Counselor hones in on Social Emotional Learning by teaching students mindfulness
Eight-year-old Max Gonzalez recites messages of encouragement to a group of fellow third graders at Castle Hills Elementary School.
“I need to change the channel from this to this; I need to say positive words; I am a winner; I can do it; I can handle anything with an adult’s help,” he reads.
Hopeful words and mindful listening are all a vital part of the day for students at Castle Hills.
Kathy Mullinax has been the school counselor for nineteen years. She was recently inspired by the North East ISD Superintendent to teach students the importance of being mindful.
“That was one of Dr. Maika’s initiatives, social emotional learning, which is where we get in tune to our body and try to set goals on how we are going to focus on how we are going behave and some things that we can do to help ourselves,” Mullinax said.
She said there are many exercises she is helping the kids learn.
“There are different activities; you can do the ‘3-3-6’ which is the breathe for three, hold for three, and then breathe out for six. There is the ‘magnetic hands’ where they put their hands facing each other and they think about how the pull about or together. They can also tap one leg or the other,” Mullinax explained.
Students like eight-year-old Thaddeus Soto learn to use a variety of techniques in distracting or stressful situations.
“I had heart surgery and I was in the hospital for half a week and I was very scared and I thought it was just a dream at first but I tried blinking three times, it didn’t work. I just took three deep breath, did ‘3-3-6,’ and in a few days I was out of the hospital,” the third-grader said.
Castle Hills is the elementary magnet program and only year-round school in North East ISD and students are able to use tools like this every school day.
“It’s amazing how Kindergarteners to first-graders already can tell me ‘I’ve been breathing and taking deep breaths and trying not to get angry’ so that really makes me feel good that they are learning that from a young age because you’ll need that from the age of maybe 2 or 3 all the way to 92 or 93,” Mullinax said.
Thaddeus said he has a lot of favorite things about his school.
“My favorite part about the school is the children; the children can be nice sometimes. The most likely reason I like this school is being our counselor, Ms. Mullinax because she’s taught me a lot of stuff and I’m very thankful for her,” he said.
Ms. Mullinax is also thankful to be able to reach her students in innovative ways.
“I have the best job in the world being the counselor and being able to talk to the kids or help them. It’s very gratifying whenever you do and they come back and they say ‘Ms. Mullinax, you really helped me’ or they write me a note. It’s really gratifying to be able to help these little guys and girls grow and learn.”
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