SEA Online Classes

Dr. Mary Martin

Educator, Writer, Certified Mindfulness Instructor

Helping people of all ages develop the inner resources they need to face challenging times and ordinary times.

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Socioemotional Skills

Socioemotional Skills

Socioemotional Skills

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Reflection

Reflection

Reflection

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Interpersonal Skills

Interpersonal Skills

Interpersonal Skills

Experience & Activities

Mary Martin, PhD has a BA and an MA English from the City University of New York at Queens College, and a PhD from New York University’s School of Teaching and Learning. Mary spent several decades as a professional writer and editor, contributing to over two dozen nonfiction books in the fields of personal science and education. She worked with The Princeton Review for over a decade preparing young people and adults for standardized tests such as the PSAT, SAT, LSAT, and GMAT, and created curricula for several organizations that train adults for professional licenses. Fifteen years ago, she began the journey that leads her to SEA when she started training to teach mindfulness to children and adults. She is a certified Mindful Schools Instructor and a Brown University-trained teacher of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), which is the gold standard for mindfulness. Mary brings her knowledge of how we learn and how we cultivate well-being to SEA with classes in MBSR for adults as well as mindfulness classes for children. Her primary concern is helping people of all ages develop the inner resources they need to face challenging times and ordinary times. She believes healthy, reciprocal relationships begin with self-awareness, and that Emotional Intelligence is an undervalued, yet crucial skill.

Mary is mother to a spirited 10-year-old. Also in the household are: her husband of nearly 20 years, her mother, a geriatric greyhound, and two foster-failure cats. She has been a vegan for decades and her husband, her daughter, and her mother are vegans, as well.

You can keep up with her writing and teaching at www.marymartinphd.com

Latest Courses

Students Testimonials

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When nothing prevents our being able to do what we pleasure
is to be welcomed and every pain avoided.
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We have thoroughly enjoyed ancient history with Sam Matalone Cook and would love to continue following the history courses under her instruction. Michelle’s writing workshop was a welcomed addition to our semester and the ease of adding on a quick workshop to the semester was appreciated. I do wish that I could take classes, too. The great selection makes me jealous; Fairy Tales and Feminism would be so incredible to join in and to learn with Sam! And the LGBTQ+ history and US courses! Blair’s enthusiasm for science comes across strongly and is encouraging for the young learners. So many great classes- so little time.

Sheila and Elisa

So many great classes- so little time.
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My Zoom-averse daughter looked forward to the weekly online meetings. Michelle does such a wonderful job at speaking with young people and guiding discussions. My daughter was motivated to work hard on her assignments and has asked to take another class from Michelle. E.F.P.

Michelle does such a wonderful job at speaking with young people and guiding discussions
Teacher: Michelle Parrinello-Cason
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I really appreciated your enthusiasm, support, and kind words in your video feedback messages to him. That goes a long way! [Learner] is going to a brick and mortar school next year for the first time since fourth grade. We submitted the two papers he wrote in your class to the high school he applied to go to next year, and they recommended he start in Advanced English! Woohoo! Jill G.

We submitted the two papers he wrote in your class to the high school he applied to go to next year, and they recommended he start in Advanced English!
Teacher: Michelle Parrinello-Cason
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The video lectures were clear and packed full of helpful and important writing lessons. The video and written feedback was clearly personalized, very detailed, and extremely beneficial for my learner. Michelle truly demonstrates compassion and expertise in her classes! Kristi R.

Michelle truly demonstrates compassion and expertise in her classes!
Teacher: Michelle Parrinello-Cason
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I only wish we had found Michelle sooner! I’ve been homeschooling my son off and on for years. Writing is very challenging for him and it is so difficult to take feedback from a parent. I have begged so many of his teachers to please offer direct, concise, written feedback and give him the opportunity to revise. I knew this would be the only way he could improve. This class was everything I’ve been asking for for years…..except I didn’t have to ask! It is designed this way and it worked brilliantly! My son gets to attend an adventure school in the fall, but if we homeschool the following year, the first thing I will do is sign him up for whatever Michelle is teaching. E.F.P.

I only wish we had found Michelle sooner!
Teacher: Michelle Parrinello-Cason

Online Teaching Policies for Dr. Mary Martin

Families will receive a full refund if they withdraw before the class begins. Families who withdraw after class begins will receive a prorated refund based on the time remaining in the class. (Refunds made more than 30 days from purchase date will be docked a 10% administrative processing fee.)

If the withdrawal is for schedule conflicts or a learner struggling with class content, I am happy to work with families to try to find solutions. 

If the withdrawal is for schedule conflicts or a learner struggling with class content (that is either too easy or too hard), I am happy to work with families to try to find solutions.

I try my very best to avoid class cancellations. I often teach classes even if the minimum number of enrollees has not been met. However, I do reserve the right to cancel a class if the minimum enrollment is not met. I will do so 48 hours before class begins and issue full refunds. 

In the event of an emergency that requires me to cancel an individual session, I will work with individual learners to find a sufficient make-up strategy. This may include a recorded session or a rescheduled session.

In the rare event of an emergency that requires me to cancel a substantial portion of the class, I will either find a substitute or issue prorated refunds for the class. If I must find a substitute, families will have the option to receive a prorated refund instead of continuing the class. 

In the rare event of an emergency that requires me to cancel a substantial portion of the class, I will either find a substitute or issue prorated refunds for the class. If I must find a substitute, families will have the option to receive a prorated refund instead of continuing the class.

Mindfulness classes build on each other, and it’s important for learners to be present for all of the classes. I understand that unexpected things happen. My only request is that before you sign up for a class, you look at your schedule or the schedule of your child(ren) and make sure there are no conflicts that you know of. One, at most. Your classmates count on you being there and the classes tend to become strong, cohesive groups that rely on one another and trust one another. But this only happens when everyone is consistently present.

I recognize that students—both kids and parents—have different comfort levels and experience with participating in online class environments. Students are welcome to participate in the way that works best for them. I strongly prefer students to appear on camera, although I don’t require actual verbal participation. If you prefer dim lighting, that’s okay. Trauma-sensitive mindfulness is best practiced when I can see what’s going on, and if someone is getting upset or dysregulated. We go for minutes, sometimes, without dialogue, and I need all of the information I can gather about your experience.

Mindfulness doesn’t “work” without home practice. The class meetings merely support what you are doing in your life outside of class, which is where all the magic happens. 

Mindfulness classes, therefore, are for people who are interested in doing the inner work the curriculum recommends. For MBSR that’s 45 minutes of guided meditation per day (which often results in falling asleep, and that’s okay and I can explain how to work with that). For non-MBSR, home practice is a fraction of that, however with that likely comes a less-powerful experience.

My policies also extend to the way I treat learners in the classroom. I believe that respect is the foundation of positive educational experiences, so I have the following policies in place to help ensure that my respect for learners is centered in my interactions. 

  • I will call learners by their preferred name and use their preferred pronouns. 
  • I will announce methods to get my attention in the case that a learner is having trouble being heard in class. These can include using the “raise hand” button, sending me a private message, or creating alternative ways for a learner to participate that works best for them. 
  • I will do my best to accommodate requests for alterations that help make materials accessible. 
  • I will be available for questions outside of class and answer those questions in a timely manner (generally within 24 hours). 
  • I will give feedback in a constructive way that respects the efforts learners have made.
  • I will be understanding of learner differences and individual personalities and be as flexible as possible as I strike a balance between keeping the class productive for everyone and allowing room for everyone’s individual needs.  
It is important to me that all students have a safe and enjoyable classroom experience, so I have some behavioral guidelines to reach that goal. My general behavioral guidelines are as follows (and will also be announced directly to students in an age-appropriate way):
  • Mute microphones if there is excessive background noise
  • If we are in a large class, you may have to use the “raise hand” feature before speaking
  • No mean-spirited comments in discussion boards (disagreements should be handled respectfully)
  • Students must wear clothing when on camera
  • No flooding the chat with off-topic content
  • No name calling, bullying, or unwanted private messaging
  • No sharing contact information with other students without parent permission
  • No disruptive behavior that distracts other learners (such as constantly changing background screen, changing screen name to something silly, making faces at the camera, etc.)

My top priority is that all learners get the best experience they can out of the class. This means that my response to behavioral concerns is to address the individual problem with the least amount of disruption to the student concerned as possible. In general, I try to mitigate a specific behavior rather than remove a student from the classroom or limit their participation. 

 

Here are some examples of ways that I may address behavioral issues in order from least to most invasive: 

  • Privately reach out to students to ask them to stop the behavior during class. 
  • Reach out to students and their families to brainstorm a solution to a behavioral issue outside of class.
  • Require a parent/guardian to be present during live sessions in the event of repeat behavioral violations. 
  • Remove a student from live sessions but allow them to continue in the rest of the course and send recordings. 
  • Remove a student from the class.

In the very rare event that a student is removed from a class for behavioral concerns, a prorated refund will be given.

Books & Publications

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Have a question or concern?

Get in touch with Dr. Martin