How can I be calm when it feels like our public education systems are crumbling?

This is such a precarious moment for public education in the U.S. Everywhere we look, schools are being squeezed by budget cuts, teacher shortages, and a constant scramble for resources. On top of that, there’s a wave of legislation restricting what we can teach about race, gender, history, and identity — stripping away the possibility of classrooms being spaces of truth-telling and critical thinking. Too often, education is being reshaped into something narrow and controlled, where test scores and profit margins seem to matter more than curiosity, creativity, or community care.

And yet, I know so many educators who remain deeply committed to their students. Teachers who are passionate about helping young people imagine sustainable, liberated futures — even while they themselves feel exhausted, undervalued, and stretched thin. It is not okay that those who hold the work of shaping the next generation are asked to do so under such stress and scrutiny. But even in this landscape, I see teachers fighting to keep classrooms human, joyful, and alive with possibility. That’s the work of liberation — and it’s work we can nurture together.

With all of this in mind, the goal of a mindfulness meditation practice isn’t to help you feel okay about the state of education or to make what you are currently doing feel more smooth or calm. Instead, the goals are to:

• Hold space to show your nervous system that it is safe (and helpful!) to intentionally slow down
• Hold space to listen to what your body, emotions, and energy (in other words, your inner voice) is saying to you
• Hold space to practice self-compassion

Your dysregulation might be a form of resistance to a system that was not designed to support your holistic wellbeing, nor that of students. Therefore, our goal isn’t to be constantly regulated so that we can keep things going as usual, but is to acknowledge and listen to our dysregulation, honor our full selves, and bring this same mindful energy into our classrooms and teaching practices. Out of this we can make choices about what we actually need in our learning systems as human beings. 

Many times before starting a mindfulness practice, people are a little fearful of fully bringing their attention to their inner voice. It is common to think: “If I listen to this voice that says I am overwhelmed, then everything will shut down. I can’t leave my job, my community, my marriage, my family, etc… due to X, so what is the point of recognizing the parts that aren’t working? It might lead me to a place that feels out of control.” 

And while this fear can be very real, it is not necessarily true. Research shows that a mindfulness practice doesn’t force you to do something you don’t want to do; it just invites you to see it with clarity, slowness, and honesty. It empowers you so that you can, with curiosity, consciously decide what you need in this particular moment. This kind of practice doesn’t promise to fix all of your problems or magically change you– but it will help your nervous system practice the feeling of safety as you listen to yourself, offer compassion to yourself, and extend this awareness and compassion to those around you. 

What kind of world do you want to live in? One where it is okay to regularly slow down to honor your own humanity and that of others? Or one that says you can rarely stop working, solving, or doing? 

If we want to live in a world where all humanity is honored, an integral piece is to honor our own humanity alongside our respect for the humanity of others. The first step is to stop doing the things that are hurting you and the others connected to the system you are in. This is not the work for someone else. This is the work that educators who are committed to empowerment, peace, and authentic learning must do–get to do! And, no, it’s not fair that we must do the work of liberating ourselves, but it is also not helpful nor realistic to sit around and wait for new policies to save us. Teachers, we must snatch our own wellbeing in this system if it is going to change. The policies will follow. But, most importantly, you do not have to (nor should you) do this work alone. 

If you are still searching for your community, I invite you to join the upcoming, very first Embodied Wellness Cohort. Here we are exploring and wrestling with wellness beyond the surface level. We’re doing deep dives into our cultural conditioning that has made us fearful of freedom. We’re detoxing from colonizer consciousness. We’re embodying the energy and actions of love in our classrooms. We’re practicing self-compassion. We’re shifting our internal patterns as the starting point for a reality that is bursting with creation, joy, human-ness, healthy conflict, connection, and community. We’re helping each other build classroom spaces where we can transfer this reality to the systems that we are in. 

If this sounds like the kind of school year you want, jump into the waitlist for the fall 2025 Embodied Wellness Cohort. If you're curious, but not ready to commit to 8 weeks of conversations, check out my upcoming on-campus (and Zoom) mindfulness meditation practices for teachers and school staff. 

Embodied Cohort Waitlist

On Campus Mindfulness Meditation (Mondays)

On Campus Mindfulness Meditation (Thursdays)

See you there!