North Country Teacher Helps Students Find Emotional Tools to Weather Pandemic

SUNY Potsdam Alumna Brings Mindfulness Training to Salmon River School District

by Bret Yager

Potsdam, NY (01/04/2021) — Eighth-grade English teacher Jennifer Hutchins '01 is giving North Country public school students new tools for working through the emotional storm of the COVID-19 pandemic-on their own terms.

Any Salmon River School District student who feels isolation or anxiety can connect virtually with a mindfulness leader who offers tools to frame the emotional experience in a way that can lead to healing. Nationally, the concept of mindfulness is trending as students report elevated levels of depression, anxiety and loss associated with the pandemic, and as mental health professionals tout the benefits of mindful practices for instilling calmness and focus.

Students focus on breathing, movement techniques and becoming aware of emotions in a non-judgmental context. Mindfulness practices for better sleep are always in high demand and involve building an awareness of what the body is experiencing, Hutchins said. Active listening by the mindfulness leader also plays a significant role, but the practice does not involve advice, counseling or yoga, and is not spiritual or religious in nature, Hutchins said.

"We want to be guided by science," Hutchins said. "With COVID, we need mindfulness more than ever. In general, there has been a shift in the education field to an understanding that there needs to be work done in the social and emotional area in order to bring students into their academic potential."

An alumna of SUNY Potsdam's teacher education program, Hutchins spent the last half dozen years organizing resources, explaining concepts of mindfulness to people who weren't sure what it meant, and spearheading the initiative, which has now trained 15 participants to work at Salmon River. A similar effort is just beginning in the nearby Massena Central School District.

"It's about releasing tension," Hutchins said. "In order to reach students academically in any setting, they have to be physically and emotionally present."

As the program grew "in pockets," Hutchins began mindfulness training with the Salmon River girls hockey team, honing focus and resilience. This year, her work is funded by a grant from the American Federation of Teachers. Six practitioners are employed at the district through a partnership with the Holistic Life Foundation, and that number is on course to expand to 10 next year.

"There are many tools for different things, including heartfulness and forgiveness," Hutchins said. "The student picks the tool, and the leader guides them through its use."

Reese Jacobs is a community member who was trained by Holistic Life to work in mindfulness in the Salmon River schools. The goal is to help adolescents resolve trauma and distress early, Jacobs said.

"Mindfulness can help them to focus inward on how they themselves can deal with their own thoughts and emotions," Jacobs said. "The structure of our programming is devised in an efficient way to bring the youth through a cycle of practices that allow them to think proactively through a guided manner, in ways that they can be their own scientist. Some of the practices help even in a reactive way to calm down or alleviate stressors that they often endure in the school/life balance."

Mental health experts say the practices could be vital to helping millions cope with a pandemic that has left emotions shattered.

"Being in the present moment is more important now than ever. People are afraid and worried," said Holistic Life Foundation co-founder Ali Smith, who helped Hutchins bring the initiative to the North Country. "Students, teachers, and administrators are dealing with lots of stress around COVID-19; many are dealing with trauma in the home as well. After the initial shock-where everything was essentially put on hold-schools' demand for mindfulness practices for students and teachers has grown a lot."

The School of Education and Professional Studies at SUNY Potsdam has been preparing educators for more than 200 years. Today, that legacy of educational excellence also stretches to undergraduate and graduate programs in business administration, public health and human performance, to help students prepare for professions in the global economy.

About SUNY Potsdam:

Founded in 1816, The State University of New York at Potsdam is one of America's first 50 colleges-and the oldest institution within SUNY. Now in its third century, SUNY Potsdam is distinguished by a legacy of pioneering programs and educational excellence. The College currently enrolls approximately 3,600 undergraduate and graduate students. Home to the world-renowned Crane School of Music, SUNY Potsdam is known for its challenging liberal arts and sciences core, distinction in teacher training and culture of creativity. To learn more, visit www.potsdam.edu.

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