Since the dawn of education, it has been the goal to teach children how the world operates — through science, literature, writing, and math. Give children an understanding of these principles and one assumes they will become productive members of society. Slowly, we are realizing that we cannot simply teach children what to think; we must also teach them how to think. Simply knowing the facts doesn’t equip them to become functional human beings.
The Mindfulness in Schools Project (MiSP) aims “to encourage, support and research the teaching of secular mindfulness in schools.” The goal is to help educators and children be more mindful about their education — so that they not only learn traditional skills, but also develop resilience, well-being, and effectiveness in daily living.
MiSP is based in the United Kingdom, but there are organizations in the United States as well, including the Association for Mindfulness in Education and Mindful Schools. Though many of these organizations are moving forward, the MiSP movement appears to be among the most advanced.
What is encouraging is that educators are slowly beginning to understand the value of teaching children mindfulness and mindfulness meditation. These practices help children identify their feelings so they can more easily express and manage them. The benefits include:
- Increased attention
- Fewer conduct and anger management problems
- Increased emotional regulation
- An ability to self-calm
- Decreased depression and anxiety
Those of us who already practice meditation and mindfulness know these benefits firsthand. We become less reactive to the world. We tend to remain calm and give ourselves a mindful moment to assess what is happening before we attempt to deal with a situation. When we are not feeling our best, we know how to pause, understand what we are feeling, identify why, and recognize that whatever triggered our feelings is most likely something we can process before moving on.
In today’s world, we feel ever-increasing pressure to make quick decisions for fear of losing something. Mindfulness and meditation can help us realize that our thoughts are the key to everything happening around us — and that we have more agency than we think.
If you feel inspired, please visit the organizations I’ve mentioned and take some time to learn about mindfulness practice in our education system. If you are an educator, think of ways you can incorporate these practices in your classroom. Mindfulness is not a religion, so it can be introduced without conflicting with anyone’s beliefs. And if you have children, consider sharing your mindfulness practice with them — help them understand how they can use it in school and in life.
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