APS Rising Educator Summit 2026

This workshop is designed for the messy, in-the-moment realities of the classroom. Michelle DuVal, MA, Director of The Mindful Center, begins with experiential mindfulness and meditation practices while inviting participants to share the real challenges they face: What situations arise in your classroom? How can mindfulness help in those moments? Drawing on more than 25 years of experience teaching mindfulness, Michelle works directly with the situations participants identify, offering practical ways to respond to challenging behaviors using awareness, steadiness, and presence. Educators will experience short guided practices and learn how these tools can support both their own regulation and their students’ ability to pause, reset, and persevere. Participants will also explore the Life on Mindfulness platform, view youth-focused meditations, and receive a post-workshop strategy sheet with practical tools tailored to the classroom scenarios discussed during the session.