Have you struggled to get BUY-IN from your older students?????
Today, we’re sharing The Zensational Kids’ method of gaining students’ interest, trust, and desire to try mindfulness.
If you have been following the research and science of mindfulness in the classroom over the past decade, you know that mindfulness offers many positive outcomes related to academic achievement, emotional intelligence, building authentic relationships, and developing a positive/growth mindset. One of the greatest obstacles educators report is “finding the time.” So many educators feel overwhelmed and overburdened with having something else to add to an already overloaded curriculum schedule. The truth is, there never seems to be enough time in the day to get through all of the material. One of the other “truths” in your classroom is that you are often teaching to a brain and body that is not in a “ready to learn state.”
Joy, calm, focus, ease, contentment, safety, inclusivity, connection…These are all inner states that activate the thinking parts of the brain, also known as the executive functioning skills of the prefrontal cortex.
In short, when students are in an easeful inner state, where they feel safe and connected, they learn more. Mindfulness is simply a path to get you (and your students) there.
Now for the second greatest obstacle…getting your middle or high school students to “buy-in” and (at the very least) agree to give mindfulness a try.
Perhaps you already have, and you were greeted with a whole lot of:
*eye rolling
*ignoring
*arm crossing
* head shaking
*”This is silly”
*”Are you kidding me?”
Yup. I have been there. Helping students try something new can be hard.
One of the most commonly asked questions I receive when we train educators in sharing mindfulness in their classrooms is, “How do I get them to BUY-IN and at least give it a try before they decide if they like it or not?”
Listen to these TIPS I gave to a high school educator who attended one of my training sessions this past fall.
Let me know if you have any questions to add. I LOVE sharing what I have learned over the past 10+ years of bringing Zensational Kids into districts throughout the country.
Need some suggestions of how to get the ball rolling with relevant questions to pose to your students? Here are our top questions to start with. I am sure you will think of others and I hope you will share them too.
We have found that sharing the experience of famous singers, athletes and celebrities often peaks the curiosity and interest of older students. Here are few of our favorites, as well as some videos that explain a bit about the neuroscience of the practice:
Our “Everyday Mindfulness” training provides educators with more than 40 mindfulness activities to help students achieve inner states of calm, focus, energetic balance, compassionate connection, learning readiness, and restoration.
You can purchase the manual here.
Interested in bringing a training session to your school/district? Let’s get started!
