Educate to Regulate: SEL in Nashville Schools
In this case study, we’ll explore how the BeWell in School program integrates mindful breath and movement into the classroom, fostering a supportive environment for students and staff alike.
Elevating Wellness in Education
The COVID-19 pandemic brought youth mental health, emotional well-being, and overall wellness to the forefront of educational priorities.
This renewed focus on mental health has led educators and administrators to look for ways to integrate wellness practices into their daily classroom routines, making it an enduring component of the school’s culture rather than a temporary response to crisis.
One such program that is on display in Nashville is BeWell in School, a pioneering initiative aimed at integrating mindfulness, breath-based movement, and other wellness strategies into the educational environment. Founded in 2019 by Riki Rattner, BeWell incorporates regular training for educators on recognizing and addressing mental health issues, creating an ongoing dialogue about wellness, and integrating mental health education into the curriculum.
A Spark of Change
Rattner began her career as a fourth-grade teacher in North Nashville. Coming from a background in human and organizational development at Vanderbilt, her path to the classroom was unconventional. During her time interning at the juvenile justice center, Rattner witnessed firsthand the systemic issues affecting youth, sparking her interest in preventative and restorative approaches to education.
In North Nashville, Rattner witnessed the challenges her students faced outside of school—generational trauma, over-policing, and other socio-economic stressors. These experiences highlighted the disparity between the wellness resources available to affluent communities and the lack thereof for her students.
“I would often step away from school to go to my yoga studio. I was confronted with how affluent and white my yoga peers were, which contrasted sharply with the diversity of my classroom,” recalls Rattner. “This made me realize how readily available healing and therapy had always been to me, and how none of those tools were accessible to my students.”
This realization ignited a fire in Rattner to bring those same healing and therapeutic tools into schools where students could benefit from them, leading to the birth of BeWell in School.
From Vision to Reality
BeWell officially launched at Warner Elementary in 2019-2020. Initially, Rattner volunteered her time, driven by a passion to make wellness accessible to all students. The program quickly gained traction, securing a state priority grant that allowed for broader implementation. Over five years, BeWell expanded to eight schools across North Nashville and Lexington, Kentucky.
One critical aspect of BeWell’s implementation is its adaptability to the unique needs of each school. The program’s success hinges on the support of school administrators and the willingness of educators to embrace new wellness practices. At Fall-Hamilton, for instance, the program started with after-school clubs and gradually integrated into the daily routine, demonstrating flexibility and responsiveness to the school community’s needs.
Says Rattner, “What I’ve learned is that this work really begins with educators, and that’s how we reach the kids.”
Creating a Safe Place For All Students
Today, over 3,000 students participate in the BeWell program. According to Nashville Program Director & Coach Kara Kennard, student feedback consistently illustrates the program’s necessity in empowering every student to access essential support and tools for emotional regulation.
“A lot of programs similar to BeWell end up looking like a place that just quote ‘bad kids’ go,” says Kennard. “The beauty of BeWell is that all students feel like it’s a place for them where they can get what they need, and it’s something that they feel that their school needs and benefits from.”
A tragic incident involving the loss of students highlighted the program’s importance at one Lexington school. Thanks to BeWell, the school had established routines and a dedicated space for emotional support. This preparedness allowed the community to navigate the crisis with a sense of stability and support.
Empowering Educators & Creating a Culture of Wellness
Educators, too, have seen significant transformations thanks to BeWell. BeWell rooms often include dedicated “teacher corners” equipped with resources such as sound-canceling headphones, guided meditation books, and affirmations. These spaces provide educators with a much-needed respite, helping them manage their own stress and model self-care for their students.
At Rocketship Dream Community Prep, the PE teacher became a regular visitor to the BeWell room, utilizing the space during planning periods. The teacher’s positive experience extended beyond personal benefit; he began modeling wellness practices for his students, creating a ripple effect of mindfulness and regulation within the school.
Sustaining Social and Emotional Learning
Implementing a wellness program in schools comes with challenges, particularly in gaining buy-in from all stakeholders. BeWell’s approach emphasizes gradual exposure and building trust. Rattner and her team recognize the importance of meeting educators where they are, providing consistent support, and avoiding the imposition of rigid curricula.
“The real goal of impacting teachers through BeWell is giving them language and routine ideas that they can start to sprinkle moments of pause, moments of connection, moments to focus on regulation within their classroom, and do that in a way that they feel authentic and confident,” says Kennard.
To that end, BeWell recently launched a digital content library called BeWell Digital, which features student-focused mindfulness resources.
“Wellness content usually features a white woman doing yoga,” explains Rattner. “We want our kids to see themselves in these practices, so we created videos that show student actors demonstrating our foundational movement and wellness strategies.”
As BeWell continues to grow, it offers a compelling model for other schools seeking to integrate wellness practices into their daily routines, fostering an environment where everyone can thrive.
Reflections
Big Takeways
Attending to students’ emotional wellbeing and regulation is a prerequisite for learning. “If you’re pushing academics and trying all these interventions but you’re not prioritizing any regulation practices, then students might not actually physiologically be able to learn the information that you’re teaching them,” says Kennard.
What would you tell other leaders or educators?
Sustaining the momentum of a wellness program requires ongoing commitment and adaptability. BeWell emphasizes continuous professional development and encourages open dialogue about the benefits of mindfulness and wellness practices, as well as the importance of strong administrative support. “If you’re going to do this schoolwide, the administrator has to be confident and ready to have difficult and honest conversations,” says Rattner.
Next steps
Rattner and her team are working to build out the BeWell Digital content library and make these resources available to more schools. “As of right now, we’ve only launched BeWell Digital in our partner schools. We’re in the process of figuring out how we can offer that to more schools, whether you’re partnered with BeWell or not.”
About The Author
| Riki Rattner is the Founder and Executive Director of BeWell in School, a 501(c)(3) non-profit that partners with school communities to teach mindful breath and movement as proactive tools for self-regulation.
Before becoming a classroom teacher, BeWell founder Riki Rattner spent a brief time working within the criminal justice system. Her early career experience in these fields had a profound impact on her and the way she approaches student behavior. Riki saw both the criminal justice and education systems fail people in similar ways and found herself reflecting on how to interrupt the cycle.
At the same time, Riki was experiencing the stress that comes with being an educator and found tools to support her own emotional well-being. She reconnected with her yoga practice and fell in love with the calm she experienced in her mind and body after a class. Riki became determined to bring this type of experience to her students in an accessible, inclusive way.
Riki went on to get her yoga teacher certification and learned about the ways that movement, breathwork, and meditation can impact the central nervous system. She began incorporating mindfulness practices into her classroom management and one-on-one work with students. In short, the response she witnessed was profound. And it was in those moments, watching her students learn to self-soothe, attend to their emotional needs, and redirect their behaviors, that the small seed that would eventually become BeWell was planted. Riki served as the Founding BeWell Teacher in 2019-2021. Now she serves as Executive Director of the organization and continues to facilitate programming for youth and adults. |
Fall Hamilton
Fall Hamilton Elementary School is committed to enhancing its educational support systems, and was a host school as part of the Nashville School Study Tour conducted by the Educating All Learners Alliance in Spring 2024. Under the leadership of former principal Matthew Portell, who shared insights during a Q&A session about the school’s initiatives, significant organizational changes were made. One key program introduced by Portell is the BeWell in School program, which embeds mindfulness and wellness strategies into the school’s daily routines, significantly contributing to a supportive and nurturing educational environment. For more details on Fall Hamilton’s innovative programs, visit their official website.
