Mindfulness
https://www.wellmark.com/blue/healthy-living/how-to-be-more-mindful
It is very important to be mindful in all aspects of life. Mindfulness is the understanding and awareness of what your are feeling. Everyone struggles at times with over thinking or just getting in their own heads. Struggles with mental health or bullying can affect the way you learn and cause distractions for you. We see in schools a lot, the pressures and obligations of both the students and the teachers can really weigh them down. There may be something going on in your personal life, or you are just struggling academically to pay attention in class. Many students feel that way, and teachers too!
In the documentary, Room to Breathe, they showed us a class of students who were struggling to be cooperative and attentive in class. This class started practicing mindfulness activities to change their learning abilities. These activities were led by Megan Cowan who is the director of Mindful Schools. Ms. Cowan, made it clear by saying they will not be entertained 24/7, so they need to be able to be comfortable in situations where they are not. (Long, 2012). Ms. Cowan allowed the students to really stop and think about themselves and take a breather. This meditation allowed students to look within and self reflect for a moment. At the end of the eight weeks, a vast improvement was seen, where students were being more patient and cooperative, as well as grades going up. (Long, 2012).
In an article I found on ChalkBeat, it is talked about how mindfulness helps improve stress and anxiety for testing days. This teacher talks about her methods to help calm students for test taking as well as benefits for teachers like herself having to proctor. "Students have told me that the “taking a breath together” really helped them to focus and not be as scared." (Terrizzi, 2016).
The importance of mindful practices in schools is very important for not only the students but the teachers as well. Educators are lacking support for what they do. It is not easy being a teacher, being responsible for a group of children. I have a fear of becoming burnt out when I become a teacher. I think mindfulness activities would be very good for me to include in my classroom. "Cultivating those skills can be powerful for students, but many teachers say mindfulness is crucial for themselves, helping them take an extra moment before reacting to students." (Schwartz, 2019). This is something I was recently discussing with a teacher I had in high school. How do I not let my bad days or moods affect my teaching or even my coaching? My teacher told me, that is still to this day something she struggles with and something you can never fully turn away from. Understanding that you need to come back to reality and snap out of a bad mood is tough but possible.
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. https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/53228/nine-ways-to-ensure-your-mindfulness-teaching-practice-is-trauma-informed
Terrizzi, J. (2016). How mindfulness improves testing days for me — and for my students. Chalk Beat. https://ny.chalkbeat.org/2016/4/5/21098608/how-mindfulness-improves-testing-days-for-me-and-for-my-students
Why is Mindfulness Needed in Education. (n.d.). Mindful Schools. https://www.mindfulschools.org/about-mindfulness/why-is-mindfulness-needed-in-education/
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