It is the end of August. Even though I haven’t worked as a public school educator for years, this month on the calendar still feels like it is time to “get something started.” I remember getting my class list and planning my curriculum for the first few weeks of school. I would call students and their families before the school year started and ask to meet so that the first day of school wasn’t our first day of meeting each other.

I look back on these years with fondness (and a few memories of the exhaustion that is inevitable with teaching!). The wisdom of having a few years of personal and professional growth since those days also creates some perspective about what I could have improved. Looking back, I realize my students could have used increased focus on developing the skills of well-being.

As I look back, one of my “hopes” is that today's teachers know the importance of prioritizing and providing direct instruction in the skills of well-being. Happiness and well-being can be learned, but learning requires instruction. I could have done a better job providing direct instruction on the skills of well-being, including gratitude and mindfulness (Stockall & Blackwell, 2022), and prompting students to experience........

© Psychology Today