Mindfulness and the Teacher

The connection between mindfulness and education is both natural and fundamentally important, now more than ever.  The difference between a good teacher and a great teacher, it is often that ineffable quality that you know but cannot pin down in words.

As mindfulness becomes a household word, it is becoming a schoolhouse practice.  Given the wealth of research supporting the benefits of mindfulness practices on memory, learning and emotional regulation and wellbeing, it’s no wonder that this ancient practice is playing an important role in what is perhaps society’s most important mission. 

The Mindful Tecaher website is a resource for educators and parents interested in learning more about mindfulness and the ways it is being introduced into the educational setting, from Pre-K to 12, and in colleges and graduate programs across the country, including law and medical school.

Perhaps one of the most fascinating elements of mindfulness in the education context is the interpersonal dynamic that is almost always at play among teachers, teachers and students, and teachers and administrators.  As we learn more about the social nature of our neurobiology, and the positive effects mindfulness practices have on enriching interpersonal exchanges, it is easy to see how the infusion of mindfulness tools into the educational context can improve the quality of education by enhancing the educator’s capacity to more deeply connect with students and teach at a higher level of efficacy.

The Mindful Teacher website offers a series of programs and services for schools, and their administrators, teachers, students, and parents.  Through the use of technology, these programs and services (e.g., The Mindful Teacher Text Service) work together to bring the heart of mindfulness instruction and exercises into the day to day life of educators.