Wellness

About Our Online Self-Care and Wellness Course for Teachers

A focus on self-care and wellness has been proven to work wonders for the mind, body and classroom. It is well established in the business world that healthy people will be better at their jobs, leading to a healthier bottom line. And it is the same with teachers and students. Healthy and happy teachers and students lead to a more engaged and successful classroom. As an educator, you will be earning professional development credits/units while learning to take your teaching to the next level. Courses are flexible and range from one to three-semester credits/units. Our courses are specifically designed to assist you and your students achieve high degrees of physical, mental and emotional health and satisfaction. This includes proven investigate methods to teach life’s essential skills of happiness, inspiration, compassion, curiosity, growth mindset, tolerance and resilience to promote optimum teacher and learner wellness. We also focus on life activities from diet and exercise to meditation.

Self-Care and Wellness Courses

At Dominican University of California, all our self-care and wellness courses are designed to provide you, our professional teacher-students, with the resources you need to enhance your personal goals and take your careers to the next level. Some examples of the courses we provide include a one-unit course called "Introduction to Farm to School", which encourages the integration of food-related education into the classroom and develops connections between the school and the local agricultural community. A two-unit course titled "Reversing The Trend - From Narcissism to Altruism" teaches you how to encourage students to find greater happiness and purpose in their lives by reaching out to help others. A three-unit course titled "Crafting Your Plan for Health and Wellness" supports the notion that creating and maintaining health and wellness is something that can be learned and sustained. The course is designed to provide you with appropriate information that will result in a fitness plan designed to fit their own lifestyle. Teachers taking the course will learn to create a health and wellness plan that will improve their well-being and inspire their students. This includes examining the strengths and weaknesses of their current lifestyle, exploring harmful foods and additives, learning about foods that enhance brain function, health related fitness and more.

Teaching Life's Essentials

The Teaching Life's Essentials series covers a range of subjects from compassion to curiosity to tolerance and resilience. Each course is taught by a professional instructor with years of experience helping teachers to grow professionally. The series will not only guide professional educators to be happier and healthier, but also carry that transformation over to their students. School districts across the country are rethinking their approach, with a growing emphasis on health and wellness. Theory has it that an effective teacher/leader needs to be strong in mind and body. The road to becoming a transformed teacher is paved with being good to yourself. It is all about laying the asphalt. Like many professionals in high-stress positions, developing a model for a healthy lifestyle will deepen your understanding of a healthy diet, exercise and stress management strategies

Creating a Happier Classroom

Beyond just improved diet and exercise we also offer a range of courses exploring the positive effects of mindfulness in education. Teachers can bring mindfulness practices into any classroom after some initial training. But first, they must understand the different forms and techniques of meditation. Schools today can be fraught with anxiety and stress, which is why introducing meditation and mindfulness into a classroom can instill much-needed calm. Teachers can now explore the different forms of meditation and the scientific and educational benefits of mindfulness practices. They can learn techniques that benefit both themselves and their students. Studies show that students learning the essential skills for handling stress improves their memory, their capacity to plan and organize and feel empathy, all the while improving their test scores. In one online course, teachers will read and view research that confirms the importance of developing certain skills and practices to bring about happiness. They will engage in activities to develop a positive attitude and lifestyle that can serve as a model for their students. Do you want to be a happier and more impactful teacher? Our courses will teach you how.