Mindfulness within Schools
Welcome back everyone! This week we will be discussing a critical issue that not only applies to students in schools, but also teachers and people outside of a school setting. Social and emotional mindfulness is a concept of being that people across the globe need to consider. We all know the feeling of being rushed and always on the go-- this module explains much about what it means to slow yourself down and take a breath. Let's dive right in:
We had the opportunity to watch a very informative film this week entitled, "Room to Breath." It targeted the school population, both interviewing students and teachers to get a better sense of the dynamic that is held throughout the education field. Teachers expressed their personal struggle with students that have been intentionally more defiant than normal. Both Ling Busche, the middle school guidance counselor and Tom Ehnle, a 7th grade teacher have said they never experienced this much disrespect and behavioral cases. Mr. Ehnle further shared that there are so many students misbehaving and he has reached a threshold in which he "has given up." Students he would ordinarily send to a corner or move them in some way are now being placed next to each other because he would rather them not yell across the classroom. The blatant disregard for these teachers is upsetting and as a result they are feeling burn out and frustration. Even one of the 7th grade students, Lesley Martinez recognizes that if they didn't have as many disruptions, they would learn far more. But, still nothing changes. The behaviors continue to disrupt the classroom and the small handful of students acting out, squander the learning experience for the rest of the students. One of the teachers became so helpless that she utilized her own tools in the school to seek for help. She reached out to the Assistant Principal and Mrs. Busche to troubleshoot and brainstorm ideas to mend the situation. They came to agree upon a "mindfulness program" in which targeted the root of this issue: hyperactive and misplaced energy. If students can learn to channel their energy for productive and positive actions, they will drastically change the culture of the classroom. I noticed that many students had a hard time keeping still and quiet. Even their minds were busy. The teacher leading instructing them to think with intention and to be mindful. We could see there was a clear shift in the classroom energy, and the chaos simmered down. These tips and guided thinking helped to slow down students minds and allow for time to breathe. Just like in life we all need to take a breath and slow ourselves down to recenter and refocus (Long, 2012).
Some other ways to ensure mindfulness teaching is, "establish a sense of safety, build relational mindfulness, understand intersectionality and being aware of implicit bias and culture, understand the 'window of tolerance' and constantly be on the lookout for it, training impressionable minds to actively pay attention, prioritize somatic-based exercises, don't over-identify with mindfulness logistics, and think about daily mindfulness interventions" (Schwartz, 2019). I know you may wonder, why is mindfulness needed in education? Well, this topic is applicable not only in life but in schools also. Teachers and students both have so much to carry on their shoulders. Between meeting academic and social expectations, and the ever-changing world around us, it can be very hard to juggle the pressures of our respective lives (Mindful Schools Article). Overall, what you need to know about being projecting mindful skills in the classroom is to do lead by example. Do everything with intention and cultivate an environment for you students to do the same.
In my own research along with trial and errors to find tools that work best to keep my mind sharp, I found that the "Calm app" really helped. For the last week, I downloaded the free app and tested out my own meditation skills. Over the years I have also had a tough time falling asleep and staying restful throughout the night. This app helped to foster a safe, clear mind for me to sleep soundly and wake up refreshed. I wondered if this app worked for everyone or if it just happened to be a good fit for me. I did some additional research and found that overwhelmingly, the pros outweighed any cons. Some of the pros that I found included having an easy-to-use interface, sleep stories are recorded by celebrities (Harry Styles, Matthew McConaughey, and Bob Ross), the app is regularly updated, there is the ability to track basic statistics (number of consecutive days used, minutes meditated, and number of sessions), there are meditation reminders sent to your phone or tablet, there's mood tracking over time, a kid-friendly interface, there are master classes taught by experts in the wellness field, and real-life visuals and nature sounds. On the other hand, some of the cons include not being unable to add “friends” on the app, the nature sounds may be distracting to some, sleep stories may be too long for some users, and Calm Body has limited offerings (Balagam, 2022). Overall, I feel like this is a great tool to utilize to practice mindfulness, and an even better asset to incorporate within this week's critical topic discussion. I hope you took something valuable away from this week, and we will be back for our seventh blog soon! Stay healthy and well, everyone!
References:
Long, R. (director/ producer). (2012) Room To Breathe [film]. ZAP Zoetrope Aubry Productions.
Schwartz, K. (2019). Nine ways to ensure your mindfulness teaching is trauma informed. KQED Mindshift. Links to an external site.
Why is Mindfulness Needed in Education. (n.d.). Mindful Schools.
Raman, Kruttika. Author(s). (2020) Finding Our Inner Strength: Mindfulness Coaching. https://mbs.rutgers.edu/articles/finding-our-inner-strength-mindfulness-coaching.
Balagam, Iman. (2022). Is the Calm App Right for You? Here's What Our Experts Say. Healthline Media
Hi Kelly! I really liked this blog post and your opinions on mindfulness being for everyone including students and teachers. The mindfulness program introduced in the 8th grade classroom in the film, benefited the students it needed to the most. I am confident that Mr. Ehnle also regained hope for his classes moving forward. Seeing such a drastic change in those students is a true eye opener for how effective being mindful can be. I also like how you mentioned that educators should lead mindfulness by example. It would prove difficult to expect mindfulness behaviors from students while feeling burnt out and extremely stressed. That is a huge key factor in cultivating a calm and welcoming environment. I am also happy to hear how well your app worked for you! Hopefully the app can update and grow with you as you step into your future career. I really enjoyed reading your blog, it was very insightful and inspiring.
ReplyDeleteHello Kelly! I really enjoyed reading your blog and hearing your thoughts on the critical issue of mindfulness within schools. It seems like you had a really good grasp of the documentary. I really liked it as well. I think it was really beneficial to watch and see the blatant disrespect that these kids had. They had absolutely no regard for their actions. You mentioned Lesly Martinez in your blog post which I found to be quite interesting because throughout the documentary, it was evident she was one of the disrespectful and disruptive students. She wanted to learn, but she did not have the self-control to not be disruptive in the classroom. Her actions as well as several other students hindered the learning experience for everyone in the room and prevented the teacher from being able to teach. The mindfulness instructor was really able to make a difference in the classroom which instilled hope and promise for a brighter future within this classroom. They even learned techniques through mindfulness that they were able to apply to other scenarios in their life. I love that you had a great experience with the app. It definitely seemed to help your sleep situation. I did not really play around with the sleep section of the app, but it seems like they had some really helpful features. It is really cool that they have sleep stories recorded by celebrities, it is a feature that helps make the app standout compared to other apps. I'm very anxious, so I used the app more for calming sounds so that I could have a few moments of peace when I am feeling stressed and overwhelmed. Overall, I think you had a great and informative post this week! I can not wait to return to your blog next week and read your thoughts on the next critical issue! Keep up the great work!
ReplyDeleteHey Kelly, I think you captured what mindfulness truly is. I enjoyed your blog post. Mental health is always important to me, and I had the opportunity to take a mindfulness class in high school. I really wish that I had taken it looking back. Anyway, the documentary "Room to Breathe" was very interesting. Watching and listening to the students talk about their problems and how most of them were not on board with mindfulness troubled me. They needed help but refused to take it. I like how your writing portrayed all of this. Another thing I enjoyed reading was your experience with the "calm app". I also have this app. I wrote about my experience with "Headspace" but the "calm app" is a close second to me. I don't know why I liked Headspace better. I did like that your app had different celebrities or calming voices to help relax. Overall, I really liked your blog. Keep it up!
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