“Radical Reflection: You are not your thoughts! That said, avoiding your thoughts will not help you train your brain to think new ones. You must look at them with gentle kindness and say, “Thank you for sharing.“ And with love, release them.” – Sonya Renee Taylor

The four sectors of the compass model -Mind, Spirit, Strength and Heart- not only contribute to our overall wellness, but also provide guidance on strategies to help build our compassion resilience. Before delving in further, you may want to take a self-assessment of your current wellness practices (attached). Hold onto this and notice if any that you marked as “this never occurred to me” change as you encounter the next four sections of the toolkit.

Mind is the first sector we will explore. Being resilient in this area is exemplified by being well-organized, engaging in meaningful work, and being fully present in the moment. As we learned in Section 1, mindful self-awareness is a contemplative practice of being intentionally aware in the present moment. We have practiced strategies to enhance our mindfulness in various sections of the toolkit. Mindful self-awareness is a key skill for the Mind Section area as well as those that follow: Spirit, Strength, and Heart.

Distribute this document to all participants to explore prior to the following application activities

Key Activity

Appreciative Inquiry Reflection on Competence (15 mins-45 mins)

Wellness Practice

Wellness Compass Practices Assessment

Circle Agenda

Staff Circle Agenda, Section Eight

Core Content Visual to Display in Common Staff Areas

Mindsets – Use this Visual and Display in Staff Break Areas
Posting this visual in common staff areas will serve as a reminder of content covered to staff and perhaps serve as a future conversation started for deeper reflection among staff members.

Supplementary Activities/Handouts

Power of the Positive Word (15 minutes-30 minutes)

Practicing Mindfulness – The Body Scan and Pause (3-10 minutes)

For Easy Printing

You can find all documents in this section included in this pdf for easy printing. 
The documents included are numbered individually, not as one document.

Links Specifically for Leadership

Name and Celebrate Staff Competence

Showing appreciation to your staff and fellow co-workers is a part of a healthy, productive, and encouraging work culture. Here are some options to encourage appreciation and focus on the specific competencies of staff or staff teams that combine to produce your school’s positive outcomes.

1. Create a process where staff can nominate each other for staff appreciation
2. Create and maintain an ongoing list of assets of your team or workplace — Something everyone can add to and see in the teachers’ common gathering space
3. Develop a gratitude board, or employ other strategies to foster a workplace attitude of gratitude, such as the ideas provided here

Leadership Considerations specific to Individual Wellness – Youtube
The four sectors of the compass model Mind, Spirit, Strength and Heart not only contribute to our overall wellness, but also provide guidance on strategies to help build our compassion resilience. This leader talks about how they utilize the four sections with her team to help build individual wellness.

Additional Resources

Link to resources, videos, and tools to learn more about and develop a growth mindset.

Short video on using mindfulness in teaching practice.