#44 Sussex County Teacher Edition: Stanhope / Miss DiIonno

"A lot of kids have this mindset where feeling happy is a good thing, feeling sad is bad, feeling angry is bad, and feeling exciting is good...I want them to start being aware that actually all feelings are good!" - Stephanie DiIonno, 3rd-grade teacher

One of the one things I’ve come to know about facing challenges and tragedies is that kids of all ages sitting in classrooms all throughout Sussex County and the state of New Jersey suffer greatly from them. Year after year I witness these levels in children increasing. Students trust themselves less, they lack resiliency, as well as the ability to cope with minor disruptions. 

My Mission

As the Sussex County Teacher of the Year with a platform for embedding yoga and mindfulness into daily classroom instruction, it's become my mission to seek out other teachers in the county who are making tremendous shifts in the learning process for kids.  While I accept this honor very graciously, I also acknowledge the fact that there are many other teachers in the county who deserve to be highlighted for implementing the same practices.

With the help of our Executive County Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Rosalie Lamonte, and all the Chief Administrators in the county, I‘ve been able to make some great connections, hear some inspirational stories, and learn about the healthy goodness that’s happening with our kiddos in the classroom to help them build strong social and emotional character, which creates a solid foundation to confront the personal and academic challenges they are facing.

...word of mouth and in those casual conversations with each other is the way that we can spread the  mindfulness movement in an organic way that doesn't feel overwhelming to any body.

Contact Stephanie: @MissDiIonno         email: [email protected]

@KiraWilley        Click the book to connect to Kira's website!

Check out YouHue for yourself!  Founder @KristiKelly is great to work with!

It's important to note that the anatomy of children is different from that of an adult. Kids should not be practicing in the same manner as the adults in their lives.

NJEA Review article: "Mindfulness is Not a Class Period, It's a Lifestyle"