The Inner Strength System
TEACHER TRAINING LEVEL II
July 9 - Aug 6
5 Weekly Sessions
Aug 18 - 21 & Aug 25 - 28
8-Day Lesson-by-Lesson Training Intensive
Learn to teach mindfulness and systems thinking to teens.
Join the 2022
Cohort!
- 8-day Intensive Training Retreat (2 extended weekends)
- 5 two-hour live video discussion sessions
- 4 one-hour video lectures
- 8 supplemental video lessons
- 20 half-hour live guided mindfulness practice sessions
WHAT IS UNIQUE ABOUT THE INNER STRENGTH TRAINING?
The Inner Strength teen mindfulness teacher training Level 2 is an 80 hour program that will prepare you to teach the valuable tools of mindfulness and developmental thinking to high school students. The Inner Strength System(TM) is a unique CASEL Recommended teen mindfulness in-school program, which incorporates social emotional learning, systems thinking, and intentional context or perspective taking. These tools help teens manage an often overwhelming world. They prepare them for a future we can hardly imagine today.
In the Inner Strength Level 2 training, you will:
- Learn the two unique aspects of this teen mindfulness training — evolutionary brain science and cultural change — and how to teach these perspectives to high school students.
- Work with the 7 evidence-based mindfulness tools covered in “Foundations of Mindfulness, Level 1.”
- Become comfortable with the ISF lesson plan and how to teach from the 12-lesson curriculum.
- Practice teach and work with classroom scenarios.
- Deepen your own mindfulness practice.
When you complete the ISF Teacher Training, you will be prepared to teach adolescents powerful and evidence-based focus, stress reduction, and compassion tools, all set in a framework of cultural and physiological development. In this program, teens learn to see their experience in a larger context, developing important flexibility and resilience of thinking, critical to 21st century learning. They become archaeologists of themselves, learning to explore their personal experience as they feel it and as a result of 300 million years of influence. These tools and perspectives make all the difference, turning a life burdened by overwhelm into a life filled with curiosity and interest.
In the Inner Strength Teacher Training Level 2, you will learn how to teach the 12-week Inner Strength program. You will also receive ongoing support once you begin bringing these tools into the classroom. The Inner Strength Foundation runs over 70 programs per year in the Philadelphia School System and has trained 17,000 students to date. Successful graduates may apply to become teachers for the Inner Strength Foundation.
Systems Perspectives in the Classroom & Lesson-by-Lesson Training Intensive (Level 2) builds on the mindfulness practices learned in Foundations of Mindfulness (Level 1). This program and the training intensive is required to receive the Inner Strength System(TM) Teacher Training Certificate of Completion.
WHAT WILL YOU TEACH TEENS?
- Self Support & Focus: Tools to de-stress and self-regulate
- Adolescent Brain: 300 million years of brain development
- Effects of Cultural Development
- Depersonalizing the Experience of Stress
- The Art & Science of Relationship: Empathy & Compassion Building
Unlock access to liberating perspectives for teens.
Teaching the Inner Strength Teen Program is personally rewarding. New insights catalyze our own growth and transformation. Not only do we learn how to teach inner strength for outer stability, we develop that in our own lives.
When lightbulbs go off for students and they connect the dots, both the teens and the teachers discover unexpected joy and depth.
Inner Strength
Teacher Training Details
The Teacher Training is designed for optimal support. You will learn the techniques and perspectives, practice teaching, and participate in ongoing teacher’s calls once you begin teaching. The goal of this program is to impart in-depth training and ensure a very high caliber of instruction in the schools. Additionally, this training is designed to grow a supportive collective of school mindfulness teachers who support each other’s creativity and growth.
INDEPTH PRACTICAL, EXPERIENTIAL & PHILOSOPHICAL TRAINING
The Inner Strength Teen Program Teacher Training includes an in-person training, teleconference & webinar sessions, half-hour virtual guided meditation practice sessions by video-conference, and access to weekly professional development teleconference calls once you start teaching.
The training includes conceptual overview, background reading, practice teaching sessions using the 100 page Teacher’s Manual, and mindfulness sessions to explore your own understanding of the practice.
Mindfulness requires practice, understanding, and insight – are you ready to train?
TEACHING MINDFULNESS & SYSTEMIC THINKING
Start Your Immersion Now
All Self Paced Students will have opportunities to work with founder Amy Edelstein in live sessions.
The unique holistic perspective of the Inner Strength System
In Level II of the Inner Strength teacher training you will develop the understanding and ability to teach students to see their experience in a larger context.
Teen benefit greatly from learning how to calm themselves and gain some emotional stability. Their sense of wonder and curiosity awakens when they start to feel empowered to engage with the culture, the world, and their feelings with the interest of a scientist. As students become explorers of their experience in a systematic way, they better understand how history or biology has a direct effect on them and how their learning can take on new meaning.
In this day and age, with technology advancing so rapidly, we as educators are preparing students for a world none of us can imagine. Training teens to work with complexity and to think systemically prepares them to be flexible, resilient, and engaged and so be better able to succeed and realize their higher goals.
You will learn how to:
Give simple and graspable explanations for how teens can take more responsibility for themselves by understanding the neurological triggers that have developed over 300 million years.
Empower students with knowledge of the period of adolescent brain development.
Guide students back into a simpler time in history, enabling them to appreciate the advances they benefit from and reduce the insecurity they feel in relationship to the complexity of modern culture.
Help students cultivate more wholesome and fulfilling relationships.
Integrate these tools with the practice of mindful exercises.
Dates for the 2022 Cohort
Saturdays 11 AM – 1 PM US ET
July 9
July 16
July 23
July 30
August 6
Intensive Teacher-Training Immersion
Lesson-by-Lesson Training Immersion. Practice teaching the 12-lesson Inner Strength Teen Mindfulness Curriculum
Part 1 August 18 – 21
9 am – 12 pm & 3 pm – 6 pm US ET
(Virtual)
There will be two 3-hour class periods per day during the Intensive. The Intensive will include lecture, meditation, practice teaching (observed), discussion, and small group discussions.
Part 2 August 25 – 28
10 am – 6 pm US ET
(Virtual, In Person Option in the Philadelphia Area, venue TBD)
There will be two 3-hour class periods per day during the Intensive with a 2-hour lunch break each day. The Intensive will include lecture, meditation, practice teaching (observed), discussion, and small group discussions.
Live Video Sessions
Saturdays 10 AM – 12PM US ET
July 10
July 17
July 24
July 31
Systems Perspectives in the Classroom
Course Sections
1. Evolutionary Brain Science
We often think about our cognitive responses and our intellectual ability. Our brains are responsible for so much more, and the ways our brains function drive our actions, relationships, and interpretation of the world around us. Learning about the brain is fascinating to teens, and essential for their smooth navigation of the tumult of adolescence. As sophisticated as we are, we are still influenced by our survival instincts, which has been honed to trigger fight and fear responses for over 300 million years. That’s a lot of influence and habit.
In this section you will learn:
Toolbox
- Basic parts of the brain
- How mindfulness supports healthy brain growth
- How our body is trained to respond to cues from the brain and how to dial back instinctual reactions
2. The Teen Brain
The teen brain is undergoing seismic chemical shifts, which influence judgement, perception, and responses. Learning about these physiological changes helps teens become responsible for themselves, and gain confidence during this turbulent stage of life. In this section, you will explore questions including: What are the unique attributes of the Adolescent Period of brain development? What are neuroscientists discovering about this necessary stage of growth? How does mindfulness support healthy brain growth? How can we better understand and guide teens towards greater happiness, creativity, and safety?
You will learn how to teach teens:
Toolbox
- How mindfulness supports healthy brain growth
- The growth attributes of the adolescent brain
- How to inspire teens to value and respect this period of their lives
- Teaching students to be safe & enjoy their teenage years
3. Cultural Change
Our culture and social structures have made some huge shifts in the last 800 years. Connecting the dots between the greater individual freedoms we have now, the broader personal choices and responsibilities, and our levels of stress and uncertainty gives students new ways to work with their own experience.
You will learn how to teach teens:
Toolbox
- Seeing our experience in larger historical context
- The pressures and advantages of postmodernity
- Teen stressors in contemporary times
- Teaching teens to embrace their role in culture change
4. The Art & Science of Relationships
Teens struggle with relationships of all kinds. They grow distant from old friends. They are confused by emerging romantic feelings. They take things personally and feel hurt by unintentional slights from friends. Mindfulness and contextual perspective taking helps teens be intentional about their responses. They learn how to calm down to reconsider their interpretation of events. Most importantly, they learn how to cultivate an attitude of kindness and practice generosity towards others.
You will learn how to teach teens:
Toolbox
- How to check and evaluate the validity of reactions.
- How to cultivate kindness towards self.
- How to practice extending kindness to others.
- How to pay attention to positive and life-affirming events to cultivate good habits of mind.
WHAT’S INCLUDED
Your Learning Support System
A Private Online Portal
Two weeks before classes begin, you will gain access to the online portal where all the training materials are housed. The portal includes video lessons, audio, transcripts, readings, and online discussion.
Interactive Video Conference Calls
Every week there will be a 2-hour live interactive Discussion Session with Amy Edelstein held via Zoom Video Conferencing.
8-day Intensive Immersion
An 8-day retreat-like immersion for indepth practice teaching, discussion, and learning.
Video Lessons
Each week includes a 60-minute video lesson, which forms the basis of the week’s learning material.
Supplemental Video Lessons
Sessions include supplemental video lessons with additional material and meditation examples.
Lesson Audios
Each video lesson is also offered via audio for convenient downloading so you can study anywhere.
Lesson Transcripts
Each lesson is available as a transcript for easy note-taking and reference.
Teachers' Manual
You will receive a pdf copy of the 100+ page Mindfulness & Cultural Development Teacher’s Manual.This manual includes detailed lesson plans, additional resources for teachers, and teaching tools for the classroom.
Paired Practice Teaching
When online participation allows, you will be invited to work with a partner, practicing teaching each lesson so you are prepared to work with students in the classroom.
Weekly Homework Assignments
You will be given questions for contemplation each week.
Weekday Guided Meditation Practice
Each morning from 8:00-8:30 AM US ET you can join a live video mindfulness session with Amy to develop and deepen your own practice.
Recommended Reading
A curated bibliography of valuable resources and background reading for each lesson so you can continue to deepen your understanding.
Final Exam
You will submit a final exam covering the primary elements of the course.
Certificate of Completion
Successful graduates will receive an Inner Strength Teen Mindfulness Teacher Training Certificate of Completion.
The Inner Strength System is a Comprehensive Training for Teen Mindfulness Instructors
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
The Conscious Classroom
You will receive a digital copy of The Conscious Classroom, Amy Edelstein’s award-winning , Amazon # 1 best seller about the philosophy behind the program.
Teaching Inner Strength Manual
You will receive a digital copy of Teaching Inner Strength, the detailed 12-lesson teachers manual with full lesson outlines, teaching objectives, and additional resources.
Professional Development Learning Opportunities
Graduates will be invited to special professional development opportunities, including webinars, online and in-person courses with guest teachers, and theme based resources for Inner Strength teacher training graduates.
Coaching Sessions
Graduates will be invited to regular group coaching sessions to continue to develop your classroom teaching of the Inner Strength Curriculum.
Train in the Inner Strength System,
the gold standard of teen mindfulness programs
What participants are saying:
POWERFUL & PERSONAL …
— I am blown away by how powerful and personal the impact of the Inner Strength teen mindfulness program is for young adults. If we are going to empower our future community-builders and leaders, then we need to support them in developing the most potent tool they have to contribute: their full potential as compassionate, creative, resilient, and unique individuals. I learned how to teach that and I am so excited!
SHARON, COLORADO
MOVING & MOTIVATING …
The combination of the background information, research on mindfulness and adolescence, combined with Amy’s sharing of her experiences teaching this program in real classrooms was both moving and motivating. Hearing the large and small ways that mindfulness training made a difference in actual teens’ lives was very powerful. The program points to a profound way to contribute to young lives and support individuals, communities, and our collective future on this planet!
Matt, New york
ESSENTIAL & ENCOURAGING …
The course cut right to the essential center of mindfulness for me. It furthered my own practice and it taught me how to teach mindfulness to teens. Through the course and Amy’s style and warmth, I have come to appreciate a certain heart-feltness and the importance of connection. The Inner Strength teacher training is a very encouraging and supportive environment.
VICKI, SEATTLE
CHALLENGING & SUPPORTIVE …
I found training with Amy and my cohort in the Inner Strength Teacher Training to be a warm, challenging, and truly supportive experience. Amy’s knowledge is vast and her presentation is highly factual, superbly interesting, sometimes over my head, yet always accessible, and delightful! We also developed friendship and respect. A bonding experience it was and a truly passionate organization to be involved with. Thank you for this life changing experience!
BRITTANY, SOUTH CAROLINA
Please note, the Inner Strength Teacher Training Level 1, Foundations of Mindfulness is a required course for The Systems Perspectives Level 2. If you have not completed Level I and you want to join the 2021 Systems Perspectives, candidates with a mindfulness background may complete Foundations of Mindfulness Level I as a self-study program.
About Amy
Amy Edelstein, educator, author, and public speaker is a powerful communicator of ideas and beliefs that can help us transform ourselves and the culture we live in.
In 2014, she established the Inner Strength Foundation, a non-profit organization that has supported more than 17,000 inner-city teens with mindfulness and systemic thinking to date.
Amy has 40-years experience working with contemplative tools and developmental philosophy, and has taught in half a dozen countries around the world. She is a Cornell University College Scholar, recipient of a Philadelphia Social Innovation Award, and author of six books including the IPPY award-winning, #1 Amazon educational bestseller The Conscious Classroom.
Deepen Your Teen Mindfulness Teacher Training
FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
We strive to make this training available to all regardless of an individual’s economic means. We are committed to making contemplative tools available to those who are passionate about contemplative tools and who qualify for this program. We have a limited amount available for scholarships and encourage you to apply if that will make the training feasible for you.
cancellation policy
Within two weeks of the Course Portal Opening, participants will receive a refund minus a $75 cancellation fee. After the start of the third session, no refunds will be given.