Happy HeART Teacher Mentorships began in 2017 as a collaboration with my long-time teaching partner, Jenny Bevill.
Happy HeART Teacher Mentorship is a two-pronged teacher coaching program. First, we are a teacher wellness program. Our mission is to equip teachers with simple and effective tools to increase their emotional intelligence, manage stress, and regulate their emotions, in order to foster more productivity, happiness, and love in the classroom. Secondly, we coach teachers on how to bring these tools to their students. We use mindfulness meditation, visualization techniques, growth mindset training, positive psychology, simple stretches and empowering yoga postures scientifically proven to calm the nervous system, enhance learning, and increase a feeling of safety. We believe teaching these tools is a social justice issue as the populations that you serve not only lack access to these self-healing modalities but also are more likely to suffer from inherited trauma.
Happy HeART Teacher Mentorship program objectives:
- Equip teachers with simple effective tools for handling stress in their classroom (without having to leave their classroom)
- Create a culture of compassion and connection at school
- Train children on how they can manage stress and anxiety
- Train teachers and children on implementing social emotional learning goals, such as practicing: growth mindset, self compassion, collaboration skills, non-violent communication, self awareness, non-excess, generosity, gratitude, determination, and courage, positive self talk, and beyond
- Empower teachers and students to be less reactive and more thoughtful communicators
- Cultivate a feeling of deeper connection amongst students and teachers
- Reduce teacher burnout. Increase teacher energy and passion.
- Improve student behavior, ability to focus, and self regulate.
“Ilana’s company Happy HeART was hired by Success Academy Charter Schools to provide a teacher mentor program to art teachers three years ago. The teachers in the program have consistently highly rated their experience working with Ilana. The teachers have improved their teaching through learning strategies for personal self-care and teaching mindfulness to their students. Ilana is an amazing human and her affect on the art program, and countless students has been immeasurable.” –
Sheila Casey Galgano
Visual Arts Manager Success Academy Charter Schools
New York NY
“I am so grateful for having taken the Happy Heart teacher mentorship with Ilana Ingber. With her guidance I have been able to establish my own mindfulness practice, which has deepened my compassion for myself and others. I have brought this practice into my everyday teaching activities. My students look forward to meditating every day, are evidently more aware of their own and others’ feelings, anxieties, joys, etc. Our mindful classroom is a balanced place where all students feel free to be themselves, happy with who they are and excited for their own growth.”
Mauren Antkowski,
Teacher Harlem, NY
“I absolutely would recommend Happy HeART Teacher Mentorship Program. Ilana not only helped me become a better, happier, and more productive teacher, but also the effects have carried over to and improved my personal life.”
Holly Relyea
Lab site Teacher
Success Academy Charter Schools