Meditation in my Classroom

Hello all,

I'm looking for a bit of guidance regarding my classroom meditation practice.

I am a high school teacher who teaches AP World History and AP US History. About four years ago, during the stressful time of preparing for AP Exams, I began to introduce meditation as an opening activity to start my class. I used Calm.com and did their 12-minute, guided, "Introduction to Meditation" program, and it went well. Students found peace in a time of tremendous stress. I did some research over that summer, was amazed by the scientifically proven cognitive benefits, and decided that I would open my class with meditation. I have done so for the last three years. Students adore the practice, and it has become a hallmark of my classroom.

In general, I begin each school year with that same "Introduction To Meditation" for the first week of school and then spend the rest of the year doing a short (4 to 6 minute) breathing meditation that is self-guided with a bell that chimes each minute to remind students to come back to the breath. This is my classroom practice in its current form. I am considering two changes and would really appreciate feedback on these changes.

Regular to Weekly - I am changing schools next year and the schedule is different. I meet with students every single day, for about 50 minutes. I see two options - I can either do a 4-minute meditation every day or I can do a Meditation Monday where we do a longer extend meditation. I think regularity is nice, but I really can't afford more than 4 minutes per day and I wonder if they are receiving the benefits of meditation within that short time. When we do a longer meditation, students seem more visible impacted by the practice at the end.

Unguided to Guided - It's hard to know the inner workings of students minds, but it seems that they do better with guided practices. They seem to fidget less, open their eyes less, and in general, stay focused on the breath with more ease. I get the impression that unguided meditation is contributing to students engaging in mindlessness instead of mindfulness. I am leaning towards guided practices, but I can't seem to find any short guided programs. Both Calm.com and Headspace seem to average about 10 minutes per guided session. If I switch to weekly, this isn't a problem, but I don't see a way to do daily guided.

These are two big changes for me in my classroom. I want to make sure I am going in the right direction. My ultimate goal of this practice is to provide my students with the tools necessary to provide them with a clear and focused mind while contributing to their mental wellbeing. Any advice you could give on this matter would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Submitted April 30, 2019 at 11:07AM by Prazeres http://bit.ly/2DHajnh