Mindfulness: awareness, acceptance and adaptability. Each
requiring a personal reflection setting allowing one to notice the needs of
others. To respond in kindness, not react with frustration. To listen with
intent and purpose, not wait for your turn to interject. To admit to oneself
that you may not have all the answers, that you will require the assistance of
others. That curve balls and speed bumps are expected, cherished as a part of
life, not problems that are meant to cause anxiety. When one becomes honest
with oneself and sees the world as a place of opportunity and growth and one
seizes these junctures wholeheartedly, embracing probability and contingency,
this is mindfulness. It is not a fleeting emotion or reminder to be nice. It is
a mindset, a freedom to believe in oneself and others. To not see individuals
as separate entities, but together a unit, that forms the foundation of
compassion and trust. This seems like a wildly, fictional state of mind only
possible through meditation and constant redirection. But, it is not, it is a
simple strategy to implement into any classroom through modeling and
maintaining strong, respectful and trusting relationships with our students. If
we are truly intent on being mindful we can create a movement, a slow wave,
that can trickle into every crevice of our school.
It comes down to changing our
vernacular: the classroom is ours not mine, there is no "sit down"
but "settle in to learning, let’s find our learning spot and focus."
When students enter the room every day, as educators we generally greet them
with a smile and a "welcome back," but what if instead we ask them a
question "are you in the mood for turbo flight, hot air balloon ride or
kite flying?" I asked my students this one day. They were admittedly
perplexed but, they wrote their answers on sticky notes and put them on the
objectives wall. This is how I divided them into groups for the day. Those who
were energetic and ready for the topsy-turvy fighter jet ride were put in one
group- they debated and discussed cross-breeding plants and the pros and cons
of GMO's. Those who wanted a hot air balloon ride were calmer, needed to
just do a little research, find some evidence to support or counter-argue
cross-breeding and GMO's. The kite fliers, were very introverted this day, so I
had them watch and analyze a video on GMO's. Then at the end of class the three
groups converged and shared their information. This was mindfulness at its
best, choice not based on desire but on how one felt that day. It worked well
and I plan on doing it more often with different options: white water rafting,
inter-tubing or canoeing with a partner for example.
Choice is one way to give
students the reigns, but other strategies of mindfulness provide more personal
control. Breathing is a technique that at first, I must admit causes a lot of
giggling and rolling of the eyes. But, after a few times, especially before a
test, they begin to implement it themselves. You can noticeably see their backs
and facial muscles relax, their focus strengthen and their resolve take over.
Their test scores increased after we began using slow breathing to calm and
center ourselves. When we take brain breaks, I ask them if we need a quiet
reflective break or a get up and stretch break. Either way just taking 2
minutes every 15-20 minutes to just be calm, keeps our classroom more mindful.
At times, we need to dance around and release energy while others we need to
encircle ourselves with a sense of warmth and home and this brings us to a
place where we feel comfortable and cozy and the discussions take on a dinner
table ambiance, reconnecting us as a family.
We talk a lot about how we
address one another, and how our words have impact. This is probably the
hardest strategy to integrate: respectful and positive words. At first students
slip up a lot, I model "I appreciate your opinion, but I disagree because..."
and "thank you for taking time to help me, I understand that we all need
to ask for help sometimes." This creates a sense of gratitude and
humility. Over the course of a few weeks, they begin to address the needs of
others with a supportive outlook and rather than a sense of competition and
control the classroom becomes one of cooperation and elevation. As a group,
they are stronger. Our classroom is almost 100% student-centered and to
maintain a balanced and fruitful atmosphere, mindfulness must be the underlying
sentiment. It must be a part of everything we do. It is more than words and eye
contact, it is body language and facial expressions. Mindfulness permeates,
infuses itself in all of us. I become calmer, more quirky and spontaneous,
students welcome the turbulence of colliding with science, they expect it, they
enjoy it. It is the scaffolding for the problem-solving and collaboration that
evolves from our mindful companionship.
Presence of mind and spirit,
residence of consideration, circumspection and caution. Personal reflection,
community feedback and responsiveness all combine to form a prudent,
fastidious, diligent classroom. Open-minded, forward-thinking and
conscientious. Reality check, things go wrong, students misbehave, lessons
fail. It is inevitable. But with mindful strategies in place the bounce back is
moments rather than minutes. When students feel in control of their
frustrations, are aware of the way they think and feel, they can face them head
on. They can adapt, accept and move on with ease. We must trust at first sight.
Model strategies for a positive culture and thoughtful atmosphere and then
allow students to make mistakes and re-center themselves on their own. Our
minds are our own and only we can determine our frame of mind and attitude for
the day. Provide students a mindful learning space, emanate joy from every
pore, smile, laugh and play and naturally a place of mindfulness will emerge.
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