‘Wellness Collaborative’ Founder Will Slotnick Visits Fessenden
11/19/2014
By Stacey Smalley
At Fessenden, it is our intention to instill in boys a sense of importance of health and well-being in one’s life. Emotional awareness, stress reduction, exercise, nutrition, personal and community safety, and personal growth and development are among the many aspects of healthy living that are emphasized throughout our curriculum.
Recently, Fessenden hosted Will Slotnick, founder of the Wellness Collaborative, as a guest speaker to work with and inform our community about the causes and impact of stress. He spent time talking with parents and administrators about the most effective ways for boys to cope with stress.
Not only does Will work with adults, he notes the importance of working directly with students to offer them a platform to learn and share their feelings about stress. Perhaps one of his most important lessons Will teaches is that everyone feels stress. For many students, it is eye opening to learn that classmates often feel the same way at one time or another; many boys think they are alone in their feelings. Once the boys are able to connect with and identify their feelings, Will’s goal is to help them focus on solutions they can use when feeling anxious.
Some of Will’s solutions include identifying an adult to connect with; breathing exercises; counting down slowly; visualizing numbers when counting; letting the awareness of breath relax their body; meditative sounds, listening to a sonorous meditative bowl; proper nutrition (eating breakfast with more protein than carbohydrates); sleeping well and learning how to wake during a light sleep; and learning how to manage time so that unneeded stress does not occur.
We are fortunate that Will visits the school each season. This winter and spring he will be leading age-appropriate group discussions about stress management and will offer helpful strategies to fifth through ninth graders. Parents are invited to attend these events, which will be held on Tuesday, January 20 and Tuesday, April 14 from 7:00-8:30 p.m. in the Kelley Room.
In the meantime, here is a suggested health and wellness reading list:
Building Emotional Intelligence Techniques to Cultivate Inner Strength in Children Linda Lantieri, Daniel Goleman
Emotional Intelligence Why It Can Matter More Than IQ Daniel Goleman
Everyday Blessings The Inner Work of Mindful Parenting Myla and Jon Kabat-Zinn
Food and Mood The Complete guide to Eating Well and Feeling Your Best Elizabeth Somer
Just Say Know Talking With Kids About Drugs and Alcohol Cynthia Kuhn, Scott Swartzwelder, Wilkie Wilson
Nowhere to Hide Why Kids with ADHD & LD Hate School and What We Can Do About it Jerome J. Schultz
Mindful Teaching and Teaching Mindfulness A Guide for Anyone Who Teaches Anything Deborah Schoeberlein, Suki Sheth
The Mindful Child How to Help Your Kid Manage Stress and Become Happier, Kinder and More Compassionate Susan Kaiser Greenland
The Open-Focus Brain Harnessing the Power of Attention to Heal Mind and Body Les Fehmi, Jim Robbins
The Relaxation & Stress Reduction Workbook for Kids Help for Children to Cope with Stress, Anxiety & Transitions Lawrence Shapiro, Robin Sprague
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