Quakers have been pursuing mindfulness in education from the founding of each Friends school. There is nothing like the experience of Meeting for Worship for slowing down the mind.
Sitting for 20 minutes or 35 minutes or 60 minutes (depending on the age of the children), gives students time to reflect, to listen to their inner voice, to hear the messages shared in the silence, and to experience the sensation of being alone with yourself in a community of others. Meeting for Worship is also about worshiping and waiting on the Divine.
Mindfulness as a practice within teaching has grown into a movement found beyond Friend’s schools. Resources abound for anyone wanting to learn the techniques and bring the benefits to their students. Most of Westtown’s Lower and Middle School faculty have connected with the secular and in many cases neuroscience based mindfulness movement through workshops, webinars and on-line courses. They find this approach to helping their students learn has great resonance for us as a Friend’s school. I asked teachers to reflect on ways in which they are incorporating what they are learning to their work with their students. Fourth grade teacher Hilary offered that “One tip I find myself using over and over with the kids when they are practicing their breathing, is to acknowledge distracting thoughts or feelings by labeling them and then dismissing them gently, as if they were clouds that can return later.” She said that her students are fascinated to learn about their brains and how the amygdala (for instance) effects their ability to focus and make good choices.
Even the youngest of students benefit from learning mindfulness practices. First grade teacher Colby tells me that her students have a weekly meeting to practice deep breathing and using an “anchor word” to stay calm and settled. Throughout the week first graders can be heard to say “Find your mindful body”and a visible change comes over the students as they settle by sitting up straighter and being still. The kids say “It’s also a time where you find your center which is a place that helps you calm down.”
In practicing mindfulness throughout the week students lay the groundwork for a richer Meeting for Worship experience. The messages students hear in meeting and the practice of expectant waiting and listening during meeting carries back into the classroom creating openings for deeper learning. Reflection on what is being learned and experienced insures the learning sticks. Meeting and mindfulness create a virtuous spiral for fostering whole child growth.
In A Class Of Our Own 