MEMBER TESTIMONIALS
Amber Chandler, a Trustee of the NYSUT Member Benefits Trust and President of the Frontier Central Teachers Association, recently provided Member Benefits with a testimonial regarding her experience with the premium Calm service -- provided free to all NYSUT in-service and retiree members.
“One of the things I started after becoming a Trustee of the (NYSUT) Member Benefits Trust is to have a Member Benefits moment and push out the various benefits available to the 445 members of my local. My members were the most excited to hear about the premium Calm service available free to NYSUT members.
I really like the Calm sleep stories as I used to wake up in the middle of the night and would be unable to fall back asleep. Since using the Calm app, I have never finished an entire sleep story… so they definitely work! I have also started doing the Calm movement and stretching lately along with some of the self-help and meditation activities. My son will also listen to the stories and jokes that he should listen to them in the middle of the day to see what happens. It’s very reminiscent to when my children were younger and we used to listen to audio books together.
We are truly seeing a mental health crisis in schools when it comes to both teachers and students. Having options available through NYSUT Member Benefits such as the Calm service and the Peer Support Line are very important in terms of how we can help our members. Teachers are often the worst at taking care of ourselves as we are so busy taking care of others.
As an 8th grade ELA teacher (at Frontier Middle School in Hamburg, NY) and with a background in social and emotional learning, I can easily see a tool such as the Calm app being used in small group settings in schools… it would be great to have something like a seven-minute meditation during the day in the classroom."
Brittany Dein, LMSW, a social worker with Santapogue School in West Babylon, NY and member of the West Babylon Teachers Association, recently provided Member Benefits with a testimonial of her own regarding the premium Calm service.
"We talk a lot about teacher and therapist burnout, so it’s important to practice what you teach and take time for yourself. I have found the Calm app acts as a personal tool to help make sure I’m giving the best version of myself. I have started implementing it in my work and also reached out to K-5 social workers in other schools.
As a school social worker, I have students that I see through mandated counseling and social skills groups through IEPs and 504s. I also see students who have been identified as in need of the service from their teachers or parents. There are often day-to-day issues that arise that require social emotional help and true counseling and intervention skills.
There is a feature on the Calm app called Calm Kids that offers so many mindfulness audio programs that I have been using with my students. It’s how we start our groups, whether it’s with a Paw Patrol piece, Disney, Thomas the Train, etc. This has helped the students learn mindfulness through something they are familiar with and they absolutely love it. The audio aspect of the Calm app requires students to sit and relax their mind and think, which is a unique way for them to take a moment and calm down.
There is no downside to participating in the Calm benefit as it is zero cost to members; it’s a tool that can be used in every piece of your life from falling asleep to helping with your children to daily affirmations to growing yourself both personally and professionally. As professionals, we always look to reach out and share positive notes to the parents of our students; I seek to do that in my life as well and when I find something beneficial I want to make sure to let others know so that it stays around. Thank you for this proactive approach to increasing mental health support for our staff, faculty, and students."