Erica B. Marcus

08/15/2025

Eric and I presented our Digital Wellness class to the Summer Tech Institute at Mt Blue today!

It was fun to share our work, and learn more about AI in education from the rest of the conference presenters.

04/10/2025

Fun cannot be an afterthought.

How my students at Cape Elizabeth Middle School taught me to teach mindfulness better:

By Erica Marcus, Mindfulness Director at Cape Elizabeth Middle School Entering my fifth year as a Mindfulness Director at Cape Elizabeth Middle School, my students have taught me everything about how NOT to teach mindfulness. Too much seriousness, silence, and abstract philosophy have not landed wel...

10/10/2024

See you there?

03/25/2024

I have never actually seen my book in a bookstore, and I randomly saw it at Sherman's Maine Coast Bookshop today. It made it feel real. Like, I wrote a book...and it is in a BOOKSTORE. Woah.

I sometimes regret not trying harder to share it... I think about how many cool conversations I may have given up because I didn't promote it.

But I was so thrilled to see the little copy tucked away in there. And maybe someone else will find it, and have a cool conversation with the book itself, and that feels good enough for me today.

08/23/2023

It was energizing to talk with Sara Candela on The Optimalist about Attention Hijacked and how we can work with young people to help them (and us!) make intentional tech choices

In this episode of the Optimalist Podcast, we speak with Erica Marcus, the Mindfulness Director for a district in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. She is also the author of, Attention Hijacked: Using Mindfulness to Reclaim Your Brain from Tech, a book written to help guide students towards a better relationsh...

07/17/2023

My work sends me to conferences about “Reclaiming love and joy in schools.” My PD is a guided nap as an act of resistance. My mission is to bring this inspiration back to my communities and hold space for the sweetness I got to soak up this weekend.
Thank you , , all who shared their wisdom and all who made this happen.

04/29/2023

I’m doing it! For one week, I’m off screens for entertainment purposes. Consider joining by setting a goal to reduce your use, or even go screen free!

02/23/2023

There are so many ways to consider the impact of our tech use- here’s another layer: the environmental impact.

Knowing the impacts of our buying habits—like getting the newest, shiniest smartphone—is the first step to becoming a more mindful consumer.

11/16/2022

Mindful Magazine shared some book excerpts about how to approach our tech usage compassionately!

https://www.mindful.org/building-compassionate-social-media-habits-for-you-and-your-kids/?fbclid=IwAR1WJjRAMu_UNPOVQq6JMZjFqWHy7f6D6zf9ymlSVTH3vonJ1wzePEuaU0k

08/17/2022

Hello Brunswick area folks! I am looking forward to facilitating a 1-hour workshop tomorrow for families! Through this interactive workshop, families (adults and teens) will explore their tech habits in order to bring awareness to them.

07/26/2022

There's a significant vote in the senate to protect children's online privacy and attention tomorrow.

Please consider reaching out to your senators in support of this bill:

Big Tech's unregulated business model just isn't good for kids. Let's get the Kids Online Safety Act and the update to the Children's Online Privacy and Protection Act passed to get young people the online protections they need!

07/15/2022

How to we build relationship with the world around us, whether we are 1 or 99? Try these sweet, silly practices.

I had my students name my house plant for me last year... it's amazing how much more protective I feel when it has an identity.

Try teaching these five practices to remind your kids about how connected we actually are, and our responsibility, to this earth.