A Mindful Teacher and A Strong Mom

“The Character Effect has impacted me on two different levels.”

Teacher and mom Tiffany Gruen is in a unique position to understand The Character Effect™, our social and emotional curriculum based on mindfulness and character strengths; the program has been implemented at the school that she teaches and in the school her son attends.

“I noticed my son using mindful breathing techniques that neither my husband nor I had taught him,” Tiffany said. “To see this application of self-regulation away from school was inspiring.” Tiffany and her son attended a Character Effect™ Family Bingo night at Sands Montessori soon after she began to notice her son’s mindful behavior. Tiffany was impressed. “Not only did the event bring my family together in a unique way, but it introduced me to the Character Effect curriculum, awakening my understanding of its impact of my child,” she said.

After witnessing the positive impact The Character Effect™ had on her son, his classmates and his teachers at Sands first-hand, Tiffany was excited to see the program implemented at Miles Elementary in Erlanger, Kentucky where she is an Instructional Coach. “As an educator, I know there are a million barriers that our students can face, yet we only have so many tools in our toolkit,” she said. “The Character Effect™ curriculum and coaching provides a “how-to” to address the self-regulation needs of all students.”

The Character Effect™ curriculum is designed to increase children’s social-emotional competencies, increase parent engagement in their child’s education, and improve teachers’ satisfaction by helping them get back the joy of teaching kids. The program aims to achieve these aspirations by first helping teachers, students, and parents discover and build their unique character strengths. “I’ve seen students in our pilot classes utilize the techniques and “strength spot” one another outside of their classrooms,” Tiffany observed.

The Character Effect™ also models how to effectively use mindfulness in the classroom, at home, and anywhere else they may need it. “Not only do they actively engage with the mindful moments and strengths-based approach, but, more importantly, they transfer those skills outside of the classroom and into their lives.”