PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Doing any job when one is stressed and frustrated is much more difficult.

 

And teachers are the same way. They are the scapegoats when schools are underperforming. They're pressured by parents and administrators. Their work days are long, some students can be taxing, and recently in Pittsfield, the threat of job loss has hung over their heads.

 

The Center for Peace through Culture recognizes the tensions that build up in someone's life and launched a program with the staff at Conte Community School to teach the teachers calming and relaxation techniques. The pilot program is wrapping up and 10 teachers voluntarily participated in it. 

 

"They are the ones I need to invest in right now. They are the ones with the direct contact with all of our students," Principal Kerry Light told the School Committee on Wednesday.

 

Susan Lord, from the Center for Peace through Culture, said the 10 teachers spent four days during the summer with staff launching the LifeSchool program. The program was specifically designed for teachers and the school environment, integrating techniques that can be seamlessly be integrated into the classroom. Every other week, outside of work, the teachers spent two hours learning the program.  

 

"We are working with teachers who will teach hundreds of teachers about this way of living in the world where we can all live up to our full potential," Lord said.

 

For Light, the program has helped her become less reactive to issues and more resilient to stress. 

 

"I have noticed more positive energy, more patience, and more resilience," Light said.

 

Lord said students often aren't taught the tools to "calm down" and when a student is upset, it makes it more difficult to learn. The goal is to start with the teachers who are working with the students every day and giving them the skills to do the same. That will later trickle down into teaching the students those skills.

 

"These skills calm down the nervous system and prepares students to learn academically," Lord said. "This is the primary education that these children need, in fact, that all of us need." 

 

School Committee member Cynthia Taylor said there is neuroscience to support the use of such techniques.

 

"It helps kids' brains function so much easier than when they are not afraid and fearful," Taylor said. 

 

The techniques help both teachers and students become more self-aware and less stressed, allowing for better communication and creativity. Lord said the $50,000 the center spent to launch such a program was worth the money.

 

Now that the program was developed and piloted, Lord says it will be less expensive to roll it out on a larger scale next year. She is currently fundraising in hopes of being able to expand the program into all elementary schools. 

 

"We're plowing ahead as if the money is going to come. We are very committed and we would like to offer this program to other Pittsfield elementary schools," Lord said.

 

School Committee Chairwoman Katherine Yon said she appreciated the center's efforts because "we are looking for new, innovative things to do in the future." She hopes the program can be expanded.