Our community of teachers love to share how they are incorporating mindfulness into their classrooms. We learn best from each other so please join our growing tribe of mindful teachers who are committed to co-regulating their emotions with students and create a safe and positive learning environment. The more the merrier!
What our teachers have to say…
As a teacher of seniors, I believe that incorporating mindfulness into the classroom is essential to prepare students for the stresses and realities of the adult world. It’s my hope that students leave this school year with useful practices, practices that can help them regulate their emotions and become more conscious of and intentional with their internal selves.
Halley A.
Although I see (and have probably always seen) the value of mindfulness, I struggle with some of the more stereotypical “mindfulness activities.” Is this simply another buzz word, a passing fad, doomed to succumb to the time constraints of the school day? I guess you could say that I was cautious in my mindfulness buy-in. However, my mindset began to shift when I saw what students were doing during Dr. Akashian’s Mindful Monday activities. They seemed to really look forward to Mondays with Dr. Akashian, and it wasn’t because they could avoid doing traditional academic work for a few more minutes. They felt seen and heard, and really seemed to appreciate the opportunity to do something mindful, if only for a few minutes.
Then, I tried a mindful activity with my students. I was so excited to share my success with Dr. Akashian, who immediately and enthusiastically asked me about what I had done with my students. She implemented a similar activity, which she posted on her blog, “A Mindful Akashian”, and gave me a shout out. She asked me to take a look at the blog, and I’ve been a faithful follower since!
“A Mindful Akashian” has not only shown me a variety of mindfulness activities, but also that mindfulness doesn’t come from a book, or a website, or a course. Mindfulness is what you make of it. Anything that prompts you to take a moment to relax, think, or take time to center yourself is mindfulness. There’s no wrong way. And that, for me, was the biggest mindset shift. I no longer focus on getting mindfulness right and now focus on integrating mindfulness into my day, both for me and for my students.
Christine L.
