Welcoming Six New Mindful Studies Teachers!
After completing nine months of training in our Mindful Studies Partnerships program, we are thrilled to announce that six incredible educators are bringing Mindful Studies to their schools for the very first time starting this fall! They are passionate, dedicated, and deeply committed to meeting young people where they are.
Bringing mindfulness into high schools requires genuine heart, and this cohort brings an abundance of it. But what inspired each of these educators to embark on this journey, and what makes them so excited to teach this course?
Read on to hear from each teacher as they share what they love most about working with teens and what excites them about the mission of Peace in Schools.
Terri Jones — Forest Grove, OR
English 9 & Integrated American Studies Educator - Forest Grove High School
What is your favorite thing about teens and teaching teens?
I have always felt it is a privilege to be able to be a part of my students' lives, even for just a little bit, no matter their age.
This is my fifth year teaching high school. I spent 11 years teaching middle school and 16 years teaching elementary school. My whole career up until moving to high school had been laying the groundwork for students to be able to meet the requirements to graduate and go on to additional schooling or the workforce. Being a part of the end of the journey is incredibly powerful, as I have the opportunity to watch students learn to drive, apply for jobs, get into college, and successfully complete what was started so many years ago.
What excites you about the mission of Peace in Schools and teaching the Mindful Studies course?
It seems like such an ‘old person' thing to say that life has changed so much since I was young, but it is also the absolute truth. The amount of information, distractions, and demands put on students today is so much greater than when I was their age-quite a while ago.
I became aware of Peace in Schools about seven years ago as I was seeking ways to help develop self regulation skills in my fifth graders. Attending a summer retreat, I learned the power of even just one deep, intentional breath in bringing a little calm to students. I believe that Peace in Schools teaches students how to be present with themselves and how to be present with others. I approached the superintendent right before the pandemic and asked about starting such a course. However, I was teaching elementary school at the time and then everything shut down. I was very excited when I found out Peace in Schools was offering their program to other districts. Now, I feel like I am in the exact right place at the exact right time to be able to bring this learning to the high school.
Jerome Tatum — Oakland, CA
Ethnic Studies Educator — Castlemont High School
What is your favorite thing about teens and teaching teens?
My favorite thing about teaching teens is how open minded they are.
Most teens haven’t been so jaded from reality that they’re not willing to challenge some of their beliefs the way that adults tend to be. A lot of the information that I teach the students is new to them and challenges what they have learned about race, culture, history etc. It’s always so fulfilling to see faces brighten up when I expose them to their true history, accomplishments and contributions to this country and the world at large.
What excites you about the mission of Peace in Schools and teaching the Mindful Studies course?
The course prioritizes wellness through mindfulness. Mental health may be one of the most important challenges that face our students at this time. It always felt strange to me how we expect teenagers to manage their behavior and mental health without any class that teaches them how to do so. It is my hope that all students will have access to a mindfulness class.
Emma Fanger — Beaverton, OR
Fine Arts Educator — Valley Catholic High School
What is your favorite thing about teens and teaching teens?
By the time students reach high school, they have a pretty good handle on what they like and dislike, what their interests and passions are.
At the same time, high school can feel very overwhelming and it's easy to feel lost in. My favorite thing about teaching teens and being a part of their lives is expressing to them that they don't have to have all the answers, but that it's important to be kind and compassionate towards others because you never know what someone else is going through.
What excites you about the mission of Peace in Schools and teaching the Mindful Studies course?
Mental health [issues] have become an epidemic in teens, and I feel proud and inspired to be a part of a mission that truly values the mental wellbeing of teens…the tools they will learn in the Mindful Studies course will be carried with them for the rest of their lives.
Krista Gram — Beaverton, OR
Principal — Valley Catholic High School
What is your favorite thing about teens and teaching teens?
There are so many favorite things about working with teens. I'd say one of my favorite things is walking alongside them as they navigate the world and making sure they know that they are not alone in this journey they are on.
What excites you about the mission of Peace in Schools and teaching the Mindful Studies course?
Our youth are yearning for space to practice mindfulness. The world is much busier than it was when I was in school and there are not the same opportunities for students to sit with themselves and practice inner peace.
*Emma Fanger and Krista Gram will co-teach Mindful Studies at Valley Catholic High School
Shane Brent-Maldonado — Mountain View, CA
Director of College Counseling — Khan Lab School
What is your favorite thing about teens and teaching teens?
I've worked with young people for a VERY long time and the challenges remain the same: not enough resources, not enough unconditional care, and not enough joy.
Teens are at such an exciting time in their lives with unique hopes and fears that I believe will drive the policies and culture of their communities (and hopefully the world!). Teens teach me everyday that having positive adults in their lives matters, having safe spaces to learn matters, and being able to freely be themselves matters...Yes, they test boundaries - because they want them; yes, they make mistakes - because they are human; and yes, they have powerful insights and ideas about the world around them - because they are vulnerable to rules and regulations made by adults who fear them.
What excites you about the mission of Peace in Schools and teaching the Mindful Studies course?
Peace in Schools’ mission is bold and clear: to liberate mind and heart while addressing the urgent teen mental health crisis. As someone who has seen firsthand how stress, disconnection, and inequity impact young people, I am deeply inspired by an approach that centers mindfulness not as a quick fix, but as a transformative, whole-person practice. It's something that benefited me in my most tumultuous early adulthood years and would have been life altering had I had it sooner.
I am particularly drawn to the way Peace in Schools integrates presence and compassion with equity and racial justice. This intersection is essential: teens cannot thrive unless we address both their inner landscape and the systemic challenges they face. I love that [the Mindful Studies Curriculum] doesn’t separate wellbeing from justice, but treats them as interconnected.
[Peace in Schools’] values of flexibility, interconnection, and joy resonate with me on a personal level. I believe learning environments flourish when they are spacious, human, and infused with joy. The possibility of helping young people not only reduce stress, but also experience authentic connection, self-understanding, and agency, excites me most.
Heidemarie Goertzen — Portland, OR
Psychology & Modern World History Educator — Benson Polytechnic High School
What is your favorite thing about teens and teaching teens?
They are hungry for knowledge and want someone who believes in them and their future to change the world for the better.
What excites you about the mission of Peace in Schools and teaching the Mindful Studies course?
I have always believed in the liberation of the mind and the heart through joy, compassion, interconnection, flexibility, equity & racial justice & presence and this takes it to the next level for me. It is like a dream come true for me to be able to participate in a curriculum that is my whole heart.
