Professional Development Includes a Class on the "Science of Happiness"

Faculty prepped for the start of school with packed days of Professional Development. They included everything from cutting-edge training sessions to bonding scavenger hunts. Once example of the incredible programming was the N-8 faculty's class on "The Science of Happiness" with keynote speaker Dr. Alan Schlechter.

Dr. Schlechter is a child psychiatrist at Bellevue Hospital in New York City and an associate professor at NYU’s Langone Medical Center. He focuses on teaching well-being, including positive emotions, and that it will not only make us happier, but more successful, whatever our definition of happiness. He spoke to Ramaz educators about his measurable definition of well-being, called PERMA, which assesses the quality of each of these factors in a person's life: Positive emotions, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishments. He explained how the educators can teach students how to better care for their well-being, citing a body of research that shows children work better together, and make fewer errors, when they feel positive emotions. He emphasized the importance of mindfulness in creating happiness, and provided ways to achieve mindfulness. He also advised teachers to focus on spotting and identifying their students' character strengths and encouraging their students to use their character strengths in unique and positive ways.