Peace of Mind

We are excited to be implementing the Peace of Mind (PoM) Core Curriculum for 6th grade as a part of our weekly schedule this year. We have been working closely with the team at Peace of Mind, Inc. to develop this new curriculum to meet the social and emotional needs of our students. Our working group has included an incredible team from Ida B Wells, the educators and curriculum authors at Peace of Mind, Inc., Dr. Elizabeth Hoffman, neuroscientist, and Dr. William Blake, Director of Social Emotional Learning for DCPS. We are looking forward to sharing it with our staff and students this year!

The Peace of Mind Program teaches mindfulness skills and brain science as the essential foundations for students’ acquisition and mastery of social and emotional skills and conflict resolution tools. Through PoM, our students will gain an understanding of what happens in our brains and bodies when we feel challenging emotions and learn and practice skills for managing our emotions and exerting control over our responses. We will explore the benefits of gratitude practice, kindness, and empathy in our lives, and integrate all of these skills as the powerful foundation for learning how to effectively de-escalate and resolve conflicts. By giving our students a common language and skill set for noticing and managing emotions, building supportive relationships and skillfully managing conflict, we aim to support an inclusive and positive environment here at Ida B. Wells.

Peace of Mind is an proven mindfulness and brain-science-based Social and Emotional Learning program, and one of the very few programs that integrate mindfulness, brain science, social and emotional learning and conflict resolution into one sequential weekly program. DCPS Peace Teacher and Curriculum Author, Linda Ryden, has been developing and teaching the Peace of Mind Curriculum since 2003, and DCPS Counselor Jillian Diesner adapted the Peace of Mind Curriculum for Early Childhood in 2016. Together, Linda and Jillian continue to teach PoM to over 900 students a week, continually learning and adapting the program to meet the needs of our students. Since the curriculum was first published in 2016, schools within DCPS, throughout the DC-area, and across the country have invested in Peace of Mind for their students from PreK through Grade 6.

The Peace of Mind Program is nurtured by Peace of Mind. Inc, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization. The mission of Peace of Mind is to support and encourage the adoption of effective mindfulness based social and emotional learning programs in our schools. Peace of Mind, Inc. develops and shares effective and engaging curricula, rooted in classroom experience; storybooks, classroom resources, educator training, an annual conference, and a community of practice for educators and parents. They are based here in DC and will provide continual support as we pilot the first year of the Peace of Mind Core Curriculum for 6th Grade. Please visit Peace of Mind for more information.

Peace of Mind

Ida B. Wells Middle School