The Kern High School District is taking part in a program to cut down on teacher stress.

The Breathtaking course shows educators how to manage tensions in the classroom through mindfulness, and trainer Joelle Hood says it has led students to be calmer as well. Teachers who’ve attended the monthly meetings say they have seen their students’s grades go up.

Mindfulness is a stress-relief method that teaches people to focus on the present.

Kelli Forsch