peers who did not regularly meditate (David Lynch Foundation, n.d.); and reduction in academic stress, absenteeism, and negative or destructive behaviors among students (Barnes, Bauza, & Treiber, 2003; Paul et al., 2007). Meditation may also improve students’ physical health, as it has been linked to reductions in blood pressure and risk of cardiovascular diseases among practitioners (Tanner et al., 2009). Although not all mindfulness strategies involve meditation, both practices rely on similar mental dynamics.
Increasingly, mindfulness practice is being integrated into schools as more and more studies show the positive effects it can have on students. As an example, consider Visitacion Valley Middle School in San Francisco. Before adopting the Quiet Time program, an integrated mindfulness program that incorporates two fifteen-minute periods of meditation into the school day, the school struggled with disruptive and poorly behaved students, frequent fighting during the school day, graffiti, and continual confrontations between students and teachers (Kirp, 2014). However, after implementation, the school noticed a drastic change in students’ behaviors:
In the first year of Quiet Time, the number of suspensions fell by 45 percent. Within four years, the suspension rate was among the lowest in the city. Daily attendance rates climbed to 98 percent, well above the citywide average. Grade point averages improved markedly…. Remarkably, in the annual California Healthy Kids Survey, these middle school youngsters recorded the highest happiness levels in San Francisco. (Kirp, 2014)
The following list presents specific strategies from Patricia A. Jennings (2015) that allow teachers to incorporate mindfulness into their classrooms.
▸ Mindful listening: During transition times, engage students in specific listening activities that encourage mindfulness. It may be helpful to exclusively use a specific chime or bell for this activity. To begin, announce, “We’re going to do a listening activity that will help our minds relax and become more focused. First, let’s all sit up nice and tall in our seats with our hands folded in our laps (or on the desk). In a few minutes, I’m going to ring this chime, and we’re going to listen to the sound until it disappears. I find that I can focus my attention on my hearing best when I close my eyes. You can try that, but if you aren’t comfortable closing your eyes, you can lower your gaze to your hands.” After the students seem collected, ring the bell. Once the ringing has stopped, begin class.
▸ Mindful walking: During transition periods, instruct students to pay particular attention to the way they walk and how their feet hit the ground (with the heel, then ball of the foot, and then the toes making contact with the floor). Take the class on five- or ten-minute walks to break up instruction or when students seem particularly restless.
▸ Setting intentions: Instruct students to set an intention every morning, such as “I want to challenge myself today” or “I intend to make something positive out of something negative.” Throughout the day, ask students to recall their intention and assess the degree to which they have been honoring it.
▸ Three breaths: Use this strategy when it seems that students are anxious or need a break. Ask students to take three deep breaths with their hands resting on their chests so that they can feel their lungs fill with air.
These strategies can and should be adapted for different age groups. For example, instead of talking about intentionality with younger students, a teacher could start the day by asking students about the good things they hope will happen and what they are going to do to make them happen. At the end of the day, the teacher could ask students to reflect on the day to make connections between their actions and the events that occurred.
Rachel’s Challenge
A particularly powerful tool to help students experience a connection to something greater than self is the series of assemblies and workshops presented by Rachel’s Challenge. These programs center around the story of Rachel Joy Scott, the first student killed in the shooting at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, on April 20, 1999. The story of Rachel Scott provides compelling evidence for students’ most inspirational ideals, such as the belief that one person can make a lasting impact on the world. Furthermore, the presentations themselves use Rachel’s story as a vehicle to teach students directly about altruism, empathy, forgiveness, gratitude, and mindfulness.
Rachel’s Story
Rachel Joy Scott was a normal junior at Columbine High School. She had two older sisters and two younger brothers. She loved to journal and was the lead in the spring play. Like other teenagers, she experienced her share of struggles and worked through the mistakes of adolescence. However, Rachel was also exceptional in many ways.
At a young age, Rachel recognized the importance of her actions and lived every day with purpose. In an essay on her personal code of ethics (Scott, n.d.), Rachel articulated that she sought to be “honest, compassionate, and [look] for the best and beauty in everyone,” and this outlook informed her interactions with others. Because she was empathetic and recognized the value of kindness, she was known for her continual efforts to get to know and be kind to her peers, particularly those struggling socially. In the same essay about ethics, she also noted that while many people doubt their ability to positively impact the world, she felt differently: “My codes may seem like a fantasy that can never be reached, but test them for yourself, and see the kind of effect they have in the lives of people around you. You just may start a chain reaction.” Clearly, she lived her life aware that her actions deeply affected others and intended to create a chain reaction of kindness.
Rachel always seemed aware that she would leave behind a legacy. For example, she made comments to friends and teachers that she would cause positive change in the world and once created a tracing of her hands with a statement that read, “These hands belong to Rachel Joy Scott and will someday touch millions of people’s hearts.” However, she also seemed to be aware that her life would end prematurely, and she discussed this premonition with her friends and wrote about it in her journal. Unfortunately, her predictions about her short life came true. Even right before her death, she reiterated to her teacher that she was going to change the world for the better. This prediction has proved to be true as well, and she left behind a legacy through Rachel’s Challenge that has touched the lives of millions of people around the world.
After Rachel’s death, her father, Darrell Scott, began traveling around the United States to tell her story to lawmakers, educators, and students and to advocate that education should focus more on building character and teaching principles like those Rachel valued. Over time, his speeches developed into an assembly and workshop series called Rachel’s Challenge, which teaches others to follow Rachel’s example by embodying the characteristics that came to define her. Since 1999, Rachel’s Challenge has presented to over twenty-two million people, working in one thousand two hundred schools and businesses each year. The effects of Rachel’s Challenge are notable. Teachers and administrators have reported widespread changes in the climate and culture of their schools after students heard Rachel’s story. More exceptionally, Rachel’s Challenge has received hundreds of letters from students who associate the assembly program with their decisions not to take their own lives.
Programs
Rachel’s Challenge offers a variety of programs for schools. Each program tells the story of Rachel Scott and integrates age-appropriate lessons on social and emotional intelligence. These programs challenge students to practice altruism, empathy, forgiveness, gratitude, and mindfulness and use the inspirational ideals embodied in Rachel’s story to encourage such practices. Rachel’s Challenge programs are available in the formats listed in table 2.4.
Table 2.4: Rachel’s Challenge Programs
| Program | Recommended
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