Learn ways to lower the stress and increase the learning and joy in your classroom by using mindfulness techniques and movement, theater and the visual arts. In this episode of the Classroom Café podcast, we are joined by Julie Flynn Badal, a longtime public school teacher and artist, who offers workshops on contemplative practices, movement and the arts at The Meadow. She will explore a variety of ways to engage students and incorporate mindfulness practices and the arts in the classroom, a benefit to both students and educators.

How do you help a student who is being bullied find their voice and power? In this episode of the Classroom Café podcast, we are joined by author and attorney S.P. Brown, who will share stories from her book, "Kyrie’s School Blues," about a home-schooled 4th-grader’s rocky transition to the classroom. Jamie Lepow, a licensed social worker and senior administrator in the city Department of Education’s Office of Safety and Youth Development, joins the conversation to discuss ways to help students overcome conflicts and bullying.

What does it take to transform your life when you face great adversity? In this episode of the Classroom Café podcast, we are joined by S.P. Brown, an author, attorney and former corporate executive. This native New Yorker overcame childhood verbal and physical abuse, spurred on by her love of books and writing. “Gifts in Brown Paper Packages,” her latest novel, shares her real-life experience as she escaped domestic abuse to find her way in the world.

With the new year fast approaching, it’s a great time to reflect on the past year and think about changes you’d like to make in the months ahead. In this episode of the Classroom Café podcast, we are joined by Donna Resmini, a wellness and fitness coach. She will discuss ways to set yourself up for success, including how to have a magic moment every day, the importance of gratitude and other wellness practices and, most important, how to focus on being present, not perfect.

Trauma shapes the way students present in the classroom and in their homes. In this episode of the Classroom Café podcast, we are joined by licensed mental health professional Ashley Groesbeck. She will highlight the importance of finding out what's going on in your students' lives and share techniques to build body awareness and mindfulness. These and other tools help students — and adults — to build resiliency and increase their capacity for joy and growth.

Caring for a loved one with intellectual and developmental disabilities takes patience and compassion. In this episode of the Classroom Café podcast, we are joined by Rocio Ruiz and Cristy M. Torres of YAI, a social services nonprofit offering a comprehensive range of services for children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. They will discuss the complexities of being a caregiver and share available resources. Committed to seeing beyond disability, YAI provides opportunities for people with disabilities to live, love, work and learn in their communities.

Have you ever wondered how to avoid power struggles at home and in the classroom? In this episode of the Classroom Café podcast, we are joined by Chazz Lewis (aka Mr. Chazz), a parent and teacher coach with a huge social media following. A former Montessori teacher and the author of “No Bad Kid,” Mr. Chazz will share his experiences guiding parents and educators in managing difficult situations with children, and he’ll talk about turning interactions from war to peace. Learn how to see children for who they are to better guide them and win their trust as you foster a healthy environment.

Classroom equity is achieved when all students feel understood, respected and included. In this episode of the Classroom Café we will take a deep dive into what equity is and is not. Special guest Moza Coote, a veteran New York City public school teacher who is now a teacher development specialist with the city's Department of Education, will share insights and resources to help educators bring their compassion and kindness to the experience of teaching and learning.

Art can be a way of expressing our thoughts and feelings when words come up short. In this episode of Classroom Café, we explore art as a way to alleviate stress, help us process trauma and get to know ourselves better. Listen in as our special guests Caitlin Hanvey, a creative art therapist, and Asha Hanna, a Brooklyn-based artist, discuss their experiences using art as a form of therapy for both children and adults.

Food plays a role in our emotional, physical and even psychological health. In this episode of Classroom Café, Leeann Rybakov, a health coach who is certified in functional medicine, will discuss how we can make healthier choices to support our overall well-being. Rybakov will share some practical and time-saving food choices that will nourish our bodies and spare our wallets.

• Free Pantry Swaps Resources from Leeann Rybakov
• Leeann Rybakov on Instagram

Mindfulness strategies can help teenagers take back some control over their emotions and overall mental health. In this episode of Classroom Café, Lexi Mulee, a licensed mental health clinician who works with teens, will discuss some short, innovative approaches to mindfulness that pique teens’ interest, including mindfulness meditation. This is a technique that can calm anxieties and help both teens and adults manage their emotions.

Teenagers test limits and push boundaries. But some behaviors, such as withdrawing from friends and family or increased anger and mood swings, may indicate your teenager or child is struggling with their mental health. In this episode of Classroom Café, we are joined by Lexi Mulee, a licensed mental health clinician and the founder of Wise Mind Counseling. Mulee specializes in working with teens and will discuss ways to build positive relationships with them as well as the warning signs that your student may need help.

Grief is an intensely personal experience, which can look very different from one person to the next. There is no "right" way to grieve. In this episode of the Classroom Café podcast, we are joined by Ashley Groesbeck, a clinical social worker, and Alain Metellus, the UFT’s director of crisis intervention, for a discussion of ways we can validate the experience for the bereaved and help them, or ourselves, to accept and move through the grieving process.

What does addiction look like, and how can our personal biases, experiences and judgments affect the way we view this illness? In this episode of the Classroom Café podcast, we are joined by Steven Sulzer, a licensed clinical social worker, psychotherapist, educator and credentialed substance use disorder counselor. He will share his own experience as well as tools and resources we can use when a family member or loved one may be dealing with substance misuse.

Learn practices, techniques and resources that can be used in school-based settings to identify survivors of domestic violence and support their health and well-being. In this episode of the Classroom Café podcast, Jules Perkél, a trauma psychotherapist and clinical social worker, will discuss the most commonly seen behaviors of survivors of domestic violence and the best practices when working with those who have experienced this trauma.

Students are trying to figure out how to navigate the new school year.  In this episode of the Classroom Café podcast, Dr. Miri Rosen talks about how educators can support students while reengaging with them at school. Learn how to identify students in need and how creating healthy boundaries and engaging in self-care can benefit our students.  Dr. Rosen is a board-certified child, adolescent and adult psychiatrist.

Here we are in the 2021-22 school year, still dealing with COVID-19,  wearing masks, social distancing and trying to manage stressors created by the pandemic. In this episode of the Classroom Café podcast, mental health speaker and best-selling author Mike Veny will discuss the “next normal” and how to support people where they are.  Listen in for tips on how you can maintain your own mental wellness and support others with compassion and concern.

Learn ways of identifying students at risk of substance use and how to support them. In this episode of the Classroom Café podcast, the New York Times best-selling author Jessica Lahey will discuss her latest book, The Addiction Inoculation: Raising Healthy Kids in a Culture of Dependence. She will share her personal story as an educator with addiction, the latest research around youth and substance use and resources to support students and their families.

Feelings of isolation, stress and anxiety have been heightened during the pandemic, creating the perfect storm for an increase in substance use and other addictive behaviors. In this episode of the Classroom Café podcast, Anthony Rizzuto of the Seafield Treatment Center on Long Island, a master social worker, alcoholism and substance abuse counselor and national speaker, will discuss how these stressors can affect you and your loved ones and how best to cope with them. He'll give you strategies for managing emotions without resorting to unhealthy coping mechanisms and explain how you can support others in these difficult times.

The year 2020 has been tough. The pandemic has taken a toll on our emotional well-being, whether we have suffered the loss of a loved one or we miss our normal work routines and time spent with family and friends. In this episode of the Classroom Café podcast, mental health speaker and best-selling author Mike Veny shares the profound mental health journey he has been on since childhood. His insights will help educators to develop tools and techniques for self-care and to support students and their families as they deal with the stresses of the pandemic. Listen in and start 2021 with an outlook that promotes emotional well-being and resilience.

The holidays are a time of joy — and for many, a time of stress and anxiety, too. The year 2020 has brought an array of new challenges, including how to celebrate safely during a pandemic. What is the best way to manage? With careful thought and preparation. In this episode of the Classroom Café podcast, Jonathan Benz, a New York City-based behavioral health professional, shares tips, strategies and scenarios to help you plan for a safe and celebratory holiday season.

The coronavirus pandemic has upended our lives in many ways, affecting everything from work to leisure activities. In this episode of the Classroom Café podcast, Christine Whelan, who teaches classes on well-being at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, shares strategies for finding your purpose, even during a pandemic. Learn what happens to you when you embrace a purpose mindset and connect to something bigger, and find out how to do that. To learn more about Christine, visit her website at www.christinewhelan.com. 

In this episode of the Classroom Cafe podcast, we share tips for managing interpersonal relationships during challenging times. Join us as we talk with Krista Rizzo, a transformational life coach, motivational speaker and author who specializes in relationships. To learn more about Krista Rizzo, visit her website at Why Am I Yelling?

The start of this school year poses challenges, concerns and stressors that are unique and different from any other school year. In this episode, three UFT members share their experiences and perspectives on returning to their school buildings and on teaching remotely. Learn strategies for dealing with your own feelings of stress, anxiety and fear from these intrepid New York City educators.

Grieving the loss of a loved one, whether a family member, friend or colleague, can be complicated and difficult. Grieving during a pandemic is more complicated still. Listen in as Alan Fruzzetti, Ph.D., a psychologist from McLean Hospital and cofounder of the Center for Trauma and Stress Education, shares his insights. While there is no “right” way to grieve, in this episode, we will learn strategies for coping with grief and loss so it isn’t overwhelming.

In this special podcast episode for UFT retirees, hear how retired UFT members throughout the country are experiencing life during this pandemic and learn strategies that retirees are using to cope with the new reality. “We want our retired members to know your union is here for you and you’re not alone,” said Retired Teachers Chapter Leader Tom Murphy. “Listen in to our conversation as one way to stay together while remaining socially distant.” The podcast features Murphy; Christopher Chin, the director of Retiree Social Services; and Donesa Jackson and Patti Vitucci of the UFT’s Florida retiree section.

Learn tips and strategies about creating boundaries, setting routines and virtually supporting students in the remote era from Doreen Ng, the director of mental health at the UFT’s United Community Schools program, and Christopher Chin, the director of the union’s Retiree Social Services Department. In this interview with Lindsay Strickler-Levine, a licensed counselor with the union’s Member Assistance Program, Ng and Chin also discuss why finding a “win” every day is an important self-care tool.

Learn more about how the UFT Member Assistance Program is helping union members cope with the COVID-19 pandemic through individual consultations, virtual support groups and online resources at Membership Assistance Program.

UFT Member Assistance Program Director Tina Puccio, LCSW, and licensed counselors Lindsay Levine and Jenice Acosta, who have been facilitating the union’s virtual support groups, discuss that strategies that have helped UFT members deal with the fear and anxiety triggered by the coronavirus crisis.

Learn more about how the individual consultations, virtual support groups and online resources that the UFT Member Assistance Program offers at www.uft.org/map

Together we make a difference: transforming student-teacher relationships through functional fitness, with Libby Douglass, a CrossFit coach at CrossFit Wall Street and Jackie Boyle, a NYC public school teacher. Hear about the benefits of using exercise in the classroom and ways to incorporate exercise into your daily classroom routine. Learn more about the UFT’s Member Assistance Program and check out resources for new teachers at Member Assistance Program.

Getting Ready to Launch with Gisele Noisy-McBride, UFT Teacher Center. How can you set yourself up for a successful school year? Hear about steps you can take to focus your actions and beliefs.

Hi everyone, thank you for joining us for this “trailer” of the Classroom Café Podcast, where it’s all about brewing the conversation with New York City public school educators. This podcast is presented by The United Federation of Teachers & the union's Member Assistance Program (MAP). We know you are busy and on the go in your career. But we all experience challenges in our personal and professional lives and need the support of a helping hand from time to time. For UFT members, these stresses can create a perfect storm. For this reason, the UFT Member Assistance Program is excited to bring you this series of well-being podcasts on topics such as Making Classrooms Happy Places, 10 Ways to Eat Healthier with Limited Time, Time Management: Getting It All Done, Mindfulness and Compassion and Creating Safe, Welcoming and Inclusive Schools for ALL of Our Students, Families and Staff.

Time Management: How Can I Get it All Done? with Gisele Noisy- McBride, UFT Teacher Center Field Staff. In this podcast, Gisele outlines 3 simple, realistic strategies for effectively managing time and balancing tasks that arise during your workday.

Creating Safe, Welcoming and Inclusive Schools for ALL of Our Students, Families and Staff with Mitch Klages-Bombich, M.S. Ed., PLC Professional Development Coordinator. In this podcast, Mitch discusses the importance of embracing family diversity, creating LGBTQ and gender-inclusive schools and classrooms, and an overview of NYCDOE guidelines supporting transgender and non-binary students.

10 Ways to Eat Healthier With Limited Time with Meredith Price, a Brooklyn-based Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN). Meredith provides her top 10 strategies for eating well when you have limited time during the work week. To learn more about Meredith and some of the websites she utilizes, please visit: www.PricelessRD.com, www.101cookbooks.com, www.cookieandkate.com, www.healthyaperture.com. 

Mindfulness and Compassion with Kristin Westbrook, the founder of Calm City Meditation and certified meditation teacher. Kristin outlines three meditation techniques that can help educators relieve stress and maintain a sense of calm throughout the day: a body scan, a mindfulness meditation and a loving kindness meditation. For more information about Calm City Meditation Station visit www.calmcitynyc.com.

Making Classrooms Happy Places with Dana Ashley, the director of the UFT Positive Learning Collaborative (PLC), and Miranda Selbst, the PLC restorative practices coordinator and a former high school teacher. In this two-part series, Dana and Miranda discuss elements that can contribute to making a happy classroom, including rituals and best practices to create community in your classroom.