I was fortunate to have worked alongside Kris Garner while she piloted her Wholehearted Leaders program at Beaver Creek Academy. As her co-teacher, I found myself quickly becoming a learner alongside our students as she took us on a journey to explore and develop emotional literacy. Fostering a sense of curiosity, our students became comfortable and fluent when exploring and communicating their emotions, specifically communicating with the intention of understanding others. Perhaps this seems like a rather mundane skill, but too often have I heard from adults and parents of our learners “I wish was I taught this when I was young”.

As I reflect on my year as both Kris’s co-teacher and as a student in her teaching, the only word that comes to mind is “transformative”. Kris has modeled and helped me gain confidence in myself and my abilities as an educator. She has given words and language to help navigate the complex, beautiful but at times a bit messy world of emotions.

So I ask you to take a moment to imagine having the courage to share your vulnerability with others, to imagine the strength of being able to receive and hold space for others when they feel most vulnerable, to imagine the empowering feeling of being seen and heard…. now imagine those skills for yourself and for your learner. This is the journey and the gift that Kris has imparted to me.

This is my love letter to Education, to a future filled with emotionally literate communities and to change in the ways we connect with ourselves and others. Thank you Kris for being a mentor to me.

Being an Educator is no easy feat. Between trying to balance student well-being, academic proficiency, administrative pressures, extra curriculars, and the endless hours of planning (plus so much more) it is no wonder that so many individuals in the education system suffer from burn out and exhaustion. How can we show up for ourselves when we are giving everything to our learners and our jobs? Helping school staff balance their sense of self with the tasks of daily life in the education system is precisely what The Embodied Educator workshops do.

The information that Kris provides combines scientific research with tangible everyday experiences that each individual can do to not only help themselves but transform their classrooms and the ways they interact within their daily lives. I continue to inspire myself everyday as I witness the beautiful and positive changes Kris’ teachings have brought to my life. By being in-tune and regulated with my own nervous system I am able to show up authentically with my learners, friends, and family in ways I didn’t know possible. I am so excited to continue this work that has been planted as a seed by Kris. My hope is that all Educators who are witness to these teachings will be able to see that there are small things they can start doing tomorrow to help connect deeper with themselves and their Learners.

I started doing support work for families and foster agencies 6 years ago, moved into the role of teacher support 3 years ago, and have never experienced what I have working with ELM. I was unaware of how much I had to learn about myself and humanity as a whole before walking through those doors. It began as an exciting new venture and ended up becoming a defining moment that determined a new path in life for me. I have experienced a level of acceptance with the team I am working with, that I didn't know was possible. As the school year progressed, every emotion played out, was allowed and treated as valid throughout this process. This gave the kids a chance to really bond and coordinate in ways that respected them as individuals and allowed them to contribute to the whole in a meaningful way. I watched conflicts arise, climax, and find resolution in a fraction of the time as I have in other educational or support environments. They began to understand and embrace the process, and in doing so, developed a deeper level of trust in their educators, themselves, and each other. This was a great gift for many among us, we learned together, we discovered ourselves and our gifts together, and we supported each other. Creativity was always flowing freely amongst our group, as educators, as well as among our students. We used this harmonious state of being to solve ideas quickly and in ways that allowed more interesting ideas to flourish. I count myself extremely grateful to have been given the opportunity to join this team, to learn what I have from Kris, and to feel good about what and how I teach and support others. With it comes a genuine sense of belonging to a community committed to each other. A community that strives to find the best possible ways of embracing our humanity, our highs/lows, and working with the world around us such as it is in any given place and time. I am so excited to see where this will go and how many more people can have the opportunity to experience this amazing program.