Yellowknife (Dec 03/03) - Many teachers lead busy lives, both in and out of the classroom.

That's why a recent conference aimed to help teachers maintain their personal well-being was held last week, with the hopes of transferring that energy to students as well.

The Yellowknife Educators Conference drew 350 people who work in NWT schools to take part in educational workshops Nov. 27-28.

Many of the workshops examined wellness in individuals and students and provided the teachers with tools to take back to the classroom to both relax and stimulate kids.

Trudy Murray, the conference chairperson, says she interprets the event's literacy theme as competency in reading and writing, but also being competent as a whole person.

"We introduce sessions that appeal to the spiritual side," she says. Murray is also a school counsellor at William McDonald school.

"The more you know about yourself, the more competent you are," she says.

Murray says the bi-annual conference is a chance for teachers to rejuvenate themselves and take new ideas back to the classroom.

The organizing committee for the conference was made up of various educators from Yellowknife.

They arranged for presenters to talk on everything from classroom management strategies to achievement through self esteem.

In one workshop, Paul Ruta explained the latest news in neuroscience to his packed audience.

Ruta, a retired teacher from Winnipeg, presented a series of teachings called Brain Gym.

Brain Gym originated with a pioneer in brain research, Dr. Paul E. Dennison of Ventura, California.

The idea behind the science is to awaken sections of the brain that might turn off during periods of inactivity, such as sitting at a computer, or in a classroom.

"I never get anything less than smiling faces," says Ruta.

Teachers were riveted as he taught them exercises to stimulate certain parts of their brains. He says it only takes five minutes each morning and can be done with students.

"Teachers in classes are using it," he says.

The exercises range from drinking water to conduct electrical energy in the body, to touching the left hand to the right knee to connect both hemispheres of the brain.

Laughter as medicine

In the NACC theatre, Julie Tkachuk had teachers giggling as she presented her "laughter is the best medicine" workshop.

Tkachuk, from Edmonton, urged the crowd to bring joy into their lives and their classrooms through play and laughter.

At one point she had teachers waving their arms and legs in the air and pretending to be cockroaches. When they were done she asked if their tension was gone.

"Choose to be happy. Your life is right now," urged Tkachuk.

Loretta Ellis, a teachers aid who works out of William McDonald school, was impressed with what she was learning at the conference.

"I think it's a chance to rejuvenate yourself. You get some new ideas and to talk to your peers," she said.

The teachers spent two days rotating from workshop to workshop, enjoying a wine and cheese evening and shopping for school supplies in the Sir John Franklin gym.

The conference happens every two years in the city, drawing teachers into the city from around the territory and as far as Nunavut.