Mindfulness is something that has occupied a lot of space in my mind as I’ve been attending our Wednesday visits. I’ve been a visitor in a class where meditation is practised every day in a short, 3-minute session at the beginning of each block. And while a handful of students close their eyes and participate, most sit on their phones or whisper to their friends. This isn’t introduced as a privilege but rather, a chore. This is likely because there has been parental pushback against this time that isn’t dedicated to typical “school work.” These few minutes, if used properly, could allow students to increase in their productivity, and gain a better mind-set for the class and their day. This would more than make-up for the few minutes that are dedicated towards mindfulness and yet, this time is widely being ignored.
I remember the first time I meditated it wasn’t a conscious decision. I was in the seventh grade on a field trip to a local high school where they were putting on a school play. After everyone was seated, the lights dimmed to a complete blackout. There was background music but I remember the students being silent as they waited for the curtain to go up. We sat in the dark for what felt like a long time. My eyes were closed and I had never felt so relaxed. I remember thinking afterwards, that was amazing. I need to sit in the dark and just listen to music all the time. I didn’t really realize that I was meditating. I just felt so light and calm. This is a rarity when you’re in middle school; it’s a timeout of the best variety.
I think that it can be hard to introduce mindfulness and meditation into the classroom because students don’t know how to properly identify the benefits. The concepts seem large and unbelievable. There may be scepticism that is easily spread throughout the classroom. Largely, it can seem really uncool to care about something in high school. It is so much easier to belittle it and get a quick laugh.
Still, I think meditation could be an invaluable tool in the classroom. You may just have to be a little bit sneaky in the way you introduce it. Something as simple as saying “I feel really exhausted today. You all seem tired too. Should we just take a quick mind-break and put our heads down for a couple of minutes?” You could guide your students to get comfortable, shut their eyes, maybe turn off the lights. The only rule could be silence. Alternatively, if the energy is high in the classroom, you could take a meditative walk around the school. On a sunny day, a quiet lap around the school could help bring some focus back. The quiet part would be a hard concept to rationalize to your students, but this, of course, depends on the class and the kind of community you have built.