A Mindful Community

Burke’s commits to fostering and supporting the physical, mental, social and emotional well-being of our students and adult community through our practices and program.  This statement serves as the guiding precept of our health and wellness program at Burke’s.  As part of this program, we recently introduced the practice of mindfulness. Why mindfulness? Our work with Challenge Success reconfirmed that an undercurrent of stress to varying extents exists in the lives of so many in our community. It is too easy in a world that is changing and progressing so quickly to live detached from the present and move at a physical and emotional pace that may be unhealthy and unproductive. The practice of mindfulness provides us with tools that we can use to slow down and return to the present.

According to Mindful Schools, the many benefits of mindfulness include better focus and attention, increased sense of calm, decreased stress and anxiety, enhanced health, improved impulse control, increased self-awareness, skillful responses to difficult emotions, increased empathy and understanding of others, and development of natural conflict resolution skills. Research led by Jon Kabat-Zinn and Daniel Siegel, as well as anecdotal evidence, support the effectiveness of mindfulness.  The goal for our work is that the practice of mindfulness will not only enhance learning, engagement and relationships at school, but also will be a tool that our students and adults carry into their lives beyond Burke’s.

As a faculty and staff, we began to explore mindfulness last summer when we read The Mindful Child, by Susan Kaiser Greenland. In October, Burke’s began working with Mindful Schools, a professional organization that is leading the training of all students, teachers, and staff. This training involves multiple sessions for faculty and staff, and fifteen 15-minute in-class sessions with students between October 25 and January 19.

The results are already evident -- students at every grade level are incorporating mindfulness into their lives both in and out of the classroom. I asked my seventh grade students if they had used mindfulness outside of the formal lessons. Hands eagerly shot into the air! One student commented that she is using mindfulness before she begins her homework each evening, another that it helped her focus in the middle of a test, and another used mindfulness in the middle of an exciting and stressful semi-final varsity volleyball game. It has been exciting to watch even our kindergartners move into their mindful bodies, place their hands on their bellies, close their eyes and take mindful breaths. Mindfulness is already making a difference in our community.

Susan Kaiser Greenland, the author of The Mindful Child, writes, “Breathing is the most natural thing in the world, the foundation of our lives. We do it without thinking about it, but by tapping into the power of this simple act, we can better manage stress and live happier lives.” This is our intention, for each and every member of the Burke’s community—to tap into this power and live even richer lives.

Lisa Spengler
Upper School Faculty