As part of my professional goals this school year, I aimed to institute mindfulness, purposefully, into my classroom; With a goal of having mindful classes. Let’s get this out of the way before we go any further, it was a failure. My classes are not any more mindful as a whole, and a majority of the students do not participate in any mindfulness practice. They choose to just sit in their seats or put their head down. This is something I allowed since I did not want to force anyone into doing something they did not want to (that was not in the curriculum). Looking back, I’m not sure if that was the right thing to do.

For a little background, I think it is important to tell you a little about my own experiences with mindfulness. I began dabbling in what I know as mindfulness in college as a way to help me relax and focus with the pressures of college, both academically and socially. I graduated and forgot about mindfulness and it wasn’t until I moved to London that I became interested again. Being such an international city there were so many opportunities to experience cultures and belief systems that I had never been exposed to. I attended some mindfulness groups and lessons and began to practice on and off for the next few years. It wasn’t until I became a classroom teacher that I really began to see the benefit it had on my own life. I strongly believe that mindfulness benefits me and can benefit others. Maybe, my belief, that mindfulness works, led to some of my frustration with the lack of participation in my classroom.

Things we tried in class

• Learning about the human brain and how it functions (One of the more successful parts).
• Breathing exercises.
• Guided breathing exercises.
• Class-wide check-ins at the beginning of the class.
• Watching videos about the brain and mindfulness.

I think all of the things that we did in the class are activities that should be included. But, I do think some things need to change on my part.

What I should do differently next time

• Learn from others who have successfully introduced mindfulness to their classroom.
• Integrate mindfulness with more fidelity.
• Combine the mindfulness and Growth Mindset.
• Not allow student opt-out without a written reflection about why they will not participate. Revisit that opt-out throughout the year.
• Not be so excited in presenting to students. Meaning, do not get their expectations up about how great it is and instead focus on that it is a skill to help them and like anything else needs a lot of practice.

None of this means I will never try again to have a mindful classroom. What it does mean is that I still need to learn a lot. It means that just because I “know” how to do something it does not guarantee that my knowledge will translate to my students.

Despite my unsuccessful attempt in having a mindful classroom something good came out of it. My mindfulness practice has become stronger and I practice more often. I have been able to go to those skills on difficult days and the good days. I have been able to make it through those difficult weeks that I thought would never end, by falling back on my mindfulness practice.

If you are looking to get started with mindfulness in your classroom or in your personal life I highly encourage you to do it.

Namaste,

Josh