The effectiveness of mindfulness practices on students and teachers is supported by hundreds of empirical studies and many organizations specialize in helping teachers and students bring mindfulness into the classroom and other learning environments. However, my experience in co-writing The Mindful School Leader: Practices for Your Leadership and School (Corwin, 2014) is that school leaders are too often underserved and largely left on the sidelines of the mindfulness revolution sweeping schools. Mindfulness practices can help school leaders learn fundamental building blocks of sustainable and coherent school leadership to address work stress and isolation. And, even crisis can be invitation to grow and to expand leaders’ mindset and patterns of behavior, and mindfulness can help.
Try this Three-Minute Mindfulness Self-Reflection Morning Practice
· Before you arrive at school, take three minutes to breathe deeply.
· Focus on the in and out breath.
· As the mind wanders, gently bring it back to your focus on the in and out breath.
· At the end of about three minutes silently ask yourself: What is my most important value today?
· Notice emotions and how you feel.
· Breathe deeply a few more times and stretch gently and begin your day. Throughout your day, recall your most important value.
