Strategies for Implementing Mindfulness in the Classroom This September

Mindfulness in education has been on the rise the past few years, especially as scientists continue to discover that mindfulness is a key component to learning and teaching with reduced stress and anxiety.

As a previous secondary school teacher I know first-hand the stress that comes not only with being an educator, but how September can feel like the most challenging month of the year! I know that September in general holds many unknowns: who are your students, what will they be like, which students will need an individualized plan, etc.  On top of those common stressors for educators, we’re now throwing in a pandemic—yikes!—talk about carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders. Mindfulness, for me, has always been the secret ingredient in how I showed up for myself, my students and my colleagues. I began my personal mindfulness journey in 2011, and became trained in 2013.

Trying to meet the expectations of managing a classroom, 8 different curriculums and hundreds of students in a day felt extremely overwhelming when I began teaching, however, as I started to implement mindfulness into my life, and consequently in my classroom, I began to notice huge shifts in my students’ emotional behaviour and wellbeing. This started a domino effect and the effect went something like this:

Role model and teach mindfulness →
students’ emotional wellbeing rises →
students’ grades improve →
students’ confidence excels →
parents are curious and excited →
administration is curious and excited →
which results in offering more mindfulness.

This scenario happened for me year after year in my experience of teaching junior high and high school students. Mindfulness is the secret sauce, and once schools, administration and staff get on board with implementing mindfulness into all areas of their faculty and teaching, I am certain that schools will notice a shift in the wellbeing of their students for the better (both in their cognitive function and academic success). And, as teachers, parents, and mentors, isn’t that what we all want?

The use of mindfulness is more important now than ever, as we navigate through this global pandemic, with so many unforeseen outcomes. However, the journey through a pandemic isn’t much different than the journey through the curriculum. With a curriculum, you have an end goal: your students’ learning outcome. What you do then to support them to achieve this outcome, is work backwards to what you can begin right now. As teachers, there will be a unit plan, that breaks down into lesson plans, which are then scaffolded to meet the various learning styles of your students. What if we view this pandemic in our education system the same way? The outcome/goal we hope for is that the pandemic ends and everyone is safe to learn, void of masks, physical distancing and fear. We are not there yet, so as educators our job is to make the journey there enjoyable. What's the umbrella plan for safety? I think it begins with providing a sense of calm for what's currently happening. This calm emotional state can be filtered out as a year-long/unit focus. Then, what do you want to do each month? How about in a couple of weeks when you step back into the school? By prioritizing mindfulness, we prioritize the health, happiness, safety and calm in ourselves, our students and our schools.

Mindfulness is paying attention to the present moment on purpose. Simply put, being “here” right now. I have a great strategy that I use, and have used with my students to help them pay attention to the present moment: Stop, Drop and Breath. Stop what you’re doing, drop whatever you’re doing, and notice your inhale and exhale move through your body. Neuroscience proves that our mind cannot be focused on two things at once, so when you’re worrying about your past, or fixated on your future, you are not being present. Try this exercise out:

Stop, Drop. Breath. Drop into your 5 senses. In this moment, what do you: see, hear, smell, taste and feel?

You can try this multiple times throughout your day, and I would encourage doing it with your students as well.

Mindfulness can be done by anyone, and it will change how you feel mentally, emotionally and physically.

I would love to hear, how did this exercise support you in being more present today?

I would love to support your mindfulness in your education journey further, and I looking forward to connecting with you.