Today, Let’s Go Back

Way back…

Back when I first started as an Educational Assistant in a special needs classroom right here in Alberta, Canada.

This career path as an Educational Assistant was not the job I intended to take after high School.

To be honest, the transition into adulthood was a stressful time in my life. Adulthood hit me smack in the face at 19 years old. Reality set it and I realized I had to do something with my life. And I had to do something quick…

I opted to follow in my mother’s footsteps, who was a classroom Educational Assistant herself.

Although it was not a planned intention, I found my purpose in the classroom. I loved supporting these kiddos. I loved being able to make a difference in little lives.

As a new and enthusiastic Educational Assistant, I kept busy to stuff the stress of the realities of being an adult… You know the stresses – bills, taxes, college debt…

So, I committed fully to my work. I helped out where help was needed. I said yes to anything anyone asked of me.

I tired out quickly…

Little did I know, I was on the path towards burnout early in this new career.

At the end of each day, I’d get in my car and prepare myself for an hour-long drive home. Get home and scrape up whatever energy I had left to cook supper. Immediately after, I’d head to bed in sheer exhaustion.

Going all-in to my new job was not the answer to my stress.

Feeling depleted each morning (Let me tell you, I hated mornings…), I would set my alarm to get up at the last possible moment that would have me out the door and on time for work.

I’d get to work, get busy, and repeat the cycle – all. over. again.

It didn’t matter how much extra sleep I’d get, I never felt rested.

I was tired, groggy. I stopped going to the gym. My health suffered – mentally and physically.

I needed to make a change.

Here’s the thing: I love learning! I’m a real book nerd if I do say so myself (and a proud one)!

When things aren’t working, I read, I research. And I implement.

I happened upon some books and articles that spoke about the benefits of a solid morning routine – Waking up earlier to start a morning meditation and yoga practice and get the brain going with some reading and journaling.

At first, I thought it was crazy…

How could getting up even earlier in the mornings make me LESS tired?

How is losing sleep supposed to give me more energy?

I was skeptical, but I couldn’t help but give it a try.

And you know what… It worked!

This was 7 years ago now and since I’ve started a morning meditation and yoga routine, I’ve NEVER looked back.

Turns out, I actually LOVE mornings now.

All these years I’ve been getting up each weekday morning at 4am – Call me crazy, but I love the dark quiet and peacefulness of the early mornings.

(But don’t worry, I do listen to my body when my body tells me I need some extra sleep).

I begin each morning with meditation, yoga, reading and journaling.

And because of it, I found myself having an abundance of energy. I’ve found myself happier and healthier. I’ve found myself more cognitively aware. And more productive!

Who would have thought that sacrificing just a bit of sleep for a solid morning routine could do all that?!

How It Works!

Studies have shown that a morning routine that incorporates meditation and yoga can improve physical and mental wellness! When we are mentally and physically at our peak, we receive plenty of benefits throughout our day – like a boost in energy and productivity!

Yoga and meditation reduces stress, improves sleep quality, increases focus, and enhances cognitive function – It improves our ability to rationalize and make better choices.

We change on a physiological level – our brain experiences changes in activity, our heart rate changes, and our bodies begin to release different hormones like cortisol and dopamine.

These physiological changes are directly related to cognitive and emotional changes – Our mood improves, we begin to foster a positive outlook on life, motivation and energy levels increase – all of which are essential for a productive day!

You can capitalize on these benefits by scheduling your meditation and yoga routine at the beginning of each day!

Doing so will set the tone for your day ahead!

Looking for some tips to getting a morning routine going?

Stay tuned for my next post where I’ll break down 7 crucial tips for establishing a consistent morning routine – and LOVING it!

Until then –

If you’re curious about what books I read about routines, check out this one:

The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod.

I read quite a few, but this one impacted my routine the most. It’s short and simple.

Its simplicity saved my life.

With love,

Miss T.

Education, Kids, Mindfulness, Yoga

What Impact do you Want to Have on the World?

February 23, 2022August 8, 2022 Cassandra Troughton

Miss T, here!

Let’s have a chat about IMPACT for a second.. The impact we have on those around us.

I want to know…

What sort of impact do you want to have on the world? On your kids? On your students?

What legacy do you want to leave behind? What do you want to be remembered for?

Speaking from an educator stand point, I, of course, wanted to have a positive impact on my students. To leave them better off than before they met me. To shape them into kind-hearted human beings who could accomplish anything they set their minds to.

But sometimes, having such high expectations leads to discouragement.

We try our hardest, day in and day out, to guide our students into doing the right things and accomplishing the right things. And sometimes (quite often even), things do not go as planned. Sometimes, we fall short.

A student is dishonest with you, or your class forgets the concepts you’ve been working so hard to solidify in their minds. OR, even worse, one student hurts another with their words, or their actions… after we spent so long trying to instill a sense of compassion and integrity within our classroom…

It makes us question our efforts.

“Does what I do actually matter?…”

Trust me.. I’ve had more bad days than I can count. And many times when I’ve asked myself this very same question.

But I want to share a story with you. A story that hopefully will inspire you and remind you that ALL of your efforts really DO matter. They may not matter all in one day, or one week, or even in one school year.

But over time, the little bits of impact are compounded! And great things begin to happen…

I worked at Sherwood Elementary for 6 years, all years spent working in our Special Needs Adaptability Program. Which means, I was lucky enough to establish some amazing relationships with some amazing kids. Many of these students were in my class for multiple years.

There are students from that school and that program whom I will never forget. But one in particular who stands out in my mind. We shared a moment at the end of the 2020/2021 school year that made all those years of struggle worth it for me.

His name is Fadi.

Fadi* is a child on the spectrum. He started in my class when he was in grade 2 and I worked with him on and off until our school closed when he was in grade 5.

Fadi has a twin brother, also on the spectrum, but because of his more aggressive tendencies, was placed in a different adaptability program. Fadi, on the other hand, is quiet, kind, and sensitive.

I was drawn to Fadi right from the get-go because of his love of reading and his calm demeanor. He also became an avid attender of my Mindfulness Club.

Almost every single day that Mindfulness Club was ‘open for business’, he was there. Always the first in line.

He became one of my ‘Mindfulness Leaders.’

Quite often, I’d find Fadi alone out in the playground or in the field with a book in his hand, calmly holding a Yoga pose. Tree pose is a favorite of his.

Sometimes, with my adaptability students, it was tricky to tell if Mindfulness helped them in the ways I hoped. It was tougher to assess- because each day with these guys was different from the last.

But on our very last day of school (last day for the staff anyways, our students finished the day before), we all proceeded out of our schools front doors to have our final staff meeting farewell near the playground.

On my way out of those doors, I noticed Fadi, standing there with his Mom and brother. They seemed to be waiting to hand out year-end gifts for his classroom teachers.

Looking as handsome and grown up as ever, he proceeded to walk towards me, clutching something in his hand.

I was confused.

“I’m not his classroom EA this year… Why would he be coming to see me? Why would he be dropping off something for me?”

Because our school was closing, Fadi was making the move to a new school for the following year, and he was here to express his gratitude to the educators who made a difference in his years at Sherwood.

“Miss T, I have this for you..” He handed me an envelope. His mom standing behind him, tearing up, proud of her little man and what he’d become.

I opened it. And it read:

“To Miss T,
Thank you for you helping me learn, and read, and do mindfulness.”
[grammatical errors left as is, although, I added the commas for easier reading]

I felt instant tears stream down my face. I understood exactly what his Mom felt, because, I too, was so proud of the boy he became.

And in this one instant, I understood that all my efforts actually did make a difference.

Regardless of how hard and trying some days were, how challenging some kids were. I wouldn’t take back any part of it. Not a single day.

Because all of those hard days led up to this one moment.

And so, before you begin questioning all of your efforts and asking yourself if what you do really matters, I challenge you to think of just one kiddo… One kiddo you know that has crossed your path and left for the better…

Would you take back all of your efforts just because you only helped one kiddo?

Hell no you wouldn’t! You do what you do because you want to have an impact, you are here to help.

Sometimes it’s hard for us to see the influence we have on others, but I’m here to remind you that:

You DO make a difference.

And it doesn’t matter if it’s only 1 kid, or 10 kids.

At the end of the day, you made someone’s life better just by being in it.

And that, my friends, is a beautiful impact to have on the world..

With love,

Miss T.

_{*Student name changed to protect identity}

The Starfish Story
By: Loren Eiseley

In my first year at Sherwood Elementary, our principal shared this beautiful story with our staff. It serves as a beautiful reminder about how even the smallest gesture can make the biggest difference… to someone...

One day a man was walking along the beach when he noticed a boy picking up and gently throwing things into the ocean.

Approaching the boy he asked, “Young man, what are you doing?”

“Throwing starfish back into the ocean. The surf is up and the tide is going out. If I don’t throw them back, they’ll die,” the boy replied.

The man laughed to himself and said, “Do you realize there are miles of miles of beach and hundreds of starfish? You can’t make any difference.”

After listening politely, the boy bent down to pick up another starfish and threw it into the surf. Then, he smiled at the man and said, “I made a difference to that one.”

Education, Health / Wellness, Kids, Mental health, Mindfulness, Technology, Yoga

Oh, the Possibilities of Teaching Mindfulness Online…

February 2, 2022March 9, 2022 Cassandra Troughton

Hello Mindful Minds!

Miss T, here!

Well, I think we can all agree that the last few years have been anything but easy…

We are living in a world full of fear and uncertainty. Stress and anxiety is on the rise- and was well on the rise before the world even had a glimpse of COVID-19.

Many of us, myself included, are feeling isolated and alone, struggling to cope with the reality of the world…

If we are struggling… Our kiddos are struggling… How will our kiddos learn to persevere and thrive in this changing and stressful world?

I asked myself this very question when I first began my Mindfulness Club at my little Elementary School (if you haven’t read my last post, make sure you do before reading ahead!). Mindfulness was the answer then, and is most definitely the answer now!

In fact, in this COVID-struck world, I believe the practice of Mindfulness is even more important and more detrimental to our kids (and our own) well-being and resilience than ever before!

“In times of stress, the best thing we can do for each other
is to listen with our ears and our hearts .”
Fred Rogers

In March 2020, one week before our scheduled Spring Break, our schools in Edmonton, Canada shut down completely. We thought we would see our students bright and early Monday morning, turns out, we would not see them face-to-face for the rest of the school year…

I took a deep breath and reminded myself of the ‘controllables.’ No, I could not control what was happening in the world, but I COULD control and was very capable of finding a way to bring mindfulness to my students.

As schools and teachers frantically made plans to teach online, I thought about how to best serve my school community with the power of Mindfulness..

I decided to create a website for my students to access our mindfulness practices in the comfort of their own homes!

Using the platform, Google Sites… Mindfulness Club ONLINE was born!

Google Sites was easy and simple to use for a ‘non-techy’ person like myself. I am by no means an expert when it comes to web design. I prefer simplicity. Google Sites was the easy answer for me!

I designed it with a similar structure to our Mindfulness Recess Club- keeping our Mindful Monday, Wind-down Wednesday & Flexy Friday themes alive! Each Monday, Wednesday and Friday, I would post new breathing activities, yoga videos, games and stories (while getting creative and having familiar faces within our school record a read-aloud of a mindfulness book) for kiddos and their families at home.

I added a couple of extra features and resources on this site, including a virtual Gratitude Wall where students could submit notes of gratitude to an online Google Form. At the end of each week, I would add the submitted notes to a page on my google site, named “That Gratitude Attitude!”

This was created after our real-life ‘Gratitude Wall’ bulletin that hung in the hallways at Sherwood Elementary.

Pre-COVID, students could submit notes of gratitude themselves, though a little drop-off box at the front office.

Welcome to Mindfulness Club ONLINE! Where our ‘Online Gratitude Wall’ came to life! Kids could submit their notes of gratitude through Google Forums.

Our Gratitude Wall Evolved over the years. This is the final version in 2020/2021 upon returning to ‘in-class’ teaching.

Most of the activities I posted were found for free on youtube (Cosmic Kids Yoga, GoNoodle Guided Relaxations), and breathing activities from a book I already owned (Breathe like a Bear- highly recommended for quick breathing activities for young children).

But… I felt I needed something more… and tailored to these online needs. And that’s where Kids Yoga Stories came into play!

I am a huge fan of Giselle and her work at kidsyogastories.com! I had previously purchased some of her classroom resources, but she had most recently come out with the ‘Keep Calm’ and ‘Get Connected’ packs and I knew I had to jump on those! These packs came with a ton of digital resources that I was easily able to implement onto my Google Site.

As crazy as this year was (and the years have continued to be), it ended up being a lot of fun and an exciting new venture for me: learning to build this site and share my passion in the online world. And surprisingly… easier than I anticipated!

If you are looking for ways to implement mindfulness online, or find new ways to bring these practices to the kiddos in your life, I would love to connect with you and share any insights or answer any questions.

You can send me an email:

And check out my Google Site, Mindfulness Club ONLINE, at the link below for more ideas:

Mindfulness Club ONLINE

5 PRACTICAL Tips for Educators who are Shifting to Online:

Find an easy “website” platform to use:
Choose a platform that is user friendly. Easy for your students to access, and easy for you to use. You don’t need anything too fancy. The point is getting out info to your students, you don’t want to waste a whole lot of time making it look pretty. I used Google Sites. My students and I are already familiar with google applications (easy to access) AND it is designed simply with no excess distracting features.
Be open to using multimedia to address all learning styles:
Think about the needs of your students. In the classroom, we differentiate to address different learning styles. Bring that practice with you in your shift online. Record videos or sound clips, add pictures and text. Make it easy and fun for all types of learners. A Lot of my students in Mindfulness Club were younger and weren’t great readers, so for every text I wrote, I also added an audio clip of myself reading the text.
Record YOURSELF and/or known trusted adults:
Yes, you could search up videos of ‘professionals’ on youtube who already have videos posted to demonstrate a concept, but students love it more when they see you or someone they know on video! When choosing read-alouds for my Mindfulness Club Online, I recorded myself reading and asked other teachers and office staff in the school to read and record videos of themselves. The kids loved it!
Make it interactive for your students:
Find a way to make it interactive for your kiddos. A page of some sorts where they can respond or ask questions on their own. Google Forms can easily be inserted on any page to be used for daily check-in’s, questions of the day, etc. I’m sure there are some other awesome programs out there (maybe even Jamboards) that you could link up to your site, but my personal experience is working with Google Forms on my Google Site.
No stress! Just have fun with it:
This is where you get to see this as an opportunity to learn, make mistakes, and have fun while playing around with your site (Gosh, now I really do sound like Ms. Frizzle). You get to design it to let your personality shine through. If you have fun with Bitmoji, this is the perfect time to plaster your Bitmoji-self all over your website!! Ever heard of Bitmoji classrooms? I bet you have! Well, you can link your interactive Bitmoji classrooms all over your site! I have to warn you though.. This one can become a little time consuming if you’re a particular person, like me… So try not to dedicate a whole lot of time to it. (Unless it’s a fun hobby for you of course!)