Namaste Shares!

Interview with Principal Allison Slade

Q. How did you get involved in this project/ Why did you embark on opening your own charter school?

A. I was working in Houston through the Teach for America program, a non-profit organization that recruits college graduates to dedicate two years of their lives to teach in low-income areas throughout the United States. I met several other people who were also working in Teach for America. We found the challenge of teaching in underprivileged areas rewarding and vitally important, so we came together and decided to focus on improving the educational opportunities for young people in the city of Chicago.

Q. How do you plan to encourage kids to make healthy life choices?

A. The Namaste model is designed to promote advanced, focused learning and long-term health and exercise habits. We educate our students on the benefits of a healthy lifestyle, teach them which foods contain nutritional value and how the nutrients benefit their health. In addition, we emphasize the importance of incorporating physical activity into their daily routine. We teach them a variety of physical activities ranging from yoga and breathing exercises to walking and running. Our core curriculum is based on integrating nutrition into daily lessons. Parents also receive training in nutrition and have access to a weekly farmers market that Namaste sets up in the school. By educating parents, we create a vital link in helping to overcome the many barriers existing between the home and the school.

Q. How do you keep parents and the community involved in the school?

A. Namaste believes that adults must model the healthy lifestyles and positive attitudes that we wish the students to embrace; therefore, our staff works closely with parents and neighborhood leaders to provide an exceptional academic environment that will enhance student achievement. To this end, Namaste holds Friday morning breakfasts where parents and students are invited to come together to eat and listen to an educational speaker talk about health, nutrition and physical education topics. In addition, parents are encouraged to take part in the walking school bus program that Namaste offers. Each morning, parent and teacher volunteers walk a route to pick up students on their way to Namaste.  It’s a great way for everyone to get some exercise and it’s fun.

Q. Why do you think Namaste Charter School has been so successful?

A. The pinnacle has always been student achievement and health, physical fitness and nutrition are our avenue for reaching those goals. Research shows us that kids who are healthy and active do better in the classroom. If you focus on the children’s physical fitness and nutrition along with academics you have a better student. Our approach to education incorporates health, nutrition and athletics into a rigorous curriculum. Nearly two years after launching our school, we’ve already begun to see remarkable results. The students have become more physically active and have not experienced the typical increases in BMI (body mass index) associated with rising rates of obesity. I think a lot of schools can learn from us by integrating more physical fitness and nutrition into their days, and I’m confident that they too will begin to see results.

Q. How does Namaste teach nutrition and movement  in the classroom?

A. At Namaste, we’ve created an environment that integrates nutrition education and regular physical activity into the academic curriculum. Our “immersion” approach is designed to nourish both the minds and bodies of our students. For example, nutrition is taught in the classroom and promoted in the cafeteria, which features a “creation station” salad bar stocked with an array of fresh vegetables and reading lessons may include books that incorporate healthy food messages. In addition, the school’s commitment to integrating physical activity into the school days goes beyond PE class. It’s actually incorporated into the core curriculum of reading, writing and arithmetic. Our students learn that physical activity and healthy eating are an essential part of their day.

Q. Why did you decide to develop the Namaste Shares! program?

A. Since opening our doors two years ago, our phones have been literally ringing off the hook with all the requests from educators looking to learn more about our unique approach. There is a great demand for solutions for addressing childhood obesity in the classroom, and the Namaste model does provide helpful options. We think Namaste Shares! is the ideal answer to helping other schools adapt our proven tools and techniques to their own classrooms.

Q. What is your advice to other teachers who struggle with health, nutrition and movement in the classroom?

A. My advice to other teachers is to make small changes that can make a big difference in students’ lives by involving other teachers, parents and students. At Namaste, we believe that adults must model the healthy lifestyle and positive attitude that we wish students to embrace. Therefore, our commitment to the physical, social and academic well being of our students stretches into our staff and to their parents.  We hope that Namaste Shares! will provide ideas and inspiration to help bring health, nutrition and fitness to life in your classroom.

Back to Top