balanced Educator Podcast, we’ve invited 4th grade teacher Andrea Burns, to share her list of the best books to read with your students to support social-emotional development. Andrea Burns is extremely passionate about all things bookish. This inc…

Looking for simple, no cost ways to practice mindfulness with your students and help them to manage their emotions? In this episode of The Balanced Educator Podcast, we talk to Sandi Schwartz, the founder and director of the Ecohappiness Project, about how to mindfully engage with nature. In this episode, you’ll learn the science behind why time mi…

Feeling overwhelmed? Burnt out? Unmotivated? Perfectionism might be the problem! In this episode of The Balanced Educator Podcast, we talk with Shibani Joshi about the expectations that are put on women in the workplace, how to let go of perfectionism and how to speak up for ourselves. Shibani Joshi is an experienced journalist who has covered busi…

Sixty percent of teen girls and forty percent of teen boys experience negative social comparison on Instagram. In this episode of The Balanced Educator Podcast, we’ve invited Richard Capriola to talk about how social media is affecting teen mental health. You’ll learn shocking statistics on how teen mental health is evolving in the recent years. Pl…

If you’ve been curious about sharing mindfulness in your classroom… Or you would like to learn how to have more success with the practice than you have in the past… We’re here for you! In this episode of The Balanced Educator Podcast, we share a mini training about the 3 phases of mindfulness in the classroom. Specifically, we talk about how to use…

Is choosing the right resource for teaching mindfulness and social-emotional learning in your classroom stressing you out? With so many programs out there, it can be overwhelming to choose the best option for your goals. In this episode of The Balanced Educator Podcast, we share the outcomes, benefits and evidence behind the Educalme social-emotion…

Looking to implement a mindfulness and social-emotional learning program in your classroom, school or district? If so, it’s important to ensure that the program curriculum is backed by research and is evidence-based. This can be an overwhelming task as there are lots of programs to choose from. In this episode of The Balanced Educator Podcast, we e…

With screen time doubled via online learning, now more than ever critical thinking skills specific to media and devices are a necessity to help kids navigate the ever-changing influences of the digital landscape. In this episode of The Balanced Educator Podcast, we’ve invited Amy Jussel to teach us how to integrate media literacy, mindfulness and S…

Starting a mindfulness practice can feel overwhelming when there are so many resources to choose from. In this episode of The Balanced Educator Podcast, we share a beginner mindfulness practice. One that you can listen to over and over to start, reinvigorate or deepen your mindfulness practice. We also talk about how you can use this exercise with …

What do teachers need to know about adolescent substance abuse today? In this episode of The Balanced Educator Podcast, we’ve invited Richard Capriola, a mental health and addictions counselor and the author of The Addicted Child: A Parent’s Guide to Adolescent Substance Abuse, to share his expertise on adolescent mental health and substance abuse.…

Are your students struggling to self-regulate? In this episode of The Balanced Educator Podcast we explain why you will have more success is you focus on co-regulation first. You will learn concrete ways to co-regulate with your students in the classroom so that everyone can benefit from emotional regulation and be ready for effective teaching and …

Are you feeling overworked, stressed or like you never have time to complete your to-do list? In this episode of The Balanced Educator Podcast, Dan Jackson, educator and author of the book Work Less, Teach More, shares strategies from his book. Strategies that will help you better manage your time so you be an effective teacher AND live a life you …

Isn’t it frustrating when a student doesn’t engage in classroom learning experiences? In this episode of The Balanced Educator Podcast, we share our tried and true methods for increasing student engagement in any classroom activity, but especially with mindfulness and social-emotional learning. You’ll leave this episode with concrete strategies tha…

Are you like us, always looking for social-emotional learning and self-regulation strategies to add to your teacher toolbox? In today’s episode of The Balanced Educator Podcast, we share an awesome no prep mindfulness activity for your toolbox! An all around feel-good activity, and a student favourite, too! It’s called A Memory That Brings Me Joy. …

When you’re tired, you need some no-prep activities that you can do on the spot, with short notice and next to no supplies, that can fill time while still being enriching for you and your students. In this episode of The Balanced Educator Podcast, we’re sharing our go-to no-prep social-emotional learning and mindfulness activities that you can do w…

Do your students hand assignments in late? Do they feel stressed about completing their tasks on time? In this episode of The Balanced Educator Podcast, we share the exact strategy we teach high school and university students to help them reduce stress and overwhelm and better manage their time all while prioritizing their wellbeing. LISTEN TO THE …

Do you feel like you’re pulled in so many directions as a teacher? That at any given moment that you can never complete the tasks you planned to do, then have to catch up before and after school? No More! Learn a highly effective strategy to keep you on track! Plus, find more work-life balance (and avoid teacher burnout) in this episode of The Bala…

How can we talk to kids about complex social justice issues in an age-appropriate way… And without watering down the realities of the issues? Oftentimes, kids have no issue understanding and being comfortable with these concepts. It’s often adults who need help to facilitate conversations. So how can adults get to the point where they feel comforta…

The biggest hurdle to starting a mindfulness practice in your classroom is often the fear of the first lesson. How do you introduce mindfulness to your students so that they will be on board and understand the benefits of this practice? We’ve decided to completely remove this barrier for you by creating an introduction to mindfulness video lesson t…

The biggest hurdle to starting a mindfulness practice in your classroom is often the fear of the first lesson. How do you introduce mindfulness to your students so that they will be on board and understand the benefits of this practice? We’ve decided to completely remove this barrier for you by creating an introduction to mindfulness video lesson t…

As teachers, we want to create a safe space for our students where they feel comfortable being themselves and advocating for their needs. So, we do our best to treat our students with kindness and compassion. However, conflicts between our students, or worse, bullying can create a classroom atmosphere that goes against our values. But how do we ens…

Today we’re diving into part 2 of this topic on The Balanced Educator Podcast, all about how to teach self-regulation in the classroom! Last episode, we talked about how to teach for self-awareness and self-regulation, which, in turn, makes classroom management easier and allows us to be more productive in the classroom. If you haven’t listened to …

Teaching self-regulation to our students allows them to manage their emotions and behaviours independently. In turn, this makes classroom management easier and allows us to be more productive in the classroom. But, teaching self-regulation can feel daunting! There’s so much information out there and lots of different advice on how to do it… It’s di…

What can we do as teachers to help our students gain self-confidence? Where do we start? In this episode of the Balanced Educator Podcast, we’re sharing a step-by-step approach on how to teach self-confidence in the classroom. First, we break down how we incorporate positive self-talk practices in elementary school, middle school and high school. W…

In this episode of The Balanced Educator Podcast, we’re talking about how using mindful movement in the classroom helps students manage their emotions and be ready for calm and focused learning. We talk about why movement breaks are effective and how to incorporate them into your classroom routine to support learning and simplify classroom manageme…

Talking about racism can feel scary. Especially when we don’t want to offend or say the wrong thing. However, this fear can hold us back from learning how to support all of our students in their unique needs. In this episode of The Balanced Educator Podcast, we’ve invited Noreen Sibanda, a Provisional Psychologist, to teach us how to create safe sp…

Supporting struggling learners can be a challenge when we don’t know the root of the problem or which strategies to employ. In this episode of The Balanced Educator Podcast, we’ve invited educational therapists Rachel Kapp and Stephanie Pitts from Learn Smarter, the Educational Therapy Podcast to teach us about how educational therapists support le…

When times are challenging, we need the wisdom and love of a grandmother to soothe us, teach us, and refill our tank. That’s why we’ve invited Grandmother Pahan onto The Balanced Educator Podcast today. Pahan Pte San Win shares her story about working with incarcerated youth. She shares what she learned and the relationships she built from asking h…

In this episode of the Balanced Educator Podcast, we’ve invited Erith Thompson to share how she uses Educalme, our social-emotional learning and mindfulness program, with her grade 6 team. Erith shares why she started using Educalme with her students and what resources she found really useful when she was getting started. Then, she talks about the …

How do we teach our students to be grateful? Today on The Balanced Educator Podcast, we’re discussing concrete ways to explore gratitude in the classroom! We share an awesome letter of gratitude project that teachers can do with their students right away. This interdisciplinary classroom activity will help students understand the power of gratitude…

Trauma can negatively affect a student’s ability to learn and there might be more students in your classroom that have experienced trauma than you think. Creating a trauma sensitive classroom supports all learners and equips students with skills that will support them in coping with difficult experiences that they might face in their future. In thi…

Have you ever reacted to your child’s or student’s behaviour in the heat of the moment then wished you would have handled the situation differently? In this episode of The Balanced Educator Podcast, we’re interviewing Hunter Clarke-Fields, host of The Mindful Mama Podcast and author of the book Raising Good Humans about mindful parenting. Hunter sh…

This year, everyone has been telling teachers to practice self-care. But, when do we find the time? Self-care doesn’t have to be restricted to outside of your workday and doesn’t have to be an added task on your to-do list. In this episode of The Balanced Educator Podcast, we’ll teach you how to integrate self-care into the school day so that both …

How can you practice mindfulness in the classroom with success? In this episode of The Balanced Educator Podcast, we’re sharing the 4 do’s and don’ts for teaching mindfulness in the classroom so that you can avoid making the same mistakes we did early on in our careers. When you follow the tips we share in this episode, you’ll have success teaching…

In this episode, Kailey shares how she teaches mindfulness and social-emotional learning in her high school classroom. She explains how she introduced mindfulness to her students at the beginning of the semester, how she created a social-emotional learning routine and how her students reacted to this daily mindfulness practice. Kailey addresses com…

If you have students in the classroom displaying problem behaviours, having more fun might be the solution! In this episode of The Balanced Educator Podcast, we’ve invited behaviour specialist Dr. Marcie Beigel, onto the show to teach us how having more fun in the classroom can help students manage their behaviours. We talk about how having fun can…

How do we help students go from I can’t to I can? Today on The Balanced Educator Podcast, we are sharing practical and applicable lessons, activities and projects you can do in your classroom to teach your students about growth mindset and how to adopt this mindset, which we believe is extra important now with the hurdles students have had to face …

As a teacher, taking time for self-care can feel impossible. So we’re sharing a quick and easy set of strategies that you could use before, during or after your workday to de-stress in 5 minutes or less. LISTEN TO THE SHOW Subscribe to The Balanced Educator Podcast so you don’t miss our upcoming episodes: iTunes | Spotify | Google Play SHOW NOTES h…