Video: Mindful Practices for Teachers

by Guy E. White on 14 August, 2014

Mindful practices have changed the way that I work with my students.

Mindful practices, those that encourage mindfulness, include breathing exercises, silence, posture, and focusing on specific senses. Do these types of practices have a place in the classroom? If so, do they have a place in both elementary and high school classrooms? This video explains dialogue circles and other mindful practices that I think could be used in any classroom.

When I was a 17-year-old twelfth grader, I failed my final exam in my math class. I stood up from my desk when the final bell rang, knowing that I had absolutely bombed. Worse still, I felt that I most likely would not be going to college because of my performance on this one test. As I stood up, the blood was already drained from my face and the front of my brain. I began to blabber something to the teacher, and he kindly put up his hand and said, “Guy, before you say anything, take a couple deep breaths for me.” My mind returned to sanity and we were able to discuss the situation.

Here is the video:

You can watch more videos by this content creator here.

Mindfulness and mindful practices are a huge topic of discussion in the business world right now. This video gives a preview of what I think will be more and more common within many classrooms throughout the United States very soon. Some of these strategies are at play in my own classroom.