A required course for all Freshmen on Personal Wellbeing facilitated by a Wellbeing Coach? A multi-layered system for educator support? It's actually a thing at the high school in Lake Forest, IL, a suburb of Chicago. Dr. Matt Dewar, the wellbeing coach for the district describes the program and why it's so effective. In addition to providing his go-to tips for on-the-spot stress reduction, he explains the importance of breath and our mind-body connection as well as how our society's view of intense exercise as a stress-reliever might not be as effective as we think it is.
Matt Dewar, Ed.D., is an experienced educator, speaker, consultant, and author who specializes in bringing research-based mindfulness and self-care protocols to students, athletes, coaches, and educators looking to manage stress, improve performance, and increase well-being.
Matt’s work draws from sixteen years at Lake Forest High School (IL) where he's been a coach, teacher, learning facilitator, and well-being coordinator. During this time, Matt has designed and implemented academic courses, school-wide mindfulness programming, and professional development for teachers. He's also overseen the integration of CASEL SEL competencies into departmental curriculum and instruction. Additionally, Matt has designed and implemented mindfulness-based programming and professional development for teachers and schools across the country as well as for professional, collegiate, and high school athletes. His work has been featured on a variety of media outlets, including TEDx, NPR, the National Wellness Institute, and Thrive Global (see below). He is the author of the forthcoming book, The Mindful Breathing Workbook for Teens (2021) and Education and Well-Being: An Ontological Inquiry (2016).
SHOW NOTES / RESOURCES:
Dr. Matt Dewar's website
Ordinary People Movie Trailer and Book
Max Van Manen, author of The Tone of Teaching
CASEL (Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning)
Dr. Dewar TEDx Lake Forest High School "Being Well Means Not Wasting Time"
Dr. Dewar TEDx Lake Forest High School "Mindfulness and Young Adult Well-being"
RSS Feed
