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Learning Consultant, Teaches Youngsters to Self-Calm, Resolve Conflict Through Mindfulness Practice
SOUTH ORANGE, N.J., February 27, 2020 – Staying present to what’s happening in the moment, within oneself and the environment, is the key to mindfulness. It’s what Bela Barbosa teaches to preschoolers every week at the Iris Family Center for Early Childhood Education, the preschool at Temple Sharey Tefilo-Israel (TSTI) in South Orange. Barbosa is the school’s social-emotional learning consultant and summer camp director.
She completed a rigorous 18-day Breathe for Change program for educators last year in New York City; she now holds certifications as a 200-hour yoga teacher and wellness champion. At TSTI, she is working with school social workers to implement a program designed to help youngsters reduce anxiety, resolve conflicts with schoolmates, and cultivate an atmosphere of mindfulness.
A native of Portugal who now lives in Bloomfield, Barbosa had taught at the preschool for eight years; she was offered the new position of social-emotional learning consultant after completing the Breathe for Change program.
“The course was unbelievable; I wish every educator could go through it. I learned many different exercises and activities to help children self-regulate and understand their feelings and emotions,” said Barbosa.
She has created a quiet zone in some classrooms and created the Peace Place, a room where children can go whenever they need a break from stimuli or stressors. She conducts social-emotional learning through role play or books, and leads an enrichment program called the Power of Play, where youngsters practice social skills in small groups. She also does meditation with all the classes once a week, and leads mindfulness moments during the preschool’s Bimah Time on Fridays in the sanctuary.
“I am teaching them the steps to take when they are feeling a certain way—sad or angry, for instance. I help the kids get inside their emotions and see what they can do with them,” said Barbosa.
If she sees the youngsters are having conflicts with friends, such as issues with sharing, Barbosa prepares a lesson on how to resolve the conflict, such as why sharing is important or how to help themselves or others. If there is stress in the home that is affecting a student, her mindfulness exercises help them manage or alleviate their anxiety.
During Bimah Time, Barbosa instructs the children to close their eyes as she strikes a singing bowl and tells them to open their eyes when they can’t hear the sound anymore.
“For those few seconds they are so present, listening to the singing bowl,” she said. “This resets the children and stills their busy bodies. Mindfulness gives them a minute to settle and ground themselves. You can see the difference in them right away.”
During meditation sessions, she guides the children to check in with their bodies and how they are feeling during that quiet time. She recounted that after meditation, the children say that their bodies were “humming.” They tell her they feel calm, relaxed or even sleepy. “As I watch them, I see their hands and feet relaxing,” she said.
“Bela has always had an innate sense that one can’t teach anything to children until they are feeling good about themselves,” said Carol Paster, TSTI’s early childhood director. “She helps them identify their feelings and gives them the tools for self-regulation. The school, in general, feels much calmer because of her weekly lessons, which children and teachers alike practice daily.”
Barbosa recently wrote an article about “Mindfulness Through the Holidays” for UNITE, the newsletter for early childhood educators in the Reform movement, and she has written a book, “I Am–Affirmations for Resilience,” which is being published by Penguin Random House and is due out in October.
Of her new position at the TSTI preschool, Barbosa said, “I love my job. It’s amazing how from the age of 2, the children take it in. They need this and respond to it so beautifully.”
TSTI, the Reform synagogue in South Orange, is located at 432 Scotland Road. The Iris Family Center for Early Childhood Education offers programming based on the Reggio Emilia concept of student-centered, self-directed, experiential learning. Youngsters ages 2 through pre-K are encouraged to explore various learning centers and to create and communicate in a stress-free, stimulating environment. Full information is available at https://www.tsti.org/early-childhood-center.
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