Mindfulness at Our School
Create a Cost-Effective Mindfulness Program for Your School
Over the past decade, numerous schools around the world have implemented mindfulness-based programs in school with promising outcomes, including improved scholastic performance, increased prosocial behavior, and reduced stress and anxiety. A new and rapidly expanding evidence base supports these practices. This website is designed to provide free resources to enable preschool through high school students, their families, and schools to learn how to use mindfulness to improve academic performance and reduce stress, enhancing their quality of life for years to come.
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I created this page to help anyone interested in developing school-based mindfulness programs on a budget. As a therapist and professor of family therapy, I had been teaching mindfulness for nearly two decades and wanted my children to learn how to meditate. Obviously, meditating with their friends would be more fun than with their mother at home. So, I volunteered at their school to create a program as my parent contribution. It was more successful than I ever imagined. Kids really get it, and make amazing changes in their lives. I created this website as part of a research project as the Research Fellow for the Michael D. Eisner College of Education at California State University, Northridge for 2017-2018 to enable interested parents and schools to affordably create effective mindfulness programs in their schools.
Diane R. Gehart, Ph.D., LMFT
Why Mindfulness in Schools?
Dr. Diane Gehart explains….
Below you will find:
- The Brain, Mindfulness, and Children: An overview of the research and evidence for using mindfulness with youth at home and at school to improve learning and reduce anxiety.
- Steps to Get Your School Started: A step-by-step plan to develop a mindfulness program for your school.
- Mindfulness In-Class Lessons for Kids: Parents, teachers, and students can view three complete in-class lessons that cover brain basics, basic mindfulness, and mindfulness for managing stressful emotions.
- Free Practice Videos for Children: A set of free practice videos for use with elementary or preschool-aged children in class or at home.
- Free Practice Videos for Teens and Adults: A set of free practice videos for older students, teachers, and parents.
- At-Home Practice Instructions: Simple strategies for successfully starting a home practice for families, adolescents and teachers.
- Resources for Learning More: Comprehensive list of resources for students, families, teachers, and schools.
"I have been getting better grades on my tests than I did before mindfulness last year."
Carden Student 2017
The Brain, Mindfulness, and Youth
What Is Mindfulness?
Mindfulness refers to a particular way of focusing the mind, specifically:
- Focusing on a single thing in the present moment, such as the chime from a bell or the feeling of the belly rising and falling as you breath.
- Quieting other thoughts ("inner chatter") in your mind as you focus on this one thing.
- Staying focused on purpose by refocusing your mind without being frustrated with yourself each time the mind wanders.
"I use it for whenever I get angry or sad. I normally just breathe, calm down, and close my lid."
Carden Student 2017
Dr. Gehart Teaches Children About Their Brains and Mindfulness
The Mindful Brain
Researchers have studied the effects of mindfulness on the brain with some exciting findings. First, experts now realize that the brain can grow and change, referred to as neuroplasticity. The brain adapts to how a person uses it by "rewiring" neurons along the most frequently used pathways. For example, the more you practice a particular musical instrument, the more neurons will connect and thicken along these pathways. Neuroscientists have found that mindfulness practice actually results in more grey matter in the parts of the brain associated with executive functioning (managing one's mind), self regulation (controlling thoughts, behaviors, and moods), and relaxation. Similarly, they have found that people who practice mindfulness also have decrease in grey matter in the areas associated with the stress response, presumably because they no longer use the stress response as frequently.
What neuroscientists believe happens with mindfulness is that the "smart parts" (prefrontal cortex) of the brain are used to make the brain focus on a single phenomenon, such as the breath. Each time the mind directs the brain to refocus on the breath (or other chosen object of focus) after it loses focus, it sends a signal from the smart part to the "lizard part" of the brain, the more primitive limbic system that controls our stress response. Thus, the more frequently one mindfully refocuses the brain, the more neural connections are created between the smart part and the lizard part. Over time, this increases a person's ability to consciously shut off the stress response, which results in all the benefits we see in those who practice
What neuroscientists believe happens with mindfulness is that the "smart parts" (prefrontal cortex) of the brain are used to make the brain focus on a single phenomenon, such as the breath. Each time the mind directs the brain to refocus on the breath (or other chosen object of focus) after it loses focus, it sends a signal from the smart part to the "lizard part" of the brain, the more primitive limbic system that controls our stress response. Thus, the more frequently one mindfully refocuses the brain, the more neural connections are created between the smart part and the lizard part. Over time, this increases a person's ability to consciously shut off the stress response, which results in all the benefits we see in those who practice
Must-Know Mindfulness Vocabulary
Smart Part: The prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain associated with language, intelligence, self-regulation, and executive functioning. Students want their smart parts "on" when they are at school, on a stage, or playing with a friend.
Lizard Brain: We use the term "lizard brain" to refer to the lower centers of the brain, such as the limbic system, that are part of the stress response. We use "Bob" to personify what our brains are like when the stress response turns on: focused on safety, reactive, and unable to use higher brain functions, such as language, clear thinking, and problems solving.
Stress Response: The stress response is designed to keep us physically safe by increasing our ability to fight a foe, flee from danger, or freeze to avoid detection from a predator. When the body detects life-threatening danger, the stress response turns on, increasing our physical strength, vision, and hearing while shutting down non-essential systems, such as digestion, reproduction, and immunity. This remarkable, life-saving response evolved for coping with physical threats to safety. Unfortunately, our brains turn on the same response whether we are experiencing a physical or psychological threat. Whereas a physical threat usually ends within 20 minutes, psychological stress can go on for days, resulting in numerous physical and mental health issues.
Relaxation Response: The physiological opposite of the stress response, the relaxation response is a separate response that turns off the stress response, relaxing the body and turning back on non-emergency body functions.
Flipping Your Lid: When the stress response turns on.
Putting Your Lid On: Turning on the relaxation response and bringing the prefrontal cortex back online.
Lizard Brain: We use the term "lizard brain" to refer to the lower centers of the brain, such as the limbic system, that are part of the stress response. We use "Bob" to personify what our brains are like when the stress response turns on: focused on safety, reactive, and unable to use higher brain functions, such as language, clear thinking, and problems solving.
Stress Response: The stress response is designed to keep us physically safe by increasing our ability to fight a foe, flee from danger, or freeze to avoid detection from a predator. When the body detects life-threatening danger, the stress response turns on, increasing our physical strength, vision, and hearing while shutting down non-essential systems, such as digestion, reproduction, and immunity. This remarkable, life-saving response evolved for coping with physical threats to safety. Unfortunately, our brains turn on the same response whether we are experiencing a physical or psychological threat. Whereas a physical threat usually ends within 20 minutes, psychological stress can go on for days, resulting in numerous physical and mental health issues.
Relaxation Response: The physiological opposite of the stress response, the relaxation response is a separate response that turns off the stress response, relaxing the body and turning back on non-emergency body functions.
Flipping Your Lid: When the stress response turns on.
Putting Your Lid On: Turning on the relaxation response and bringing the prefrontal cortex back online.
Misunderstandings About Mindfulness and Children
Due to the popularity of mindfulness in recent years, there are many misunderstandings about mindfulness.
Myth #1: Mindfulness is about stopping your thoughts.
Closer to the Truth: Mindfulness is about changing how you relate to your thoughts.
Only very experienced meditation practitioners have sustained periods without much thinking, and this is typically for spiritual development. When practicing mindfulness for academic and psychological benefits, refocusing your mind each time it wanders is the main source of benefits. Not only does it promote more conscious control over what your mind is focusing on, but practicing accepting with kindness whatever arises in your mind significantly changes how your relate to your thoughts, self, others, and life more broadly.
Myth #2: Kids can't meditate.
Closer to the Truth: Children as young as three can mindfully focus on something in the present moment with guidance.
Children can often be more in the present moment than adults. However, younger children are less likely to sit silently with eyes closed focusing on breath. By the time most children reach 6 or 7, they are able to do so for 2-5 minutes with some basic guidance.
Myth #3: Children don't have stress like adults.
Closer to the Truth: Children in the US have very high levels of mental health issues, most of which are known to improve with mindfulness practice.
Over 50% of children 4-17 have a mental health disorder, and 21% (1 in 5) have a severe disorder. Mindfulness not only improves academic performance, but is also the treatment of choice for the most common childhood disorders For example, 11% of children in the US are diagnosed with attention deficit disorder (ADD). Currently 6.2% of American children are on medication for ADD, however, medications simply reduce symptoms and do not improve the child's ability to focus without medication. In contrast, mindfulness is one of two promising interventions for the treatment of ADD, and pediatricians are recommending it be offered to all families with a child diagnosed with this disorder. Depression and anxiety are also frequently diagnosed in childhood, with 30% of 13-18 year olds diagnosed with an anxiety disorder and 15% diagnosed with a mood disorder, such as depression.
Myth #1: Mindfulness is about stopping your thoughts.
Closer to the Truth: Mindfulness is about changing how you relate to your thoughts.
Only very experienced meditation practitioners have sustained periods without much thinking, and this is typically for spiritual development. When practicing mindfulness for academic and psychological benefits, refocusing your mind each time it wanders is the main source of benefits. Not only does it promote more conscious control over what your mind is focusing on, but practicing accepting with kindness whatever arises in your mind significantly changes how your relate to your thoughts, self, others, and life more broadly.
Myth #2: Kids can't meditate.
Closer to the Truth: Children as young as three can mindfully focus on something in the present moment with guidance.
Children can often be more in the present moment than adults. However, younger children are less likely to sit silently with eyes closed focusing on breath. By the time most children reach 6 or 7, they are able to do so for 2-5 minutes with some basic guidance.
Myth #3: Children don't have stress like adults.
Closer to the Truth: Children in the US have very high levels of mental health issues, most of which are known to improve with mindfulness practice.
Over 50% of children 4-17 have a mental health disorder, and 21% (1 in 5) have a severe disorder. Mindfulness not only improves academic performance, but is also the treatment of choice for the most common childhood disorders For example, 11% of children in the US are diagnosed with attention deficit disorder (ADD). Currently 6.2% of American children are on medication for ADD, however, medications simply reduce symptoms and do not improve the child's ability to focus without medication. In contrast, mindfulness is one of two promising interventions for the treatment of ADD, and pediatricians are recommending it be offered to all families with a child diagnosed with this disorder. Depression and anxiety are also frequently diagnosed in childhood, with 30% of 13-18 year olds diagnosed with an anxiety disorder and 15% diagnosed with a mood disorder, such as depression.
Why Mindfulness for Children?
Whenever I hear the bell, I feel like I should be doing work, and then I focus on that.
Carden Student 2017
In today's multimedia saturated world, children find it more difficult than ever to focus their minds and control their behavior. Mindfulness serves as one of the few evidenced-based options for reliably increasing our children's ability to regulate themselves. Over the past decade, researchers have found numerous potential benefits for children:
- Improved Focus and Attention: Numerous studies have found that students who participate in mindfulness classes and programs improve their ability to focus and pay attention.
- Improved Regulation of Strong Mood: Similar to research on adults, studies examining the outcome of adolescent and child mindfulness programs consistently find that youth show improvements in their ability to manage their moods, especially depression, anger, and anxiety.
- Improved Behavior and Social Outcomes: Of particular interest to many schools and parents, children who practice mindfulness are better able to manage their behavior and increase their prosocial behaviors with others, including reducing aggressiveness.
- Improved Academic Performance: In school contexts, educational researchers have measured improved grades and academic performance for students involved in mindfulness programs.
- Improved Physical Wellbeing: In a Canadian study that measured children's level of cortisol, researchers found that students in mindfulness programs had measurably lower levels of this stress hormone, providing strong evidence that mindfulness helps children to reduce their stress levels.
- Treatment for Childhood Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD): Mindfulness is recognized as one of only two potential treatments that may "rewire" the brain to improve executive functioning and is now considered one of the frontline treatments.
- Treatment for Childhood Depression and Anxiety: Over 50% of children between the ages of 4-17 years old have a mental health issue such as depression or anxiety. Mindfulness is well-established as the gold-standard for preventing depression relapse in adults and has shown to also be effective with youth to treat these issues and prevent relapse.
Getting Your School Started with Mindfulness
Schools have several options for starting a mindfulness program:
- Hire an Expert: If funding allows, a school can hire an individual or company to design and set up a program. Obviously, this is the easiest but most costly option.
- Train One or More of Your Teachers: Another option is to formally train one or more of your teachers and have them design and implement the program as part of their regular work or as an additional project.
- Teacher with Experience: If you happen to have a teacher with existing experience practicing or teaching mindfulness, then this person could develop and implement the program.
- Find Parent Volunteers: Given the popularity of mindfulness, you may have parents interested in volunteering to spearhead and/or assist with designing a mindfulness program. Many parents are highly motivated to have their child learn a life skill like mindfulness.
School-Based Mindfulness Programs
There are numerous school-based mindfulness programs available for purchase. Some of the leaders in this area include:
MindUP
Developed by the (Goldie) Hawn Foundation, MindUP is the most readily available school-based curricula and one of the first. The program integrates positive psychology (science of happiness), neuroscience, mindfulness, and socio-emotional learning and is designed for K-8 classrooms. This is the most cost-effective option for schools that have teachers and/or parents wanting to design their program. The curriculum for MindUP is listed below.
MindfulSchools.org
Mindful Schools was one of the first organizations to provide formal training in running school-based mindfulness programs for educational professionals. They offer online training, including a teacher certificate program. Their K-12 curriculum is available through the trainings.
CalmClassroom.com
Calm classroom also offers online training for teachers as well as on-site training for creating a school-based mindfulness program.
Mindfullyu.net
Mindfullyu.net provides in-person training in K-12 mindfulness programs, including a mindfulness program specifically designed to improve math performance.
MindUP
Developed by the (Goldie) Hawn Foundation, MindUP is the most readily available school-based curricula and one of the first. The program integrates positive psychology (science of happiness), neuroscience, mindfulness, and socio-emotional learning and is designed for K-8 classrooms. This is the most cost-effective option for schools that have teachers and/or parents wanting to design their program. The curriculum for MindUP is listed below.
MindfulSchools.org
Mindful Schools was one of the first organizations to provide formal training in running school-based mindfulness programs for educational professionals. They offer online training, including a teacher certificate program. Their K-12 curriculum is available through the trainings.
CalmClassroom.com
Calm classroom also offers online training for teachers as well as on-site training for creating a school-based mindfulness program.
Mindfullyu.net
Mindfullyu.net provides in-person training in K-12 mindfulness programs, including a mindfulness program specifically designed to improve math performance.
The MindUP Curriculum: Created by the Goldie Hawn Foundation
Designing Your Curriculum
Whether you pursue formal training or not, typically all schools will need to adapt any curriculum to their unique school context. Factors impacting what will work in your school include:
I created my mindfulness program as a parent volunteer at my children's school using a combination of the following:
My primary tools are:
- Time available for lessons: length of session and frequency
- Whether the homeroom teacher will give the lessons or a specialist
- Budget to pay for supplies, such as chimes, food for eating meditation, pebbles, glitter jars, puppets, etc.
- School culture and climate, including general attitude towards mindfulness, as well as the personalities of teachers, administrators, parents, and students.
I created my mindfulness program as a parent volunteer at my children's school using a combination of the following:
- The MindUP curriculum
- The Still Quiet Place curriculum
- Mindfulness Activity Cards
- 4 Pebble Meditation
My primary tools are:
- A chime; each classroom gets one
- Bob, a lizard puppet to demonstrate how the "lizard brain" works
- Glitter jar, recipe at the end of the Moody Cow book
Curriculum Resource Links
Mindfulness In-Class Lessons for Kids
Here are examples of how I teach mindfulness in an elementary school. I visit each class for 15 minutes once per week for 8 weeks. After that, the teachers use the Core Practice (ringing chime for 60 seconds) at major transition points during the day to continue student practice. My curriculum (not yet published) is based on the MindUP curriculum, combined with my own work on mindfulness with families (Mindfulness and Acceptance in Couple and Family Therapy).
Lesson #1 - Lizard Brain vs. Smart Part
This is part of our first lesson at Carden where we introduce the "lizard part" of the brain and the "smart part."
Lesson #2 - Core Practice
In our second lesson, we introduce Core Practice from the MindUP curriculum.
Lesson #5 - Sad/Mad/Glad Brain
Later in the program, we teach students how to use mindfulness to better manage strong emotions, such as sadness, anger, and fear
Preschool Applications
Teaching mindfulness to preschool-aged children takes a bit more creativity and patience. Mr. David Siegel, one of my graduate students, has extensive experience in this area and I had a chance to interview him about how he works magic with the little ones.
Teaching Mindfulness to Younger Children
David offers a few tips for practicing mindfulness with children: teaching though modeling, using intentional language, emphasizing sensory experience over concepts, and having fun.
Tips for Working with Preschoolers
David explains the rationale behind using movement in practicing mindfulness with young children.
Managing Group Energy Levels
David talks about the importance of responding to the fluctuating energy levels of your children without reacting to them.
David talks about the importance of responding to the fluctuating energy levels of your children without reacting to them.
Carden Conejo
David talks about his experience working with the children at Carden Conejo
Carden Conejo: Part 2
Dr. Gehart talks about her experience working with the children at Carden Conejo
1-Minute Core Practice: Sound Meditation with Chime
A great option before homework, this sound meditation serves as the "core practice" in the MindUp curriculum we use at Carden. Listen to the chime for as long as you can until you can no longer hear it.
Mindful Body Scan
The mindful body scan involves mindfully observing what you are experiencing in your body—without trying to change anything. Many find this practice one of their favorites because it is often easier to maintain focus than trying to focus on one's breath, and most of the time it does result in significant physical relaxation. You may find this particularly useful before bed or when your mind is overactive.
2-Minute Beanie Baby Breath Meditation
Beanie baby meditation involves "rocking" a favorite stuffed animal to sleep using your belly. This is a great one for younger children at bedtime or nap time or as a way to slow down at any time of the day. Please have your stuffed animal ready before hitting play.
2-Minute Mindful Breath Meditation
Mindful breath meditation involves observing your breath while quieting your mind. The mind will frequently wander (often several times per second). Each time you notice it has wandered, you simply need to gently refocus yourself, acknowledging that this is what minds do rather than putting oneself down for such a short attention span. Refocusing should always be a moment of kindness towards oneself, and it is also where most of the therapeutic benefits come from. Many people find it helps to use one of these options to maintain focus on the breath:
▪ Silently say, "Peace in (for inhale), peace out (for exhale)" or use a similar mantra.
▪ Silently count each breath up to 10 and then begin again (remember: mindfulness is not a competition sport—no need to keep score).
▪ Putting your hand over your belly and notice it rising and falling.
▪ Noticing the sensations of your breath move in and out as your breathe.
▪ Notice the temperature of the air as you breathe in and out.
3-Minute Compassion Meditation
Kindness, or compassion, meditation is often a favorite for lifting one's mood. This is a guided meditation where we send "well wishes" to various people. Because it is guided, many find it easier to focus for this meditation
Mindful Breath Meditation
Mindful breath meditation involves observing your breath while quieting your mind. The mind will frequently wander (often several times per second). Each time you notice it has wandered, you simply need to gently refocus yourself, acknowledging that this is what minds do rather than putting oneself down for such a short attention span. Refocusing should always be a moment of kindness towards oneself, and it also where most of the therapeutic benefits come from. Many people find it helps to use one of these options to maintain focus on the breath:
▪ Silently say, "Peace in (for inhale), peace out (for exhale)" or use similar mantra.
▪ Silently count each breath up to 10 and then begin again (remember: mindfulness is not a competition sport—no need to keep score).
▪ Putting your hand over your belly and notice it rising and falling.
▪ Noticing the sensations of your breath move in and out as your breathe.
▪ Notice the temperature of the air as you breathe in and out.
Mindful Body Scan Meditation
The mindful body scan involves mindfully observing what you are experiencing in your body—without trying to change anything. Many find this practice one of their favorites because it is often easier to maintain focus than trying to focus on one's breath, and most of the time it does result in significant physical relaxation. You may find this particularly useful before bed or when your mind is overactive.
Chocolate Meditation
Mindful eating practice with chocolate to slow down the mind and focus on various senses (smell, touch, taste, texture, etc)
How To Start a Family Mindfulness Practice at Home
Increasingly, children and their parents are practicing mindfulness together, often to address the symptoms of ADHD, stress, or depression. In this video, Dr. Gehart shares tips for parents wanting to get started.
Tips for Starting a Mindfulness Practice for Busy People
The primary obstacle any of us face in starting a mindfulness practice is finding the time. In this video, Dr. Gehart shares some tips for teens and adults who want to add mindfulness to their daily routine: keep it short but frequent.
Instructions for Mindfulness Breath Meditation
- Focus on breath while quieting mind
- When distracted (external and internal), refocus with compassion and acceptance
- Refocusing is what children’s brains need
- How to refocus: use a mantra, counting, peace in/peace out, watch thoughts float away
- Do 5-7 times per week, in small doses
Guided Insight Timer Meditations for Kids
InsightTimer
Many people find using an app helpful for regular practice. Insight Timer is a leading meditation app for many reasons:
Many people find using an app helpful for regular practice. Insight Timer is a leading meditation app for many reasons:
- Download for free at: www.insighttimer.com, Apple App Store or Google Play; it can be used on computer, phones or tablets.
- Access thousands of free guided meditations
- No in-app purchases or other costs (a feature loved by parents)
- Use timer with custom gongs and chimes
- Keep track of the time you spend practicing mindfulness
There is a “Kids & Teens” section that you can access using the app. From the listening library page on the app, scroll down to “get help with…” and select "Kids & Teens.”
Check it out here: https://insighttimer.com
Headspace
Another popular app that introduces uses to mindfulness meditation in a step-by-step fashion. I recommend this app to children 10+ who are motivated to learn mindfulness.
Check it out here: www.headspace.com
Research
In Fall 2017, Dr. Gehart evaluated the effectiveness of the mindfulness program at a private preschool-elementary school to evaluate its effectiveness and identify specific benefits. To do so, she invited interested students (with permission of their parents) to:
The evaluation process was designed to achieve several aims:
- Participate in focus group interviews to share their experiences related to the mindfulness program
- Complete a pre- and post-test measuring students' daily level of mindfulness
- Complete a survey about students' perceptions of kindness at the school
The evaluation process was designed to achieve several aims:
- Increase students' interest in and comfort with science and research
- Increase students' sense of confidence by having their thoughts, opinions, and experiences heard
- Increases students' awareness of how they manage stress
- Provide the school useful information about future program planning
Did Students' Mindfulness Increase?
The first question we asked was: over the 8 week mindfulness program, did students experience a measurable increase in mindfulness? We measured mindfulness using a 15-question scale designed to measure "trait mindfulness": a person's tendency to be mindful on a daily basis. Here is what we found:
Thus, overall 70% of students had some measurable improvement over the 8-week program.
- 25% of students had a significant increase in daily mindfulness
- 45% of students had a mild-moderate increase in daily mindfulness
- 30% had no measurable change in their daily level of mindfulness
Thus, overall 70% of students had some measurable improvement over the 8-week program.
What Do Students Say About Mindfulness?
Students reported that they used mindfulness to manage difficult emotions and stress.
"You just kind of learn to control yourself and not get angry all the time."
Many found that the chime helped to relax them, finding ways to also use this at home in and during extracurricular activities.
"Sometimes I want to do something, but whenever I hear the bell, I forget about that and do what I’m supposed to do."
Many students believed their grades and ability to focus improved due to learning mindfulness.
"Like when I forget to study for a test, I feel really upset. Then when I think about it more I start to get it and remember because of the information that we learned in mindfulness and then I start to remember."
"I just take a breath and then go back to my work."
Some students used mindfulness to help them focus on their homework.
"When I do my homework and there’s something I don’t understand, and my nanny’s there and she doesn’t quite understand the whole concept, I just kind of settle myself down. I put my head into it and just think about it and then it just…it works."
"Doing my homework, I like, I breathe before, and I get through it way faster."
Many students reported that they used mindfulness to reduce fighting with their siblings and parents, including using working with their siblings who also attend the school to use mindfulness to end conflicts between them at home.
"I think the mindfulness has helped a lot because I can definitely calm down and not get mad at my sister when she gets angry."
"I usually use it [mindfulness] for everything, because my brother irritates me all the time."
"I don’t get as upset as I used to [when parents are upset with me]. I just calm down more and not...flipping my lid as much."
Several students reported teaching mindfulness to their siblings and friends who were not at Carden.
"I’ve been telling my little brother about ‘your lid’ and stuff like that. I’m pretty sure it’s helped him a lot because he’s not [flipping his lid] anymore."
"My friend who doesn’t go to this school, she flips her lid A LOT at her little sister. So, I told her about mindfulness, and I think she’s been doing better at it because.... I just wanted to tell her about it because she tends to flip her lid a lot at her younger sister. I don’t blame her; her sister can be pretty annoying at times."
Many students stated that the mindfulness program has improved the school climate by increasing kindness and reducing anger between students at school and to help them cope better with challenging peer dynamics.
"Because it helps everybody [at this school] stay calm."
"That like when friends get mad at you now [since the mindfulness program], they don’t get as mad as they did before."
"You just kind of learn to control yourself and not get angry all the time."
Many found that the chime helped to relax them, finding ways to also use this at home in and during extracurricular activities.
"Sometimes I want to do something, but whenever I hear the bell, I forget about that and do what I’m supposed to do."
Many students believed their grades and ability to focus improved due to learning mindfulness.
"Like when I forget to study for a test, I feel really upset. Then when I think about it more I start to get it and remember because of the information that we learned in mindfulness and then I start to remember."
"I just take a breath and then go back to my work."
Some students used mindfulness to help them focus on their homework.
"When I do my homework and there’s something I don’t understand, and my nanny’s there and she doesn’t quite understand the whole concept, I just kind of settle myself down. I put my head into it and just think about it and then it just…it works."
"Doing my homework, I like, I breathe before, and I get through it way faster."
Many students reported that they used mindfulness to reduce fighting with their siblings and parents, including using working with their siblings who also attend the school to use mindfulness to end conflicts between them at home.
"I think the mindfulness has helped a lot because I can definitely calm down and not get mad at my sister when she gets angry."
"I usually use it [mindfulness] for everything, because my brother irritates me all the time."
"I don’t get as upset as I used to [when parents are upset with me]. I just calm down more and not...flipping my lid as much."
Several students reported teaching mindfulness to their siblings and friends who were not at Carden.
"I’ve been telling my little brother about ‘your lid’ and stuff like that. I’m pretty sure it’s helped him a lot because he’s not [flipping his lid] anymore."
"My friend who doesn’t go to this school, she flips her lid A LOT at her little sister. So, I told her about mindfulness, and I think she’s been doing better at it because.... I just wanted to tell her about it because she tends to flip her lid a lot at her younger sister. I don’t blame her; her sister can be pretty annoying at times."
Many students stated that the mindfulness program has improved the school climate by increasing kindness and reducing anger between students at school and to help them cope better with challenging peer dynamics.
"Because it helps everybody [at this school] stay calm."
"That like when friends get mad at you now [since the mindfulness program], they don’t get as mad as they did before."
You just kind of learn to control yourself and not get angry all the time.
Carden Student 2017
Kindness
We also did a survey at the end to measure students' perception of kindness at the school. In summary, students reported that their school was a place that taught, valued, and demonstrated kindness on a regular basis.
- 100% of students surveyed described their teacher as "kind" (in fact, many rated their teacher's "off the scale" by extending highest rating possible on the formal scale).
- 100% of students reported that "I am encouraged to be kind at school."
- 92% of students stated that the adults at the school role modeled kindness regularly.
- 89% of students endorsed "kindness happens regularly at school."
