One of the most appealing elements of the mindfulness philosophy and practice, for me, is the cultivation of a non-judgemental outlook and approach to others and to yourself. As someone who naturally holds strong positions on things, I can easily fall into the trap of judging.
When I was a teenager, I suffered some serious health problems. After several years of hospital treatment, I ended up in a rehab program based on the 12 step program of Alcoholics Anonymous. While not based on mindfulness, it cultivated empathy, compassion and forgiveness and during that time I experienced relationships based on honesty but without judgment. For all of us there, recovery, often a matter of life and death, depended on our ability to face ourselves and others without deceit. It meant facing up to our failings and difficulties in a non-judging way, accepting them and then working out how to work on the bits that needed amending, being accountable for the way we were to ourselves and others in order to live a healthy life.
That experience, of learning self-honesty and self-compassion and using them to overcome difficulty, is part of what made me become a teacher. I wanted my classroom to be a place where pupils experienced those kind of honest but kind and supportive relationships.
So how can mindfulness help with this? Mindfulness is about “Paying attention in the present moment, on purpose, and without judgment''. With so much to think of in the classroom, keeping attention focused in the now, both in terms of space and time can be difficult. But it is essential if you are to give children that sense of personal and connected learning.
Similarly, it can be all too easy to get caught up in judgments - of others (students, colleagues, parents) and yourself. Developing the skills needed to react in a kind and compassionate way to yourself and others and to ask what's going on for you and what will help, can help bring that classroom (not to mention yourself) back to that place of support and challenge where great learning can happen.
Research shows that cultivating the practice of mindfulness makes teachers more effective by equipping them with the social-emotional skills essential to be a good teacher.
When I was a teenager, I suffered some serious health problems. After several years of hospital treatment, I ended up in a rehab program based on the 12 step program of Alcoholics Anonymous. While not based on mindfulness, it cultivated empathy, compassion and forgiveness and during that time I experienced relationships based on honesty but without judgment. For all of us there, recovery, often a matter of life and death, depended on our ability to face ourselves and others without deceit. It meant facing up to our failings and difficulties in a non-judging way, accepting them and then working out how to work on the bits that needed amending, being accountable for the way we were to ourselves and others in order to live a healthy life.
That experience, of learning self-honesty and self-compassion and using them to overcome difficulty, is part of what made me become a teacher. I wanted my classroom to be a place where pupils experienced those kind of honest but kind and supportive relationships.
So how can mindfulness help with this? Mindfulness is about “Paying attention in the present moment, on purpose, and without judgment''. With so much to think of in the classroom, keeping attention focused in the now, both in terms of space and time can be difficult. But it is essential if you are to give children that sense of personal and connected learning.
Similarly, it can be all too easy to get caught up in judgments - of others (students, colleagues, parents) and yourself. Developing the skills needed to react in a kind and compassionate way to yourself and others and to ask what's going on for you and what will help, can help bring that classroom (not to mention yourself) back to that place of support and challenge where great learning can happen.
Research shows that cultivating the practice of mindfulness makes teachers more effective by equipping them with the social-emotional skills essential to be a good teacher.