Mindfulness in Education Charlene Ray Mindfulness Educator MSW

Mindfulness in Education Charlene Ray, Mindfulness Educator, MSW, LICSW

What is Mindfulness? ❖ Moment by moment awareness of ❖ thoughts ❖ emotions ❖ sensations ❖ surrounding environment

Heartfulness Nurturing positive mind states such as kindness and compassion

Why we need mindfulness ❖ We know that stress is a part of a life ❖ Toxic stress occurs when life’s demands constantly outpace our ability to cope with the demands ❖ It impairs attention, emotion and mood regulation, learning readiness and can have a lifelong impact.

Research and development Over 35 years of research has been conducted on mindfulness in health care, mental health and education settings

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Mindfulness and Trauma in the classroom Teach students about their brains

Flipping Your Lid

Trauma changes the brain Abuse, neglect, family conflicts and challenges, witnessing violence, bullying… These are referred to as Adverse Childhood Experiences An estimated 45% of children that one or more ACES 10% have 3 or more ACES Yet only 20% of children with mental, emotional, and behavioral challenges receive adequate and appropriate care

Students Experiencing Trauma Benefit from Mindfulness Create a calm down space, not to be used as punishment but as a tool to help with emotion regulation. Use mindfulness tools like stress balls, glitter jar, sand timers, beautiful photos to look at. Be aware of triggers when teaching mindfulness Having their eyes closed is a common trigger, invite them to look down if that is easier Make sure all exercises are an invitation or a choice.

Mindfulness changes the brain

Benefits of Mindfulness in the Classroom ❖ Attention and focus ❖ Emotion recognition and regulation ❖ Calming ❖ Compassion/Empathy ❖ Adaptability ❖ Resilience ❖ Helps manage stress and anxiety

“Under duress we don’t rise to our expectations, we fall to our level of training” –Bruce Lee

How are schools using mindfulness Integrating it into the school day with mindful moments, classroom meetings and lessons Selecting a Social Emotional Learning Curriculum that has mindfulness as a component Creating and practicing mindful interventions for students with emotional and behavior challenges Mindfulness as an intervention instead of detention Using mindfulness during stressful fire, lockdown and emergency drills Consider what is appropriate for each developmental stage And more!

The Five Literacies Physical Mental Emotional Social Global

Physical Literacy Foundation of Mindfulness Mindful Bodies Mindful Listening Feeling the Breath Body Awareness Example activities: Shake it off Body Scan

Mental Literacy Focus and Attention Thought Watching Learning about the Brain Example Activities: Hand Brain Rainstorm Waves on the Water

Emotional Literacy Heartfulness Navigating the realm of emotions Regulating difficult ones Enhancing healthy ones Example activities: Heartfelt phrases (sending kindness to self and others) Creating a peace corner in the classroom Teachable moments How do we acknowledge emotions and not dismiss them

Social Literacy Learning how to look at one another with understanding and kindness Empathy awareness Creating mindful community Example activities: Morning meeting with Flow and Tell Non violent communication Sharing a quote and discussion

Global Literacy Understanding ourselves in the context of the larger world Help students feel empowered to take care of the world and feel compassion for all living beings. Teach diversity and cultural awareness Example activities: Origin exercise- Where does my food come from? Paper? Clothing? Who lived on this land a thousand years ago? Mindfulness and Nature Impact- How can we have a positive impact on the environment How do we recognize systems of oppression and respond with mindfulness?

Typical Daily Lesson Format Opening Mindful Moment Check In and Report Back New Lesson Practice Sharing Mindful Life Practice Closing Mindful Moment

“Mindfulness skills are taught to students so they can feel better within and so they can do better in school” –Daniel Rechtschaffen

Simple ways to begin… Start the day with a mindful moment Classroom meetings Mindful moments and reminders Weave in the mindfulness language and create a culture of mindfulness Create a calm space, time in Read stories about mindfulness, compassion and kindness Play mindfulness games Teach a few skills and integrate them into the day Consider hiring a mindfulness educator or investing in training for staff Check out mindfulschools. org or mindfuleducation. com

Mindfulness starts with you Mindful adults create calm, creative and positive environments. It takes practice, practice

Go Forth and Be Mindful!!