Compassion Action E-News, March/April 2020

April 4, 2020 | Volume 1, Number 2

Taking Time to Take Care

Editor's Corner

Christine Mason, Ph.D.

C-TLC Program Director and

Founder and Executive Director

Center for Educational Improvement

Today, we are in need of lighthouses. They can shine their light up to 70 nautical miles, bringing light and hope to many. Amidst our trials, we are doing much. The world has asked us to demonstrate how much can be done through our community, our caring, and our spirit.

More than anything, today we are connecting—connecting with children and families, toddlers and teens, in urban centers and remote villages. Our light shines far. And educators, like a million lighthouses, are beacons of calm, bringing light, sharing our strength and courage.

Featured Article: Visioning During a Time of Uncertainty to Bring Peace and Hope

By Christine Mason,

CEI Founder and Executive Director

Paradox rules at the moment. Even as we are socially isolating indoors, skies are clearing as we have halted toxic pollution. Although we have become more and more concerned about our children’s time on their digital devices, classrooms have gone virtual. And parents who have been stressed out over how to work and spend time with their children, are home now with their families 24/7.

News You Can Use

Trauma-Informed Distance Learning Recommendations

By Dana Asby, CEI Director of Innovation & Research Support and Christine Mason, CEI Executive Director

Teachers and schools around the country have quickly mobilized to figure out how to serve their students from afar. Schools and communities have banded together to make sure that all of their students have the tools and resources needed to learn together online while staying safe in their homes. The swift and unexpected switch from classroom to home-based learning has illuminated inequities that have long existed under the surface for many middle- and upper-class families but have impacted the daily lives of our poorest and most vulnerable families—whose experience of poverty in itself is a trauma. For these families and families of every socio-economic rung who have experienced trauma, educators can ease the transition to distance learning by offering some extra supports.

Five Mindful Habits

By Dana Asby, CEI Director of Innovation & Research Support

Stress can be toxic to the body and mind. When parents or teachers are stressed, they’re less likely to be well attuned to the youth in their care. Research shows that mindfulness can reduce stress, increase happiness, and help people better understand each other’s needs, leading to a family or school that feels more connected through a bond of love. By weaving mindfulness into the fabric of your family’s life or the school day, you will see improvements in positive attitudes and behaviors.

Read Part 1 & Part 2

Share this 5 minute video with staff, parents, and friends.

Andrea Elliot, a C-TLC Fellow, is the principal of Bishop Brady High School in Concord, New Hampshire

Featured Fellow: Andrea Elliot

Bringing Compassion to New Hampshire High Schoolers

By Dana Asby, CEI Director of Innovation & Research Support

“Bishop Brady High School: A Caring Community” is on the sign outside this Concord, New Hampshire high school. Andrea Elliot, the principal of this small Catholic school that serves about 300 students, thinks her school’s foundational belief in the importance of loving one another— brother and stranger—is why hers is a compassionate school community.