Blog #6- How Does Social Emotional/Mindfulness Benefit Our Schools?

 

     In our schools students struggle everyday with Social Emotional wellness and it is our jobs as teachers to make sure that we are keeping an open mind for our students well being. Not only should teachers just meet the academic and social expectations in our schools, they also need to incorporate mindfulness. Perhaps not only do students overall health needs to be addressed, but also our educators as well. 

                        

   M. (2015, April 9). The Value of Mindfulness to Your Business. OnDemand CMO. https://www.ondemandcmo.com/blog/the-value-of-mindfulness-to-your-business/

    After watching the documentary "Room To Breathe" it really showed us the behavioral and learning problems that a public middle school in San Francisco had to face and their idea to try something different. Tom Ehnle a 7th grade teacher actually stated that he has sent out and suspended more students than he has ever done before because of how much the behavior is out of control, which was quite mind blowing to hear. Because of the oversized classrooms and disciplinary suspensions, it seems as if a lot of these students feel that school is not meant for them and also are extremely distracted by other behaviors. It was heartbreaking to hear and see how these students were behaving and how discouraged they were to learn. I really love the turnaround this middle had though and how these teachers were extremely motivated and mindful to help their students learn. When a therapist suggested that going into the classrooms to teach mediative strategies in order to reduce the amount of conflict and improve focus. This school started to incorporate mindfulness in their classrooms. Megan Cowan had explained that mindfulness gives impulse control. It was amazing to see how basically immediately there was a change in the classroom. Cowan actually has the students take turn leading mindfulness, and she also introduces a simple form of self-metta practice. It was inspiring to see how mindfulness can really turn around a classroom for the better!

                           

                                    Staff, T. (2022, January 28). 10 Tips For Teaching Mindfulness In School At Any Grade Level. TeachThought.                                                                                             https://www.teachthought.com/pedagogy/teaching-mindfulness-any-grade/

     In the article "Why Is Mindfulness Needed in Education?" it introduced us to how not only students struggle with social and emotional health but also educators. According to this article some new challenges that students face are anxiety, trauma, distraction, and isolation. Some challenges educators face are stress, mental health, and burnout which is actually causing educators to quit their jobs. According to the "Why Is Mindfulness Needed in Education"  "Mindfulness practice can help decrease stress and anxiety, and strengthen resilience and emotional regulation, for both adults and children". Practicing mindfulness can increase attention, improve interpersonal relationships, and strengthen compassion. This is really a great way that mindfulness can improve our schools and benefit the mindsets of students and educators as well. We want our students to be motivated to learn while also feeling confidence in themselves. 

  

                                 

51 Mindfulness Exercises for Kids in the Classroom. (2021, October 22). Waterford.Org. https://www.waterford.org/resources/mindfulnes-activities-for-kids/

    If teachers are incorporating mindfulness into their classrooms it is important for them to understand that students may have experienced trauma and that if students are asked to sit with their eyes closed it can be very threatening for them. "Many teachers say mindfulness is crucial for themselves, helping them take an extra moment before reacting to students" (Schwartz, 2019). It is extremely important that teachers are receiving mindfulness before they can really help their students. There are really nine guidelines for teachers to use to make sure mindfulness practice is helping students and not hurting them. They are do no harm, establish a sense of safety, build relational mindfulness, understand intersectionality. Be mindful of implicit bias and culture, understand the "window of tolerance and be on the lookout for it, the paradox of mental training, when teaching mindfulness prioritize somatic based exercises, don't over identify with mindfulness logistics, and think about daily mindfulness interventions" (Schwartz, 2019). These are all extremely beneficial ways educators can make sure mindfulness is being used successfully in the classroom and benefiting our students. 

  

                            

 Marketing Communications: Web // University of Notre Dame. (2022). Calm App // University Counseling Center // University of Notre Dame. University Counseling Center. https://ucc.nd.edu/self-help/calm-app/

     An app that I used was"Calm". I really like how you are able to choose why you downloaded the app calm. For example, build self esteem, reduce stress, increase happiness, better sleep, develop gratitude, reduce anxiety, or improve performance. You can choose as many as you would like and calm personalizes it for you based on your goals. There were so many different options to explore in order to help however you may be feeling. I really liked the wisdom option to hear a daily piece of wisdom and it really inspired/motivated me. There was also music that was relaxing that one can listen too. There we also soundscapes like light rain or rain on leaves which can actually really help people sleep better. I found this app to be helpful in many different ways and it gave so many different options to help with whatever you may be feeling

                                            

      Jha, A. (2022, January 26). A Mindfulness of Breathing Exercise with Neuroscientist Amishi Jha. Mindful. https://www.mindful.org/the-mindfulness-of-breathing-exercise-with-neuroscientist-amishi-jha/  

    I found an article that was really interesting and it actually used mindfulness in a sixth grade classroom. At this school, University School of Nashville (USN) mindfulness is actually part of the program and teachers incorporate different forms of mindfulness practice their classrooms throughout the day and year. They even had the between class bell sound like a handheld chime. "USN teachers and students say mindfulness has helped students cope with academic pressures during tests and quizzes, manage emotions about at home pressures, such as divorce" (Tatter, 2014). It is awesome to hear a school that became aware of how mindfulness can help their students. It was really interesting to read how USN was the first school in the Southeast to work with mindful schools. A survey showed that 56 percent of fifth graders at USN used mindfulness in stressful situations and 58 percent used it to focus and concentrate. Mindfulness should really be incorporated in all schools for all grades and also used to help educators as well. 

                                                                        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

Tatter, G. (2014, May 8). Becoming aware: Nashville schools bring mindfulness into the classroom. Chalkbeat Tennessee. https://tn.chalkbeat.org/2014/5/8/21092831/becoming-aware-nashville-schools-bring-mindfulness-into-the-classroom

Why is Mindfulness Needed in Education. (n.d.). Mindful Schools.