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Ohio's public schools serve 1.6 million children - 90 percent of students in the state! What happens in the classroom has impacts far beyond the walls of the K-12 school building or higher ed lecture hall. So, on behalf of the 120,000 members of the Ohio Education Association, we're taking a deeper dive into some of the many education issues facing our students, educators, and communities. Originally launched in 2021 as Education Matters, Public Education Matters is your source for insightful conversations with the people who shape the education landscape in Ohio. Have a topic you'd like to hear about on Public Education Matters? Email us at educationmatters@ohea.org
Various student voices 0:08
Public education matters. Public education matters. Public education matters.
Jeff Wensing 0:15
This is Public Education Matters brought to you by the Ohio Education Association.
Katie Olmsted 0:20
Welcome back to Public Education Matters. I'm Katie Olmsted, and I'm part of the communications team for the Ohio Education Association and the nearly 120,000 public school educators OEA represents around the state. Educators jobs are hard. I think that goes without saying, but I'm saying it anyway. These jobs are so hard, and all of the challenges throughout the day can really seem to build up and take a toll on both the educators and the students they serve. But what if everyone had a chance to pause to relax and regroup during the day. That's what's happening in Janaya Foster's class at Berwick Elementary in Columbus, because they are doing yoga in school and a lot of other work to help calm students minds and bodies so they can focus on learning. We sat down with Janaya a couple weeks ago to learn more about what that looks like, and what it means for her students and for her well being, and to hear more about what she's telling other educators in different training sessions about all of this, most recently, with a national audience at the NEA Leadership Summit, take a listen.
Janaya Foster 1:42
Hi, I'm Janaya Foster, second grade teacher with Columbus City Schools. Proud CEA member, proud member, organizer with ONE in OEA.
Katie Olmsted 1:52
And you are a yoga aficionado, I guess so I would say, what can you tell me about bringing yoga into your school?
Janaya Foster 2:03
Well, in my few years of teaching, what I've noticed is that my students, they're struggling with a lot of different things, and before they can learn, they have to be able to address their social emotional needs. So I started probably the second year of teaching, doing meditation after my class came back from lunch and recess, so that's always been a part of our day. So when they come in, I turn in classical music. There's actually a picture of Rodin's the statue, and so for two minutes, we just sit there, basically. I tell them, like a statue, some of them actually will find a yoga pose that they will put themselves in, just to stop for two minutes of silence, just so you can kind of regroup before we go back into our academic day. And I put that in there because that time of day they're returning from an hour of free time. It's a little more unstructured, and sometimes that was a great time for them, and you might just be amped up, and sometimes different things have happened during that hour. They're also not with me during that hour. And so sometimes it really helps my students to just take those two minutes to just kind of stop, do some breathing during that time, and let go any negative things that happen during that time for others, it's just a time for you to just stop and breathe and calm down because you've been here and there and everywhere, and you're still really amped up from your time at recess and lunch.
Katie Olmsted 3:33
Before you started doing that in your classroom. What did that afternoon look like?
Janaya Foster 3:38
I hated the afternoons often, because, like I said, there was that hour of unstructured time, and so I was dealing with all type of things as my kids were coming back from recess, if somebody had said something they didn't like, they were upset about it. If kids had witnessed other students with this any type of conflict, those things impacted not just the kids who had the conflict, but also often the kids who saw the conflicts. And so getting my class back ready to transition back into academic learning was very difficult, and they weren't resetting well, and I wasn't getting as much done in the afternoon, and that was challenging at that I actually used to teach third grade, so I've been teaching second grade for the last couple of years, but when I was teaching third grade, it was even more difficult. Third grade has a lot of demands on them that as an educator, I expected to meet, and losing that time was it was very difficult. And still, even with second graders, there's still demands, and they're even younger than the third graders are. So as you mature, you get better at managing those emotions. So I had to do those things just so I could actually get those last couple hours of learning done.
Katie Olmsted 4:54
I I'm thinking I have a first grader, and just transitions in general are hard. The transitions are very hard when there's a lot of other stuff going on. But how important are those transitions in for anybody?
Janaya Foster 5:07
Well, we all have to learn how to transition. No one stays the same place at all times. So those transitions are important so that you can learn how you transition from space to space. I mean, my own transitions at times are very difficult. Take Mondays, for example. I go straight all day long. I do not have a special on Mondays, and I go straight every Monday into either a staff meeting that I'm supposed to be at immediately at the end of dismissal, which is the time of day when everyone in the building is transitioning leadership. So every Monday I have to transition very quickly, and that's after being exposed to all kinds. There's noise, there's overhead announcements. I have a walkie to my ear. I have all of the K through five students in a cafeteria for dismissal. Bus riders going by. You know, people running out from the office, the doors opening and shutting, and then kids, like, there's kids coming from upstairs, the other hallway, my hallway, all at the same time. And so for me, that can be very overstimulating, and it definitely is for students as well who do not have as many years of experience with how do you try to manage those things.
Katie Olmsted 6:21
So how can you help them learn how to manage those things? What? What are you talking to them about as you're getting them into these, these meditative moments?
Janaya Foster 6:34
So some of them have really gotten good at we call it like breath work. So some of them have learned to do breath work, even in all of that chaos, whether it's in something going on in my classroom and they have had a a negative experience, or even, you know, as we're moving and going to dismissal. And I really encourage my kids to do that. You can do breath work technically, just about anywhere. Being completely able to close your eyes can be difficult depending on where you're at. But like, I will see my kids sometimes sitting and like tracing their breath work. Like they learn to like to do things with their fingers. And so, like, I'll see them kind of like this as they breathe in, breathe out. And then also, I'm really big on letting my kids find out where are they comfortable at, even in transitions, like some people do not do well by certain people. And so I tell them, like, don't get in line by that person. If that's someone who's going to trigger you during a transition. Some of my kids who their movements are a little more lively. They are sometimes better to be in the front, the very front or the very back. And the reason is because those students sometimes are still struggling with their self awareness of others.
Katie Olmsted 7:58
Yeah.
Janaya Foster 7:59
They ran. They run into other people, including me. And so I am fine with them being in the very front or the very back, and then also me reminding other students like, hey, it's fine if you want to go somewhere else on the line, because you know that this person might trigger you. And just letting them be aware of those things, and reminding them and telling them it's okay to say, I have this struggle and I need to do this instead. Is is perfectly fine with me. So I've taught them to do those things during transitions. I don't necessarily say a lot of elementary school teachers want the complete hug and bubble. I don't have to have a complete hug and bubble. I just need for us to manage to get from A to B without it sounding like just like elephants moving and blowing like their their trunks and just hearing like the roar of an elephant, like I often tell them, like, we have to migrate. And I say migrate because I try to seek vocabulary, and I'm like, let's see if we can migrate. Like mice. You know, mice move fast sometimes, but how can we get there without the entire building knowing? And you know, like, I also, like some kids get to pop out the line. Like, if I just know that you're just not in a good space at a time, I will let you pop out the line. Come walk with me on the side. All those different things, just as long as we can manage to have a successful transition to wherever we have to go.
Katie Olmsted 9:38
How does the logistics of that moment and the skills they're learning in those moments. How does that serve them beyond just that moment, and help them be successful in school and in life?
Janaya Foster 9:50
Well, I think it lets them know that no one's perfect, and that's something that I really always talk about. We all make mistakes. Um, it's funny, because as my students get to know me over time, they actually learn some of the things that I do myself to reset myself. So even our yoga in class, our stretches, sometimes those things happen also, because I might be frustrated, and so I'll be like, Hey, I feel, I feel like it's a good time for us to, like, all stop, do some stretches and some breathing to reset ourselves. Um, and I am very open in sharing. So they also can share when they're frustrated. Like, I will literally sometimes say I am frustrated because, and let them know why, and say, I think we just need to all just take a couple of minutes where we're just have some silence and we don't talk to each other so that we don't end up continuing to escalate. And then, you know, there are times where I feel like maybe I could have handled a situation differently, and I'm really open with my class. Was saying, like, Hey, I had a rough day yesterday. I apologize. And then just really starting off with telling them how I would like to start the new day better, and then asking them to share different things that they would like to do differently that day, and how we can as a group, collaborate to make things a better day. And I think that helps them, like my accountability as well, to share with them like I know, a couple months ago, I had laryngitis, so I definitely was struggling, because I did not feel good, and I tried to stick it out for a while, and I was I was cranky, and when I came back after I finally did take the time off, I let them know that, because they really hate for me to be out, and I was like, for me to be the best that I could be as your teacher. I got to a point where I realized I needed to take some time at home to rest, because I was not at my best for you, I was like, I probably was a little less patient with you because I did not feel good. And so I also am big on them sharing with me if something happened at home, if they're not feeling well, because then lets me know, hey, I have to give them a little more grace and try to address those things first. And I am also big on just the next day. Like, if you come in and you're like, I am sorry, I am always willing to take apologies and be like, let's start again. And it's something I've loved seeing from my students. I had one just this week. He had a hard time with transitioning again, as you just brought up, from time when we were cutting and gluing, he loves to cut and glue, to getting his math book out and starting his math work, and he had a blow up where he really exploded. The next day he came in, and it was kind of cute, because he used his scissors and glue at home, and he cut this really intricate he likes to make, like stick figures of people, and then he'll decorate them. And he had made one, and on it he had wrote, I am sorry, Mrs. Foster I love you. And he's been so big the last couple days since that, with being just aware of that and saying, like, have you noticed that I'm really trying? And I'm like, Yeah, you're doing great. And I made a point of letting him know, like, Hey, I even told the principal, because the principal had come down, he was so mad. I said, How much better you've been doing. And I told him about your sweet note and your little man that you made me and he was like, you did. And I was like, Yes, I did. And yesterday, he brought me his glue during the time when he wasn't supposed to be using his glue, and he was like, Can you hold my glue for me? Because I don't want to use my glue during math.
Katie Olmsted 14:12
I'm so proud of him.
Janaya Foster 14:14
I know, like I was too. It's fun because it's like, when you get to the end of the school year and you finally see the growth, you're like, oh, like, they're making so much progress, and they're getting ready to leave me like, today, literally, this week is the beginning of fourth quarter, and so I'm like, I only have like, nine weeks left with them.
Katie Olmsted 14:32
But their third grade teacher is going to thank you for for getting these skills. And really, it's just a as a perfect example of how you can always reset, and how those yoga in the classroom moments give the kids that chance to reset, restart and choose something different for the rest of their day, the rest of the school year. However, that's going to be what have been some of the challenges of putting that in place and have you been able to get any supports to overcome any of those challenges?
Janaya Foster 15:03
Some of the challenges are always going to be financial challenges. Yes, so to get those, the yoga in place, for example, I here's a shout out to my local CEA. I applied for a CEA mini grant, and I was awarded a mini grant that paid for a class set of yoga mats. They also, with that money, provided me with some PBIS prizes for my students. So also like that's something that also helps them with displaying their positive behavior and correcting negative behaviors is knowing that we have a prize box with things. I also wrote a grant for stickers. So you might have heard me mention the breath work earlier. Every one of them actually has a sticker that is on their desk that they can personally at their desk at any time, they can outline the different breath works. So we have ones that look kind of like a triangle or a box. There's a number of different ones. And they also are sensory, so like they're not flat, so they can rub their fingers on them. We also have a timeout area that has a lot of different things that they can use within them. And I was able to, with the grant I wrote over the summer, everyone has bands on their desk that they can use to kick so that has greatly helped them. And one of the biggest things that we just recently got, I'm a big grant person, as you can hear, like I know there are financial struggles, so I try to do whatever I can to get resources for my students. Is we even have a smoothie machine now, have to know that they it used to be popsicle. So originally, I was using my CEA grant monies to order popsicles. We do still have popsicles in our freezer, but on yoga day now, when they right before we leave, I pour in the whatever we're using that week for our smoothies, and when we come back, because they're hot, then, you know, you do get a little hot and sweaty from yoga, they get to actually have a frozen drink when they return. It's a huge, huge reward for them, and it makes them look forward to it even more. And we also got yoga by just I talked to my principal it and I explained to him why I was asking for that time. I was like, hey, like, they only get gym once a week. There are times, and we just went through a long stretch where they don't go outside, yeah, for recess, and they're just inside. And you can see when they don't get that time, where they're not just having to think and think and think, their minds get tired. And so I told him, I said, I feel like they need this to help them with, like, their social emotional needs, and then they can also do it at other times, like I had a sub last week, and ironically, my sub is also a yoga instructor. And when she left me her note, she was like, Yeah, we did yoga while you were gone. And so those things, like showing those things like to my principals, like, I've invited them in to come see it. We've been featured in our school newsletter has let people see, like, the positives of them being able to do yoga at school. And I know one of our counselors was even telling me that she was talking to one of my students yesterday, and she was asking him, like, about different things that he does to calm down. And he mentioned, he was like, you know, like, I do my breath work that I've learned. And he was like, sometimes that helps me. Now, it doesn't always, but it is something that he has in his back pocket that he is able to do.
Katie Olmsted 18:57
He had me at the smoothing machine because I was like, Oh, I definitely want to be here, but honestly, I think a lot of adults myself included, could really benefit from some of these skills you're teaching your second grader. Can I come over?
Janaya Foster 19:12
You can we take visitors. In fact, I will tell you yesterday, our safety security officer, she popped in, she was like, Miss Foster when is the smoothie machine coming on again? It's funny, because people thought it was like a dream, like I was talking to a group of educators, and we were talking about, like, just classroom dreams, and I said, I would like to have like a frozen drink machine, because sometimes the air doesn't work properly at my school, and we're really hot. Also, you know, this time of year, the weather changes all the time. Last week, it was extremely hot at school. Yeah, the air wasn't on yet. And I said I would like a frozen drink machine. And they're like, how are you going to get a frozen drink machine? But, like, I really thought about all the different ways, because I'm talking to you about, you know, you. Using it as a support for yoga and social emotional and it is a PBIS reward. But also, when I even wrote the grant, I wrote those things in, but I also have talked about the learning behind it. We just went over matter and the states of matter. Yeah, when you pour those things in, and we actually use sprite in it the other week. So there's your gas. So we did solid liquids and gas measurement. Like, we actually have to look we have a lot of flavors where it's like, you use three parts of this and one part of this when you mix it with the water. And so we're learning about fractions and stuff right now. And so we've talked about those things, recipes, following procedures and also reading. So when I wrote those things in, like, they're also learning a ton of things, and then they're learning collaboration, because I let them help participate, like, with pouring things in, and it gets them really excited. So we're using it for so many different things in learning. And I guess that's the thing that I try to bring in as an educator with my kids, because all these things help them with managing their emotions. Is thinking about those things that they are excited about often will cause them to regulate, because they're like, I don't want to miss this, like, I have to get to do these things, and so I just try as best as I can to bring in ways for them to manage the emotions and also things that are going to bring them joy and excitement. So they're excited about being in class.
Katie Olmsted 21:33
So my real takeaway is that every classroom should have a smoothie machine.
Janaya Foster 21:37
They should because they all want to borrow it right now.
Katie Olmsted 21:39
So more mini grants, more all the things, really. I mean, let's go over the state house and let them know that that is one of the necessary school supplies.
Janaya Foster 21:47
It is.
Katie Olmsted 21:48
I think we should tell all educators about this. And actually that's something you do, maybe not about the smooth machine specifically, but you've been helping talk to a lot of other educators about bringing that mindfulness into the classroom spaces and calming little bodies down. You, I'm talking to you on March 18th, just last week, you were in Chicago at the NEA Leadership conference you had attended before, but this was your first time presenting, and you did two presentations. What can you tell me?
Janaya Foster 22:18
Yes, I did. And the first one was on cultivating the calm in their classroom. We call it, am I okay? And that one is exciting for me. This was the first time I've done it nationally. I've actually done that presentation a couple of times. I've done it at OEA Summer Leadership. I've actually been to some other locals and presented it. And so this was my first time presenting it naturally. And I will tell you that I had educators who told me it was their favorite session. And the reason why is teaching is hard for educators, and it's hard, sometimes, often, for students to learn. And so what I've been discussing with them is ways for them to make sure, first of all that they're okay, because you have to be okay and able to regulate your own feelings and deal with the demands of teaching and your stress. And so we talked about a lot of different things that you can do, including the breath work. And I share with them the stickers that we have on our desk at my school. And I said to them, I said, I got them on Amazon, and you can get like, 70 of them for $9 so it's something that they can go to their administrators and ask for they can submit, you know, got on grants. And then also, like showing them like you can bring other things in as well to your classroom very easily. We have done different things, such as, just as at NEA Leadership, we actually made roller balls with essential oils, very easy, very portable. And they were like, Oh, my God, no. Like, yeah. Like, you can make these. You can roll these on. We made tiles, and I with positive phrases, and I actually share with them that this is something else that it's very easy to bring into your classroom. I let them know I actually have made the tiles with my students. Because it's very inexpensive to buy tiles. You can get them at Amazon. You can buy them at your local hardware store, once again, you can submit grants for them. And I was like, I have allowed my students to make them as well as gifts that they take home to loved ones at different times of the year. And I said, it's something that they really look forward to as well. And I usually do these things behind really difficult things for them. So we all know that everyone has testing.
Katie Olmsted 24:43
Yeah.
Janaya Foster 24:44
So I always plan these type of activities behind testing, and they know that we are going to all work hard, and then we're going to have this reward. And so I share that with them. They're like, Oh, yeah. Yes, this is a great thing that you can use, knowing that you are going to have their minds thinking, Okay, I'm locked in, but then afterwards, I'm going to be able to kind of take a breath and do something else. And that is something that I've been sharing with them at different places. And then the second one that I did, it was my first time presenting it. It's called calling in, calling on and calling out. And that one it's, it's a little bit more difficult. But the honest thing about it is it's talking about having conversations, difficult conversations, and that's why I said it's more difficult on how you have conversations with people, and there's three different methods that you use. So like calling in is when you talk to someone, either one on one, or you have a small group, and you talk about, like, Hey, I had a problem with this thing that you did, and this is why, and you talk to them, like, about it, so that you can try to resolve the issue. Calling out is something that's done more publicly. And so we talked about, like, when it would be appropriate to do those things, and then calling on is you telling the person you had an issue, but you asked you're asking them to process those things on their own, without you there. And so that one is a big one, because there are tons of different types of issues that arise as educator that you have to figure out how to address, and those things have to be addressed for you to attend to your own social emotional needs so that you can be the best educator, that you can be.
Katie Olmsted 26:53
such important conversations, so many important things that you are sharing with educators and with your students. Thank you for coming on this podcast and sharing it with us.
Janaya Foster 27:03
You are so welcome.
Katie Olmsted 27:06
If you'd like to see some photos from Janaya's classroom, you can check them out in the show notes for this episode. As she mentioned, a lot of this is possible because of the grant funding she has received. The smoothie machine, for example, was bought with funding from Donors Choose and of course, Janaya has received many grants from the Columbus Education Association to help pay for the yoga mats and other supplies. Next week, on the podcast, we're looking at some of the possibilities for what locals can do with OEA grant funding that's available now too. Twinsburg EA is sharing their playbook with a whole bunch of ideas they want you to steal and use in your own local subscribe to Public Education Matters wherever you get your podcasts, so you don't miss that conversation or any other episode this season, as we continue to have thoughtful conversations about the big issues in our schools today. Because in Ohio, public education matters.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai