Introduction

This introductory chapter gives an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book highlights Mindful Practices SEL competencies – Self-Awareness, Self-Regulation, Social Awareness, and the balance between Self-Efficacy and Social Harmony – which are skills assumed to be possessed by teachers, simply by virtue of being nurturers and educators. It presents techniques that provide teachers and students the tools to find their voices and put practices into words. Many of the programs out there conveniently focus on either the "SELF" or the "SOCIAL" component of SEL, for the ease of implementation. Mindful Practices approach addresses the school experience as a balance of SELF and SOCIAL for both the student and the teacher. The book presents this Mindful Practices model to as a humble how-to guide for creating an impactful SEL school experience. These tools are designed to help educators and school leaders implement sustainable SEL and mindfulness practices with fidelity.