Quieting the Mind

I must admit that as I began to read this article, I could almost feel my eyes starting to roll. Perhaps I have become oversensitive to what the one teacher called “Cloud Nine-groovy-hippie-liberals bringing ‘enlightenment’ to inner city schools”. As I continued to read, however, I started to see how this practice does have some merit and potential to do a lot of good for our students. The line that really struck me was that “parents and teachers tell kids 100 times a day to pay attention, but we never teach them how.” What a great point! I had never thought about it in those terms. It is akin to studying for tests and taking notes, things that we emphasize to our students but do not enough time to show them how.

At the very least, quieting the mind is an attempt to address what we all agree is an ever-increasing problem in our classrooms. Students are often overstimulated and unable to cope with their emotions.

I foresee and opportunity through physical education and health courses to incorporate this practice into high schools. Students today certainly need something to help them deal with their complicated lives. The 21st century teenager has a lot of luxuries that we might not have had in decades past. However, with those luxuries come a multitude of new problems, stresses, and anxieties.