Is there anything less subtle than an 11-year-old armed with the rules - especially when confronted with a peer who prefers to get creative with them? After working with thousands of young people, I’ve noticed a pattern. That pattern boils down to one bold, heavy line dividing perceived right from perceived wrong with each being the ultimate moral authority. Spend just one recess supervising Gaga ball, and you’ll see exactly what I mean.

Just as spring is the season for new growth and summer embodies productivity, autumn gracefully gathers everything together before the blanket of snow settles us in for some needed rest.

This month, we proudly announce the release of three new books, the launching of our page on TeachersPayTeachers, and the exciting shift in focus at kelleypeel.com. The culmination represents the harvesting of seasons filled with growth and careful stewardship of our observations and learning.

This site was originally set up as a way to connect with my students during the shutdown of 2020. We posted yoga videos and lessons that hopefully helped them manage rough emotions during a very rough time in our country‘s history. 

Gratitude, maybe seems like an overused word, but the impact is real & sustainable in our journey toward peace and joy.  We can find it referenced repeatedly in the Bible, in yoga sutras, and more importantly in people who seem to feel content in their space on earth.  

Gratitude is: 1. Affirmation of goodness  2. Recognition of the goodness outside of ourselves.  

One of my favorite school counselor stories:  A teacher called me for support, as a student was chucking books, chairs - basically anything he could get his hands on.  I opened the door to a class of wide-eyed kids staring at me. The student chucking materials around the room looked at me and said, “That’s right!  My amygdala has been hijacked! Let’s go,” and he left with me. The class burst into laughter, as we had just had our lesson on the function of the amygdala, prefrontal cortex & hippocampus.  

When I read that mindfulness was a way to peace, I said: “Sign me up!” After I signed myself up, I needed to discover what mindfulness involved and ways to approach it. I have to say that the research, reading, and experimenting was part break my brain and part: "Why am I only discovering this now?” Then the proverb: “When the student is ready, the teacher will appear,” flashed on my screen. Rather than feeling remorse over the past, I settled in with the journey that unfolded as planned.

Acorns are like magic to me!  Just as the leaves reach there deepest green for the year the soft thuds of acorns begin hitting the roof and remind me that new growth is already in progress. At school with my 5th & 6th graders, we dig through a shopping bag of acorns and explore the journey of an acorn.  We hold an acorn in our hand and imagine the tree within the shell.

Our first mindful video “Life of a Branch,” encourages us to get out, find a peace and narrow our focus away from all the uncertain, upsetting news.  The news is scary to adults and even more difficult to explain to kids. If we can help them find a place of peace outside and a reminder that the earth is not completely flipped, it will help them find their footing.  

March 23, 2020

Warm greetings, 

Although the organic seeding for this website has taken place over the last four years, COVID-19 pushed us into action.  When Michigan schools were closed, I was contacted by a rightfully scared student who struggles with Cystic Fibrosis. We chose to meet on a trail and walk.  Listening to her raspy conversation, I felt my own heartache with concern over her health. Would we, our community, our state, our country, step up with compassion for our most vulnerable?   Could we offer support while protecting our most vulnerable? What can I do from my corner in the woods along Lake Michigan?