Tired of feeling overwhelmed? Are you trying to balance your own emotions as well as the emotional state of your students. You have discovered the right information: Introducing Mindful education: a practice that can create emotional intelligence among your students, an invaluable skill to help them recognize, understand, and manage their emotions more effectively in any situation.
Whether you’re a seasoned teacher or new in the industry, teaching can feel overwhelming and sometimes very intimidating.
Don’t Worry-by the end of this reading, you’ll have a solid plan designed to promote not only your own mental health but also the mental health of your classroom.
Understanding Mindful Education and Emotional Intelligence
Before diving into Mindful Education and its relevance emotional intelligence, it’s essential to grasp what these concepts entail. Mindful Education involves bringing your attention back to the present experience anytime it slips away into the past or future. It means forgetting about the past and giving no thought to the future. It is establishing your thoughts in the here and now.
Classrooms engage in Mindful Education to maintain a state of calmness during daily school routines and transitions. This helps students stay aware of their current experiences and focus on the need to effectively get things done.
Emotional intelligence is the ability to recognize, understand, and manage as well as use emotions effectively in various situations, both personally and socially. Each day students and teachers face many emotional ups and downs which can be quite stressful, interfering with focus and productivity.
Four Aspects of Emotional Intelligence
There are four aspects of emotional intelligence, including self-awareness, self-regulation, empathy, social skills.
- Self-awareness: recognizing and understanding your own emotions
- Self-regulation: managing and controlling your emotions effectively
- Empathy: Understanding and sharing the feelings of others
- Social skills: building rapport and managing relationships
If your students possess these four skills, the classroom environment will be an oasis of peace and harmony in every situation.
Practical Strategies for Fostering Emotional Intelligence
Educators can engage students with a several activities designed to foster emotional intelligence. These include:
Mindful Breathing
Allows students to pay attention to the movement and sensations of their body so that they can become more focused on what they are doing in each moment. This practice can be down before each transition.
Guided Visualization
You can participate in this guided practice experience with the children. Imagine a peaceful place filled with peace and harmony. Students, as well as yourself, will experience a reduction in stress and anxiety.
Gratitude Journaling
Having students to write down everything they are thankful for will go a long way in helping them to appreciate the little things in life.
Mindful Movement
Allow the students to get up out of their chairs and participate in mindful activities. These can include stretching exercises, noticing the movement and sensation of the body.
Mindful Walking
Get those students out of the classroom setting. Guide them around the playground or around the school. Inspire them to pay attention to every step taken in their immediate environment.
Mindful Eating
Snack time is an opportune time to through on the meditative music. While they are eating, encourage them to concentrate on the taste, smell, and all the sensations of eating.
Mindful Listening
Play a piece of classical music or relaxing nature music. Allow students to listen mindfully, focusing on all the wonderful sounds they hear. Music is a healing therapy.
Silent Time
Establish a time when it should be absolutely silent in the classroom. Whatever they are doing they will learn to appreciate quietness and stillness as well as discover how it will enhance mental focus and inner wellbeing.
Tips for Challenging Classrooms
If you have a challenging classroom, dedication to these strategies will gradually enhance the atmosphere of your classroom, however the process may take a little longer. Use effective incentives to motivate resistant students to participate in mindful education activities.
For these students, mindful movement and walking are the best practices because of the amount of energy they possess.
Help them imagine what the classroom can look like and promote the importance of their participation in achieving a mindful education.
Having been an educator for nearly thirty years, I have seen the entire classroom transformed by practicing mindful education techniques daily.
Benefits of Establishing Emotional Intelligence
Once emotional intelligence has been established in your classroom via mindful practices, you will enjoy the benefits daily. These will include:
Improved Student relationships
Emotional intelligence enhances significant skills such as communication, empathy, and conflict resolution skills, resulting in a healthy relationship.
Effective Leadership
Great leaders inspire, motivate, and lead groups and teams successfully. Mindful practices prepare students for such high-level leadership.
Better Mental Health
Emotional intelligence correlates with reduced stress, anxiety, and overall better mental well-being for both students and teacher.
Conclusion
As an educator, you don’t have to go through the entire school year feeling tired and overwhelmed. Neither do students have to go from lesson to lesson without any calming and brain relaxing experiences that support focus and academic productivity.
Mindful education
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