On Wednesday, I attended a Mindful Schools presentation at Monroe Elementary. I’m really interested in the whole “mindfulness” movement in education in the Bay Area right now. The very simple and profound idea of just being present, and being able to create some space between stimulus (experience / thought / emotion) and response, is something that can be beneficial for everyone - not to mention school communities in which many of the members have experienced or are experiencing perpetual trauma. Below are my notes from the meeting. I’m looking forward to see Jon Kabat-Zinn speak at Berkeley in a few weeks, and then later in February at the Wisdom 2.0 conference in Redwood City.

I’m also REALLY excited about beginning Transcendental Meditation training through Longfellow Elementary and the Quiet Time Program. The Quiet Time Program, which has been implemented in several SFUSD schools on the verge of closure -  schools in which violence and truancy were high, has had an incredible impact! It was created by and is founded through the David Lynch Foundation, another pretty incredible organization.

For my own practice as an itinerant dance teacher, I’m interested in the concept of mindful movement. Before we start moving in the space, I’d like to give students the opportunity to practice being fully, mindfully embodied. And with regard to classroom management, I’m always on the look out for new practices that can help bring everyone in the room into the here and now, without using power, force, coercion or authority.

Mindful Schools presentation @ Monroe:

What is mindfulness?
- paying attention on purpose
- deliberate attention
- deliberate awareness
- involves a sense of acceptance about your experience

What are some of the potential benefits?
- instead of having strong emotions lead to habitual action, they lead to reflection instead.

Mindfulness allows for:
- more spaces / places for choice
- a way to navigate emotional experiences
- impulse control
- focus
- just noticing
- just being with whatever it is you are feeling

Mindfulness teaches:
- that the whole spectrum of emotions are acceptable

Words I hear being use a lot at this presentation and in ed. communities in general:

“mindfulness”
“intentionality”
“presence”
“executive function”

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