MOORE ELEMENTARY
What is Mindfulness in Education? Mrs. Bonnie Betler, Moore Elementary Principal rentwood Borough SCHOOL DISTRICT NEWS
Recently the concept of“ mindfulness” in schools seems to be taking off. There was even a Forbes magazine article discussing the benefits of yoga and mindful practices for students with anxiety, ADHD, and general stress( Walton, 2018). Teachers may also benefit from mindfulness; using it as a tool to deal with their own stress and as a mechanism to remind themselves to pause before responding to a situation. What is mindfulness and what are the different ways in which it is appropriate for school?
In brief, mindfulness is being present in the moment. Surprisingly, being present in a moment is a lot harder than it sounds. Just imagine a young student sitting in their desk first thing in the morning. They are sitting there working on morning work but thinking about the lunch forgotten on the back seat of dad’ s car and the reading test in the afternoon. That child sitting working on their morning work may appear to be calm and on-task on the outside however, inside their mind is racing and not on the morning work. Perhaps they are thinking about what they are going to eat for lunch. Can their dad bring their lunch to school? What happens if they do not do well on the test; will they get in trouble? A student may be going through the motions of doing work but their mind may not be on the task. Although they are getting the work done, they may not be learning from the task, as they are unfocused.
Mindfulness is about bringing the focus of one’ s thoughts back to the task-at-hand. The first step is to recognize that our thoughts have drifted elsewhere and to work to bring them back to the moment. Sometimes that is all it takes, recognizing that our mind is elsewhere, acknowledge those thoughts, and to refocus. Other times our thoughts may be so strong that we are unable to merely acknowledge them and come back. In those instances, you may have heard people suggest that students focus on their breath. The rhythm of breathing a deep“ cleansing” breath through the nose and an extended exhalation out through the mouth a few times can help calm one’ s thoughts and then allow them to re-engage with their work. The idea is that by focusing on one’ s body the focus can then change from thoughts in our head to physical sensations.
The focus on the physical is where the practice of yoga comes into the mindful movement. Yoga is about listening to our bodies and moving with intention. The elementary physical education curriculum contains a unit on yoga in which students rotate through several different stations involving developmentally appropriate postures for students. Walking into the gym during a yoga lesson is very different- truly, a calming experience. Students are contorting their bodies into somewhat unfamiliar positions while at the same time listening to what their bodies are telling them so that they do not push themselves too hard.
The concept of mindfulness can help everyone in schools recognize the importance of a focus on the present. This can help students keep their attention on learning. Mindfulness can also help teachers recognize their own thoughts so that they are able to respond to situations at hand without allowing emotions to dictate response. When teachers use mindfulness, they pause before they act. Mindfulness calls upon us to remove our own emotions for a situation so that we are better able to understand the behaviors that we are observing. Stopping and acknowledging that we do not always know what a student is experiencing; taking a moment to understand a behavior and then responding to a situation can allow both the teachers and the students to have a more positive interaction. The use of mindful practices both in and outside of schools can create a calm and inviting environment and produce positive outcomes for practitioners.
Cafeteria News: District to Change Online Payment Vendor
In September 2018, the District changed to SchoolCafe’ to collect online credit card payments for student cafeteria accounts. This change will allow parents / guardians to apply online for free / reduced benefits, make payments to student cafeteria accounts, and view student cafeteria account balances all in one place. SchoolCafe’ is even available as an app for your smartphone. Simply download the app on the App Store or GooglePlay( search SchoolCafe’).
Look for the link on our webpage in the future to SchoolCafe’.
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DISTRICT NEWS
Friendly Reminder to Apply for Free and Reduced Meals
A new school year has begun, have you filed a new free and reduced application for school meals? Every year a new application must be filled out to receive free and reduced meal benefits. To get started visit www. paschoolmeals. com.