At a time when global education reformers are looking at the best ways to improve school climate, school safety, and student well-being, Vishmal Sharma the Founder of SMILES, asks that we turn our attention to the role of schools in promoting the mental health of educators.
How do we support teachers and school staff who often experience high levels of stress and also improve learning in classrooms? In a new interview with C.M. Rubin, the Founder of CMRubinWorld, Sharma explains that the mission of his program SMILES – a “Stress-free, Motivating, Inquisitive Learning Ecosystem” – is to create a wellness ecosystem by combining mindfulness with pedagogy, integrating well-being with classroom management, and igniting the inquisitiveness for learning.”
Vishal Sharma believes classrooms are losing their ability to be joyful, experiential and holistic learning spaces, especially with growing distractions such as social media and mobile phones. SMILES uses short, easy wellbeing techniques called “SMILES Anchors” that can be done anywhere at anytime.
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Vishal Sharma is the founder of “SMILES in Education,” a holistic teacher training program created in 2017. Sharma’s SMILES in Education program has helped 4500 students and 160 teachers in low-income schools in India, and schools in New Zealand, the United States, Finland, and Spain are integrating the model into their curriculums as well.
CMRubinWorld’s award-winning series, The Global Search for Education, brings together distinguished thought leaders in education and innovation from around the world to explore the key learning issues faced by most nations. The series has become a highly visible platform for global discourse on 21st century learning, offering a diverse range of innovative ideas which are presented by the series founder, C. M. Rubin, together with the world’s leading thinkers.
