ABOUT
Meditation is a practice developed to cultivate emotional well-being. Meditation consists of focusing on one's own breath. This process of constantly focusing on one's breathing technique helps to train the brain to stay present and control responses to stress. By blocking outside distractions, meditation serves as a way to reboot the brain. Research has proven that meditation can make the brain stronger and in turn, enhances academic performance. Our school wants to put Meditation into practice to help relieve the constant overwhelming stress most students experience. In a demanding and rigorous learning environment like Classical, students often times disregard their mental health. Meditation is just one example of the Classical community showing their care for one another.
Implementation Strategy
Option 1: Meditate for five minutes at the beginning of elective periods
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Component A: training elective teachers in leading meditation
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Component B: purchase a headspace (or other) account for teachers to share
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Component C: introduce meditation practice at the beginning of the year
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Component D: debrief monthly to see what changes need to be made (what’s working, what’s not working)
Option 2: Meditate for five minutes at the end of homeroom
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Component A: training homeroom teachers in leading meditation
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Component B: purchase a headspace (or other) account for teachers to share
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Component C: introduce meditation practice at the beginning of the year (potentially in long advisory)
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Component D: debrief monthly to see what changes need to be made (what’s working, what’s not working)
Option 3: Fifteen-minute group meditation led before school on Wednesdays
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Component A: select a few homeroom teachers to provide meditation space and accommodate all students who want to come
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Component B: support by purchasing tea and a headspace (or other) account for teachers to share
Long-term goals:
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Create an elective course focused on meditation
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Incorporate meditation practice into health curriculum