Creating a classroom with a sense of calm is nearly every teacher’s dream. Here are steps you can proactively take to make progress towards a feeling of zen in your classroom.

“According to a 2022 report from the U.S. Department of Education, 80 percent of parents and 77 percent of teachers expressed concern for students’ social, emotional, and mental health (National Center for Education Statistics, 2022). It’s important to note that when it comes to coping with the stressors of life, some people may be better equipped than others. And this same concept applies to students. You may notice that some students are able to process their emotions while others struggle to understand what exactly is wrong. As educators, we have to shift our mindset from just academics to building up the whole student and consider their physical, mental and social well-being as part of our duties. We can work towards building lifelong skills for coping with emotions. “The benefits are far-reaching - from better health and increased ability to learn, to more fulfilled and happier lives” (Lantieri, L. 2008).Below are some suggested improvements you can make towards a calm classroom and developing coping strategies your students can tap into:Chill-out Corner, also known as calming corners, cool-down corners, or peace corners, are essentially a designated safe space in the classroom where students can go to self-regulate when they are feeling overwhelmed. The teacher does need to directly teach how this corner can be used, and the area must be visible at all times, for safety reasons. “It is not a place for seclusion, punishment, or control, but a space to overtly learn, practice, and implement self-regulation strategies” (Kalahar, M. 2020). Boundaries such as length of time used should be implemented. Every classroom’s corner may appear different, but some of the common elements include calming visuals, posters showing different emotions, sensory items, noise-cancelling headphones, writing utensils, fidget toys, timers etc. When introducing the chill out corner, the teacher may need to provide more guidance and support to encourage students to use the resource. Eventually you want to scaffold your support so that students can use it as the self-regulation tool it is designed to be.Grounding techniques work because they direct your attention and educator to somewhere other than what is overwhelming you. One grounding technique is the 5-step method, that can even be taught to students to use in the calming corner. As taught by Shukla in A 5-Step Mindfulness Grounding Technique To Ease Anxiety &amp; Why Mindfulness Works, you can use this technique to, “Snap you out of anxiety and regain mental control in your personal reality”:<ul><li>Look at 5 things</li><li>Notice the touch of 4 things</li><li>Listen to 3 things</li><li>Notice the smell of 2 things</li><li>Focus on the taste of 1 thing</li></ul>4-7-8 breathing technique involves inhaling for 4 seconds, holding for 7 and exhaling for 8, by pursing your lips together on the exhalation. This technique can be used as a calming tool, and also helps to, “bring the body back into balance and regulate the flight-or-flight response we feel when we’re stressed” (Gotter, 2018). Students can be taught to use this and in time it becomes a go-to move when they are feeling overwhelmed.Creating a classroom with a sense of calm is nearly every teacher’s dream. In order to go about your day with a sense of peace, there are steps you can proactively take to make progress towards a feeling of zen in your classroom. By providing students with coping strategies, and go-to techniques, you can make a lifelong impact. Life can be difficult, so equipping our students with the inner strength needed to face challenges is well worth the investment of time and energy.<h3>References:</h3>Gotter, A. (2018, April 20). 4-7-8 breathing: How it works, how to do it, and more. Healthline. Retrieved November 28, 2022, from <a href="https://www.healthline.com/health/4-7-8-breathing" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.healthline.com/health/4-7-8-breathing#How-does-the-4-7-8-breathing-technique-work</a>Kalahar, M. (2020). Calming Corners. Washington State University. Lantieri, L. (2008). Nurturing inner calm in children. Encounter, 21(3), 32-37.National Center for Education Statistics. (2022). School pulse panel (2021–22). U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences. <a href="https://ies.ed.gov/schoolsurvey/spp/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://ies.ed.gov/schoolsurvey/spp/</a>Shukla, A. (2020). A 5-Step Mindfulness Grounding Technique To Ease Anxiety &amp; Why Mindfulness Works. Cognition Today. Retrieved July 21, 2022.

Calming the Classroom