Suzanne Baker (27), is an English teacher at the Appleton School who runs the Creative Writing club every week on Monday lunch times. However, for a while, she longingly desired to start a different club.

 

Suzanne: “It’s been in the making in my head for many years because I‘ve always wanted to do the Mindfulness colouring club ever since I started teaching here, but things have always gotten in the way. I‘ve just been busy and I  did the Creative writing club and I  didn’t feel I  had time to do the Mindfulness colouring club.”

 

This year, she decided that “enough was enough” and decided to finally pursue her dream of creating the mindfulness colouring club. 

 

But what inspired her to start the club? 

 

“ Mental health is a subject that is very close to my heart. I  always find that mindfulness and just being aware of your surrounding, your emotions, and paying attention to events and activities in your life, the people around you, how they make you feel,  helps you to manage your own emotions and manage your own life better by creating a better understanding of yourself.” 

 

 “I  wanted to teach this skill to students as well because life in today’s society is very chaotic, there’s a lot going on both online, in the virtual space, and in the physical space that we share each day. Creating the mindfulness colouring club gives the students a calm space to reflect on how they’re feeling and also to spend their time doing enjoyable pastimes that they may not prioritize themselves at home.” 

 

Although, as of now the mindfulness colouring club is just about colouring, Suzanne does eventually want to change the club into something more.

 

“I‘m hoping it’s going to evolve when I‘ve got more time to dedicate to teaching students coping mechanisms and self-awareness skills. These things do need to be taught because some students feel so overwhelmed that they have no way to address those feelings. So this just provides a safe space for us to be able to have these discussions about how to be more aware and cope with feelings and experiences in our lives.”