Breathe For Change: A Breath of Fresh Air

Melrose teachers make a living out of bringing fresh ideas into the classroom, and our latest spotlight highlights this both figuratively and literally!

Tricia Vergados of Lincoln Elementary School employs the calming stress relieving benefits of yoga in her everyday life, and took the initiative to bring those benefits into the classroom with a grant assist from the Ed Foundation.

Breathe for Change offers professional development for educators to enhance the collective well-being of educators, students, and entire communities. Ms. Vergados completed the course and wasted no time bringing it to the classroom.

What Ms. Vergados had to say:

“I am always using what I learned in my classroom; we begin each day with 3 collective breaths, we try out different poses to work on balance and self control (along with many other SEL strategies).”

….and even better, she also adds:

“This professional development has encouraged me to add daily mindfulness, breathing techniques, accountable talk language and yoga into my classroom regularly. Not to say this wasn't already happening, but now I feel more confident and knowledgeable in my abilities to help my students establish and maintain supportive relationships, make responsible and caring decisions, feel and show empathy to others, just to name a few.”

Courses at Breathe for Change have helped educators renew and invigorate their sense of belonging, connection, and purpose in the field of education. Over the summer Ms. Vergados led a professional development session for colleagues based on what she learned from Breathe for Change. It was so well received that she has been asked by other teachers to do it again!

Ms. Vergados not only brought the benefits of this particular grant to her classroom, she also shared with her community of teachers which means wins for the schools, students, teachers and community. The Melrose Education Foundation loves to see it!