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Catching Butterflies

by Debbie DeGroff
February 26, 2014

 

I received a link to an article from a friend who isn’t apt to simply read an article and applaud unnecessarily.  He has an all-too-rare quality these days of actually asking questions and searching for the answers.  He included lots of additional information about the ideas introduced in this article—-enough to catch my attention and cause an investigation of my own.

The article was taken from The School Leadership 2.0 site and is titled:  Why I No Longer Use Bellringers by Paul Barnwell.[1]  A bellringer is simply an activity the teacher uses to keep the students busy in a hopefully productive way while he/she is doing other tasks.  This could be a daily vocabulary or math exercise, for example.  This seemed to be a beneficial exercise, so now I needed to read the rest of the article to find out just what Mr. Barnwell is doing presently with his class instead of these bellringers.

Instead, my students and I take 4-5 minutes at the start of every class to practice
mindfulness with a simple breathing meditation.   And so far, I’m happy with the results of
replacing instant work demands with the expectations that students simply be.[2]

Just what is ‘practicing mindfulness’?  And what, pray tell, is ‘expectations that students simply be’?  I googled  ‘mindfulness’ and came up with 5,400,000 results.  A quick glance showed that a person could even earn a Master’s in Mindfulness Studies.

Though it has its roots in Buddhist meditation, a secular practice of mindfulness has entered the American mainstream in recent years, in part through the work of Jon Kabat-Zinn and his Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program, which he launched at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in 1979. [3]

      I was still confused about “replacing instant work demands with the expectations that students simply be.”[4] Of course we all know that the students already exist and exist means ‘to be’.  So these kids who already ‘be’ are now meeting a new expectation that they must ‘simply be’?  Is anyone else curious as to what this really means?

Mr. Barnwell then lists the reason why he changed to mindfulness practice.  It was after reading a Mindshift article “Why Teaching Mindfulness Benefits Students’ Learning.”[5] Barnwell quotes Patricia C. Broderick, PhD from this MindShift article.  Broderick is the author, along with Myla Kabat-Zinn RN, BSN and Jon Kabat-Zinn PhD of Learning to Breathe:  A Mindfulness Curriculum for Adolescents to Cultivate Emotion Regulation, Attention, and Performance.

Lamenting the high stress levels of the kids, Barnwell sees a need to provide these mindfulness
practices at the beginning of class to lead to “greater academic engagement and well-being.”
“For now, that means giving students a chance to simply be, to take a quick breather…”[6]

Since both Zinn and Broderick are mentioned in this article, it would seem fair to begin with their published work Learning to Breathe.[7]

…What if there was a way to calm these students down and arm them with the mindfulness skills needed to really excel in school and life? Written by mindfulness expert and licensed clinical psychologist Patricia C. Broderick, Learning to Breatheis a secular program that tailors the teaching of mindfulness to the developmental needs of adolescents to help them understand their thoughts and feelings and manage distressing emotions. Students will be empowered by learning important mindfulness meditation skills that help them improve emotion regulation, reduce stress, improve overall performance, and, perhaps most importantly, develop their attention. The book also includes a website link with student handouts and homework assignments, making it an ideal classroom tool.

The book integrates certain themes of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn, into a program that is shorter, more accessible to students, and compatible with school curricula… This easy-to-use manual is designed to be used by teachers, but can also be used by any mental health provider teaching adolescents emotion regulation, stress reduction and mindfulness skills. The author is a graduate of the MBSR advanced practicum at the Center for Mindfulness in Massachusetts, led by Jon Kabat-Zinn. She is also a clinical psychologist and a certified school psychologist and counselor for grades K-12… The book is structured around six themes built upon the acronym BREATHE, and each theme has a core message. The program allows for themes to be delivered in 6 longer or 18 shorter sessions, depending upon time and needs of students. The 6 core lessons are: Body, Reflection, Emotions, Attention, Tenderness, and Healthy Mind Habits.

Learning to Breathe is the perfect tool for empowering students as they grapple with the psychological tasks of adolescence.[8] [emphasis added]

 

I guess this means that there is no intent to let these children “simply be”.  The real intent is to calm them down and teach them mindfulness skills.  What exactly are these ‘mindfulness’ skills and how are they taught to these kids?  By going to youtube and keying in ‘mindfulness education’, 213,000 results popped up. The first video I watched was called Mindfulness in Education, Learning from the Inside Out.[9]   Interestingly, the first quote Amy Burke placed on the screen was one by Krishnamurti.  I hadn’t heard about him for a while.   Krishnamurti was born in 1895 in India and adopted by Annie Besant, the then president of the Theosophical Society.  Many believed that he was to be the World Teacher. I will add a different Krishnamurti quote here that will perhaps give you a clearer perspective concerning his beliefs.

You want to have your own gods–new gods instead of the old, new religions instead of the old, new forms instead of the old–all equally valueless, all barriers, all limitations, all crutches. Instead of old spiritual distinctions you have new spiritual distinctions, instead of old worships you have new worships. You are all depending for your spirituality on someone else, for your happiness on someone else, for your enlightenment on someone else; and although you have been preparing for me for eighteen years, when I say all these things are unnecessary, when I say that you must put them all away and look within yourselves for the enlightenment, for the glory, for the purification, and for the incorruptibility of the self, not one of you is willing to do it…  Krishnamurti[10]

Ms. Burke mentions that we need to learn to listen to our hearts.  Oh dear!  Bad idea!  The Bible tells us in Jeremiah 17:9 that:  The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked:  who can know it? Then she speaks of “noticing your breath without judgment.”  Hmmm. I haven’t taken any of these mindfulness courses, so I don’t know where to begin trying to explain this.  She explains that mindfulness is being used in corporations, mental health fields, governments, and “slowly trickling into education”… She mentions bringing a chime bar to class which she uses to center her students. Lastly, she acknowledges that “we know that it is going to take time to restructure education.”[11]

In the next video, Mindful Schools:  In Class Instruction, we learn that as of June 2010, Mindful Schools has taught over 8,000 children in 34 Bay Area schools, 74% of which serve low-income children.  Chime bells are mentioned once again. The students are obviously keeping a journal, also.  One such page is shown on the screen; I have transcribed it.

4/14/09
what I lrend abo_ot mindfulness is when you have a thogh just get your net an cach the buderfly afther that let it go away.[12]

My guess is that there was time taken away from a much needed Spelling class to incorporate these mindfulness exercises in which the children learn how to simply be and notice their breath without judgment.

A facilitator is shown with a child in her home environment with her mother and siblings.  She is questioning the child as to whether or not she uses mindfulness at bedtime.  The child says that she does and the parent states that her daughter calms herself faster now.  The video ends with the screen advertising Mindful Schools.

Mindful Schools is a leading resource for mindfulness in education, offering in-class instruction for children and training for adults.
It is followed by their website and e-mail address.  Let’s take a look at this site:

Our mission is to integrate mindfulness into education.

We offer online courses for educators, mental health professionals, and parents to use mindfulness with youth. Over 200,000 children and adolescents in 48 U.S. states and 43 countries have been impacted by our graduates.[13]

What is Mindfulness?

Mindfulness is a particular way of paying attention. It is the mental faculty of purposefully bringing awareness to one’s experience. Mindfulness can be applied to sensory experience, thoughts, and emotions by using sustained attention and noticing our experience without reacting.

…If you want to learn mindfulness or to teach it to youth, please see our courses.[14] [Course topics include Meeting Resistance.]

[15]

The cost for the year round certification classes?
The Early Bird (Before March 1, 2014) is a mere $3,950; after March 1^st—-$4,950. 

[16]The Mindful Schools Certification is an equal opportunity program. People from LBGTQ communities, people with disabilities, and people of all racial backgrounds are encouraged to apply. [17]

 

Oh, and Continuing Education Units are available for educators, too.
They have a trailer on this site for a film called Room to Breathe.[18]  This is only less than 2 minutes. Please listen for the chimes.  Now look again at the pictures above and below.

 

Mindful Schools featured in
TIME magazine
cover story
“The Mindful Revolution”[19]

 

A young boy on the testimonial video relates the following:

During one class, Miss Ellen, our Mindfulness teacher, told us how we can send kindness to others.  My mom has been in the hospital for a month.  She is expecting a baby and has had some complications.  I decided to fill my heart with kindness and send it to my mom and future sibling.  It made me feel so good like my heart was going to burst.[20]

 

I’m sorry.  I’m missing something here.  He filled his heart with kindness and sent it to his mom and now he feels wonderful.  Was this via mail?  UPS?  FedEx?  or the mind?  Did his mom receive it?

In this next video, Gadadhara Pandit Dasa is speaking at the Teacher’s College at Columbia University.
In this talk, Gadadhara Pandit Dasa shares his personal journey about becoming a monk and his goal to introduce university communities to a more holistic and balanced life style as part of their education and work experience. As part of his talk, he takes the audience on a meditative journey and explains the added value of integrating a few minutes of meditation into your daily life.

Gadadhara Pandit Dasa has been a monk in the bhakti-yoga tradition since September of 1999. Pandit currently serves as the first-ever Hindu chaplain of Columbia University and New York University. His activities at Columbia include facilitating weekly vegetarian cooking classes, discussions on the Bhagavad-Gita, and sessions on the art and practice of mantra meditation.[21]

As a Hindu monk, I wear orange robes, a shaved head, some markings on my forehead which means I’m trying to elevate my consciousness…
At 11:09…he engages the audience in a 2-3 minute meditation session…he begins by trying to ‘relax them a little’…close your eyes…take a deep breath in…focus on the breath coming in…slowly exhale watching the breath leave your nose….take another slow and deep breath in…watching the air enter your nose and lungs….exhale slowly letting out all of your thoughts…[2 Cor. 10:5 10:5  Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;]…now bring your awareness to the top of your head…slowly bring your awareness down to your forehead….center your awareness between your eyebrows….take a minute to look inward and try to observe your mind [the mind is not physical…what are they looking at?]…now bring your awareness down to your heart…see if you can feel the beating of your heart…see if you can notice the rhythm of your heartbeat…now bring your awareness down to your feet…feel the weight of your feet against the floor…slowly take a deep breath in…and raising your awareness all the way back up to the top of your head…exhale slowly…slowly open your eyes…take another deep breath in…relax…feel free to use this technique throughout the day…and throughout your life as in when needed…[24]

Another video shows that there is even a Mindfulness in Education Network’s Annual Conference.

The mindfulness in education network was established in 2001 by a group of educators, students of  Thich Nhat Hanh, Zen Master and peace activist nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Collectively we saw mindfulness as an antidote to the growing stress, conflict and confusion in educational settings as well as an invaluable gift to give students. The purpose of our network is to facilitate communication among all educators, parents, students and any others interested in promoting contemplative practice (mindfulness) in educational settings.[25]

The Community Public Charter School in Charlottesville, Virginia uses the Learning to Breathe:  A Mindfulness Curriculum as we can see in this next video.

 

About the Community Public Charter School Mission Statement:

Our school re-engages struggling learners with their love of learning through relationships, literacy tutorials, and arts-infused curriculum in a joyous environment.

A School of Choice The Community Public Charter School (CPCS) was founded in 2008 and currently serves 40 sixth through eighth graders in a literacy-focused, arts-infused environment with all teachers dedicated to building positive relationships with every student. …If the number of student applicants exceeds available spaces, the school holds a lottery for admissions, with extra weight given to students struggling with literacy.  To promote positive relationships and feelings of success with academics and self-management, the school uses William Glasser’s Choice Theory, as does Albemarle County’s Murray High School, though CPCS is adapted for middle school students. CPCS also uses Mastery Learning to ensure that all students learn essential content, skills, and an understanding of school curricula and themselves as people and citizens. No student is allowed to fail at CPCS…As a school of choice, CPCS provides an educational alternative for all Albemarle County families, but is especially designed to serve students with significant reading needs and/or those who have experienced difficulty engaging in general elementary and middle schools.[29]

Just what is this Choice Theory?

William Glasser developed The Choice Theory, which is the belief that students are motivated more by their internal needs rather than traditional external needs… Firstly, Glasser identified two types of classroom teachers: boss teachers and lead teachers. Boss teachers are described as being more traditional. They utilize the rules and consequences method to structure instruction. They teach using a mandated curriculum and standardized assessments. These teachers use rewards and consequences to get students to achieve what’s needed. Therefore, students’ learning are primarily motivated by rewards and avoiding punishment. On the other hand, the Choice Theory believes in having lead teachers. Lead teachers base their instruction on the basic needs of the students… When the Choice Theory is implemented within the classroom, students should have an active role into how and what they are taught. The teacher should structure the lesson around what internally drives the students to learn. Class meetings should be held and within these meetings, discussions should be carried on in order for the students to speak, thus allowing the teacher to understand in depth what satisfies the students’ learning. When a new topic is introduced, the teacher should ask students what they would like to explore. An example of Choice Theory and education are Sudbury Model schools. In these schools, students decide for themselves what they will learn and when, how, and where they will do it…

…only “good grades” should be given ( those that verify quality work) to satisfy students’ need for mastery. If a student does not earn a satisfactory grade in a subject, that course is not recorded on the student’s transcript. Teachers do not use a standard grading system; teachers grade students using an absolute standard instead…[30]

This Mindfulness training for educators took place in Ontario, Canada.  In the picture above, the instructor is striking the chimes.

Jon Kabat-Zinn is the featured speaker at this Askwith Forum at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.  Jerry Murphy does the introductions. He is a member of the faculty and former dean of the school.

Tonight we gather to discuss an important recent trend, namely Mindfulness is gathering steam in schools and colleges across the country. I think this promising education movement is led by a growing number of what I like to think of as quiet revolutionaries who believe that we need to pay a lot more attention to the inner life of children and to their teachers…This movement that is underway could not be happening today had it not been for the pioneering work of Jon Kabat-Zinn.[32]

Mindfulness in Education is even being discussed and promoted at Harvard!

I also found this “Teaching Mindfulness To Children At Home and In Schools” video on youtube.

Mindfulness- http://www.gostrengths.com Dante has a habit that is common in all of us: his mind shifts backwards to the past and forwards to the future, so he misses out on things that are going on in the present. Mindfulness, an ancient Buddhist practice, can help Dante and all of us focus on the present and think about our problems without reacting. It involves becoming a nonjudgmental, outside observer of your own thoughts. Learn more about mindfulness and how it can help you reduce stress, anxiety, and depression at http://www.gostrengths.com.[33]

I looked up the website.  This company sells Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) computer
programs to schools.  The above Mindfulness video is one of these animations.

Now remember this from the Mindful Schools segment?

4/14/09
what I lrend abo_ot mindfulness is when you have a thogh just get your net an cach the buderfly afther that let it go away. [37]

[What I learned about mindfulness is when you have a thought, just get your net and catch the butterfly; after that let it go away.] Both Mindful Schools and GoStrengths use this concept of catching one’s thought(s) with a butterfly net.Well, there you have it.  Mindfulness Education has something to do with catching one’s thoughts.
Are there other definitions or explanations?  I once again returned to a google search of ‘Mindfulness Education definition’.    I was curious when I spotted “Mindfulness: A Teacher’s Guide – PBS”.  I opened the link and this is what I saw:

 

[38]

I kept looking and re-looking at the toolbar to make sure that this was a Public Broadcasting site. (PBS) The Buddha, a film by David Gruben, had been shown on PBS.  You can see at the top right of the screen that the DVD is available for purchase from PBS.  So how does, Mindfulness:  A Teacher’s Guide by Dr. Amy Saltzman fit into all of this?  Dr. Saltzman begins by defining Mindfulness and then attempts to establish a need for this type of education:

 

While there are many definitions of mindfulness, the definition I use with children and adolescents is: Mindfulness is paying attention to your life, here and now, with kindness and curiosity…This ability to pay attention is a natural, innate human capacity. One does not need to be Buddhist to pay attention in this way, any more than one needs to be Italian to enjoy pizza… As a classroom teacher, you already know that many of your students are stressed…
You have also most likely realized that student stress frequently inhibits their ability to learn, and that the emphasis on academics is neglecting the development of the social-emotional qualities essential for skillful world citizenry… [Emphasis added]
The newly emerging discipline of Mindfulness in K-12 education is actively investigating whether offering mindfulness to children and adolescence enhances attention, executive function, and learning, and promotes pro-social behavior and general well-being…[39]

 

Next, Dr. Saltzman documents the results of four studies (one conducted by herself) on children as young as second and third grade that showed the following benefits:

…significant increases in attention and social skills and decreases in test anxiety and ADHD behaviors… second and third grade children who began the study with poor executive function had gains in behavioral regulation, meta-cognition, and overall global executive control after Mind Awareness Practices for 30 minutes twice a week for 8 weeks… 4th-7th graders and their parents, showed that after 1 hour of mindfulness training for 8 consecutive weeks the children demonstrated increased ability to orient their attention, as measured by the Attention Network Task, and decreased anxiety…
[a group of teens had] significant increases in global assessment of functioning scores in the mindfulness group (vs. the control group). In layperson’s terms, this means that adolescents who were initially diagnosed with clinical depression and anxiety were no longer depressed or anxious…[40] [Emphasis added]

I need to interject here the definition of global assessment of functioning scores:

The Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) is a numeric scale (0 through 100) used by mental health clinicians and physicians to rate subjectively the social, occupational, and psychological functioning of adults, e.g., how well or adaptively one is meeting various problems-in-living. The scale is presented and described in the DSM-IV-TR on page 34. The score is often given as a range. The GAF is no longer included in the DSM-5. The new DSM-5 will include a WHODAS outline, which will take the GAF score’s place. It is a survey and check box that is less likely to be subjective.[41]  [Emphasis added]

Next, Dr. Saltzman writes about  The SMART in Education™ (Stress Management and Relaxation Techniques in Education) program.  This is an 8-week, 36 contact hour accredited teacher renewal program designed for educators and administrators.  We learn from the SMART in Education site:

Stress Management and Relaxation Techniques in Education™
SMART in Education is an evidenced-based personal renewal program designed especially for educators working in K-12 settings
The program involves experiential activities in mindfulness including: meditation, emotional awareness and movement.   Weekly meetings also include presentations and group discussions.
SMART in Education is a 20-hour program delivered once a week for 8 weeks after school along with a half day Saturday retreat.   CEU credits are available from Adams State University and districts may choose to offer other forms of credit.  Group Rates are Available to Schools and Districts.[42]

Dr. Saltzman continues:
At the end of the program, 95% of participants said they would recommend the program to their teacher colleagues and their principal…A recently published paper, by Patricia Jennings, Ph.D. and Mark Greenberg Ph.D., outlines how stress reduction and mindfulness programs which support teacher social-emotional competence, enhance the classroom environment, learning, as well as student social-emotional development. Based on their preliminary work, the Department of Education has funded a 1.2 million dollar grant to further investigate these effects…
And teaching mindfulness is like teaching anything else: to teach with excellence you must know and be passionate about the subject. Since mindfulness is an experiential discipline, to offer it with integrity, the teaching must come out of your own practice. [43] [Emphasis added]

Dr. Saltzman’s article continues with a description of how to teach Mindfulness in the Classroom.
In any given classroom there will be at least a few children who have lived through one or more of the following: neglect, divorce, illness, death of a family member, emotional, physical, and/or sexual abuse, violence in their homes or communities, being uprooted from their homes, and war. Unfortunately, in some classrooms these experiences are the norm… Even with the best intentions we can do harm if we expose a wound that we don’t have the skill to attend to.[44]  [Emphasis added]

The Still Quiet Place

The language below is for students in Kindergarten through 2nd grade, and can be adapted for all ages.

…today I would like to share one of my favorite places with you. It is called Still Quiet Place. It’s not a place you travel to in a car, or a train, or a plane. It is a place inside you that you can find just by breathing.

Let’s find it now. If you feel safe, close your eyes. Whether your eyes are open or closed, take some slow deep breaths. See if you can feel a kind of warm smile in your body. Do you feel it? This is your Still Quiet Place. Take some more deep breaths, and really snuggle in.

The best thing about your Still Quiet Place is that it’s always inside you. And you can visit it whenever you like. It is nice to visit your Still Quiet Place and feel the love that is there. It is especially helpful to visit your Still Quiet Place if you are feeling angry, or sad, or afraid. The Still Quiet Place is a good place to talk with these feelings, and to make friends with them. When you rest in your Still Quiet Place and talk to your feelings, you may find that the feelings are not as big or as powerful as they seem. Remember you can come here whenever you want, and stay as long as you like.[45]

What do we know?  This is a practice based on Buddhist meditation practices and the children are being psychologically diagnosed and treated.  She even admits that Even with the best intentions we can do harm if we expose a wound that we don’t have the skill to attend to.  These unlicensed practitioners desire your children to simply be, to learn a Buddhist meditation technique and incorporate it into their everyday lives, and to be able to send thoughts to others.   One site promoted their easy-to-use manual designed to be used by teachers, but can also be used by any mental health provider.  Chime bars are sometimes used to center the students. And let’s not forget that the Department of Education has funded a 1.2 million dollar grant to further investigate these effects…[46]  Lastly, the silence from the ACLU, People for the American Way, and the Freedom From
Religion groups is deafening!  [Emphasis added]

Google the “Dangers of Mindfulness meditation.” I found 59,600 results and read some of these articles.  I found a very insightful article by Marcia Montenegro called Mindfulness Goes to Kindergarten[47]  posted by Stand Up For The Truth.

 

One of the more worrisome trends in our public schools is the Eastern mystical practices seeping into the classroom under the guise of stress management. Yoga, meditation and something called “Mindfulness” are all now being taught to children as young as five.[48]

Thus far, there is only one comment posted in response to the School Leadership 2.0 site article by Paul Barnwell.  It is a comment by Mike Musil.

 

Great post.  What you’re doing and suggesting makes perfect sense.  I can imagine arguing for such a technique with some administrations and fighting an uphill battle.  I would love to see more research on its effectiveness. [49]

 

Well, there you have it.  Teaching Mindfulness makes perfect sense…
We have to stop applauding and supporting such nonsense. These practices are harmful to our children.  Chances are that you, like me, had never heard of Mindfulness until today.  What other programs, curriculums, and practices are you unaware of?
“But my school district is a good one…” Really?
The time is now to get your children out of these government experimental laboratories.

 

[1] Barnwell, Paul, “Why I No Longer Use Bellringers”, 02/19/2014, http://www.schoolleadership20.com/profiles/blogs/why-i-no-longer-use-bellringers-by-paul-barnwell,
(accessed 02/24/2014)

[2] Ibid

[3] Greater Good:  The Science of a Meaningful Life, “What is Mindfulness?”, http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/topic/mindfulness/definition, (accessed 02/24/2014)

[4] Barnwell, Paul, “Why I No Longer Use Bellringers”, 02/19/2014, http://www.schoolleadership20.com/profiles/blogs/why-i-no-longer-use-bellringers-by-paul-barnwell,
(accessed 02/24/2014)

5  Barseghian, Tina, “Why Teaching Mindfulness Benefits Students’ Learning”, 09/12/2013, http://blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/2013/09/why-teaching-mindfulness-benefits-students-learning/, (accessed 02/24/2014)

6 Barnwell, Paul, “Why I No Longer Use Bellringers”, 02/19/2014, http://www.schoolleadership20.com/profiles/blogs/why-i-no-longer-use-bellringers-by-paul-barnwell,
(accessed 02/24/2014)

7  Broderick, Patricia C., Learning to Breathe, Publisher: New Harbinger Publications, 06/01/2013

8  http://www.newharbinger.com/learning-breathe, (accessed 02/24/2014)

9 Burke, Amy, “Mindfulness in Education, Learning From the Inside Out”, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2i2B44sLVCM, (accessed 02/24/2014)

10 J.Krishnamurti ONLINE, “Truth is a Pathless Land”, August 3, 1929,
http://www.jkrishnamurti.org/about-krishnamurti/dissolution-speech.php, (accessed 02/24/2014)

11 Burke, Amy, “Mindfulness in Education, Learning From the Inside Out”, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2i2B44sLVCM, (accessed 02/24/2014)

12 Mindful Schools:  In Class Instruction, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMK481p5wWM,

(accessed 02/24/2014)

13 Mindful Schools:  Integrating Mindfulness Into Education, http://www.mindfulschools.org/

14 Mindful Schools:  Integrating Mindfulness Into Education, “What is Mindfulness?”, http://www.mindfulschools.org/about-mindfulness/mindfulness/, (accessed 02/24/2014)

15 Mindful Schools:  Integrating Mindfulness Into Education, http://www.mindfulschools.org/training/mindful-schools-certification/, (accessed 02/24/2014)

16 Ibid

17 http://www.mindfulschools.org/training/curriculum-training/, (accessed 02/24/2014)

18 Room to Breathe (a film trailer), http://www.mindfulschools.org/resources/room-to-breathe/, (accessed 02/24/2014)

19 Ibid

20 Mindful Schools:  Integrating Mindfulness Into Education, Testimonials,
http://www.mindfulschools.org/our-programs/, (accessed 02/24/2014)

21 Dasa, Gadadhara Pandit, “Mindfulness, Humility & Holistic Approach to Education”, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxFepht7I7o (accessed 02/24/2014)

22 Ibid

23 Ibid

24 Ibid

25 The Mindfulness in Education Network’s Annual Conference, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVTyw34xg78, (accessed 02/24/2014)

26  Learning to Breathe: A Mindfulness Curriculum,  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpDBusFB9zI,
(accessed 02/24/2014)

27  Ibid

28 Ibid

29 Community Public Charter School, A School of Choice, http://www2.k12albemarle.org/school/CPCS/about/Pages/default.aspx, (accessed 02/24/2014)
30 Classroom Applications- The Choice Theory, http://williamglasser2.wikispaces.com/Classroom+Application+Choice+Theory, (accessed 02/26/2014)

31 Mindfulness Retreat for Educators: Orientation, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VnWjHZ3lSw&list=PLe6952M8Rh5k6TVgvPdZJKdqrSFGWAe4U,
(accessed 02/24/2014)

32 Mindfulness in Education | October 16, 2013 Askwith Forum, 10/16/13, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWPLr225CRI, (accessed 02/24/2014)

33  “Teaching Mindfulness To Children At Home and In Schools”, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBpEYa74w2Y, (accessed 02/24/2014)

34  GoStrengths:  Social and Emotional Learning…Revolutionized! http://www.gostrengths.com/,
(accessed 02/25/2014)

35  GoStrengths:  Social and Emotional Learning…Revolutionized!  http://www.gostrengths.com/animation/gotools-the-5cs-song/, (accessed 02/25/2014)

36  GoStrengths:  Social and Emotional Learning…Revolutionized! http://www.gostrengths.com/how-it-works/, (accessed 02/25/2014)

37 Mindful Schools:  In Class Instruction, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMK481p5wWM,

(accessed 02/24/2014)
38 www.pbs.org/thebuddha/teachers-guide/‎ (accessed 02/26/14)

39  Saltzman, Dr. Amy, “Mindfulness:  A Teacher’s Guide”, www.pbs.org/thebuddha/teachers-guide/‎
(accessed 02/26/2014)

40  Ibid

41  Wikipedia, Global Assessment of Functioning, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_Assessment_of_Functioning, (accessed 02/26/2014)
42 PassageWorks:  Engaged Teaching and Learning, SMART in Education, http://passageworks.org/courses/smart-in-education/, (accessed 02/26/2014)
43  Saltzman, Dr. Amy, “Mindfulness:  A Teacher’s Guide”, www.pbs.org/thebuddha/teachers-guide/‎
(accessed 02/26/2014)

44  Ibid

45  Ibid

46  Ibid

47  Barnwell, Paul, “Why I No Longer Use Bellringers”, comment by Mike Musil,  http://www.schoolleadership20.com/profiles/blogs/why-i-no-longer-use-bellringers-by-paul-barnwell,
(accessed 02/24/2014)
48   Montenegro, Marcia, http://standupforthetruth.com/2012/02/mindfulness-goes-to-kindergarten/, (accessed 02/24/2014)

49   Mindfulness Goes to Kindergarten preface, http://standupforthetruth.com/2012/02/mindfulness-goes-to-kindergarten/, (accessed 02/24/2014)

Barnwell, Paul, “Why I No Longer Use Bellringers”, 02/19/2014, http://www.schoolleadership20.com/profiles/blogs/why-i-no-