Mindfulness In The Classroom

I think a common belief that a lot of children and even some teenagers have is that when you’re an adult, your life is easier. You have your own place, you can do what you want, your parents don’t have to tell you what to do, you’re out of school and you can get a job that earns you money. But what’s interesting is that there are adults that believe kids and teenagers have it easier. Up until they do buy their own place, they don’t worry about electric or heating bills or a mortgage. While teenagers and college students have part time jobs, they don’t have a career yet and they don’t have to worry about supporting a family. The truth is that everyone stresses, no matter what their age is and it really is so important to make the time to relax and just breathe. 

The article we were assigned to read on mindfulness is one that I think is very important and useful as both a student and a future teacher. Not only does it discuss how mindfulness has positively affected students, but it gives advice on how teachers can practice it in their classrooms. As a student, I definitely know what it feels like to be stressed. Back in high school, there was the stress of balancing friends, relationships, a social life, doing well in school, and applying to colleges. In addition to that, and as the article mentioned, “In any given classroom there will be at least a few children who have lived through one or more of the following: neglect, divorce, illness, death of a family member, emotional, physical, and/or sexual abuse, violence in their homes or communities, being uprooted from their homes, and war.” There are some students who will be dealing with a lot more than the “typical” types of stress such as balancing school, relationships, etc. As teachers, it really is important to be able to understand this about the students and know how to properly deal with it.

 

I really liked the Still Quiet Place that the article mentioned. Taking a few minutes to introduce this in class and having the students visit this place for maybe a few minutes during class on a few days a week will not only benefit the students, but the teacher as well. It’ll get everyone to relax and take a moment to leave their stress behind and go somewhere else. I think it’s also important to make it clear that the students can practice this and visit the Still Quiet Place whenever they want. They don’t have to be in school to do it. They can do it whenever they’re feeling particularly overwhelmed in order to calm down and see things more clearly.

 

I really think practicing mindfulness is a good idea in the classroom. Teacher’s usually want the best for their students and they want them to succeed and do well and practicing mindfulness is a way they can do that. Personally, I've always hoped that as an adult and a teacher, I wouldn’t lose sight of what it was like to be a teenager. I didn’t--and still don't--want to become the adult that asked my kids or students What do you have to worry about? You’re young. I hope to be able to keep in mind that kids and teenagers stress out just like adults do and that it’s important and beneficial for everyone to learn how to properly deal with that stress.