Meditation, Pig and Chicken Style

During this extraordinary time when New York City’s educators are working closely with students and families from the confines of their homes, we will be publishing a series of posts describing their experiences in their own words. We are now #DOEconnected!

Follow our hashtag, #DOEconnected, join the conversation, and connect online with your neighbors across the City. Share stories of how you, your child, a teacher, or a school community member has become your hero. Remember, not all heroes wear capes.

LucyLee Ojeda, IEP teacher at P.S. 114 Luis Llorens Torres School in the Bronx

“Are my videos going to win an Emmy? Probably not. However, if a stuffed pig and chicken can teach people to meditate or even make them giggle, and I can help even one person to forget their frustrations or worries, then I have accomplished something meaningful and good.”

With the shift to remote learning, LucyLee Ojeda, an IEP teacher at P.S. 114 in the Bronx began streaming a much-needed series of meditation videos called “Meditation with Pig and Chicken.” Featuring the characters, Pig, Chicken, and Ms. Lucy as herself, the meditation videos discuss coping strategies that can be used at any time to relax and release anxieties. Meditation through the use of stuffed animals and creative voices can bring a great sense of joy and relief from the stress and worries of everyday life for students and families!

“Thinking outside of the box, I made these videos as a way for the students in my school and their families to see a familiar face and to know that they are not alone. I am the IEP teacher, therefore this is an effective way for the students and families in my school to come to me and always feel in touch if there is anything that they need.”

A new video is uploaded every Thursdays, but the videos are accessible to P.S. 114 students at any time during the day or night via Google Classroom. LucyLee schedules live Google Meet sessions on Fridays as a way to keep in touch with the school community and for anyone to share their meditation practices. She maintains the same level of high expectations she had for her students while they were in physical school buildings.

Her teaching philosophy is to “engage our students with the same fun and creative lessons; just the same as if I were in a brick and mortar building. Needless to say, I am giving our students the support and structure and familiar classroom projects that they need to maintain focus on their learning during this difficult time by supporting this belief.”

The challenge is getting the word out to all the families in the P.S. 114 school community that resources such as meditation with Pig and Chicken exists. LucyLee’s vision for the meditation channel is for all the families in the school and in the Bronx to participate and to have a chance to meet Ms. Lucy, Pig and Chicken! “These are stressful times for everyone and I want these series of meditation videos to give some relief to all of our families in my school and the Bronx community.”

LucyLee has been delightedly surprised by all the positive feedback she has been receiving about the meditation trio. She wants to continue reaching out to her communities—beyond P.S. 114—until she reaches all the children and families in the Bronx community at a greater level.

LucyLee Ojeda is emblematic of how New York City’s educators are adapting to these unprecedented times on behalf of our students and families. We thank our staff for helping all of us stay #DOEconnected