Teaching
stress management and focus in school through meditation?
It can seem pretty hectic out there. The news is
constantly reporting on conflicts that are currently plaguing the world about
issues of violence with regards to religion, race and arguments over
differences of opinion. Within in our own lives we may have to address things
such as our time management in relation to work and our social activity. Decisions
of things such as spending, housing, career, food, and clothing. Having to
navigate through various social expectations and how we come across to one
another is also something we may also feel we have to consider. In this way we
are constantly having to manage our reactions and feelings so as to not
negatively affect those in our environment in fear that we may evoke from them
an undesired reaction or response. With these numerous responsibilities of our
experience just managing our personal world can be pretty hectic.
One of the primary ways of helping
us navigate and prepare for the world and our varying “responsibilities” is our
education. We have physical education in order to keep us active and allow our
growing bodies the chance to get its exercise. We are taught mathematics in
school, which may be used later in life for managing our spending, balancing a
budget, or organization of varying projects. We are also taught how to read and
write which can help us further our education by being able to understand and
have various insights into the world through the words, thoughts and ideas of
others expressed in literature. We even taught language and art as ways of
helping us to learn to express ourselves more universally.
We are also taught about history in
an effort to help us form an understanding of the past and learn from it to
move on to help build the future. I recall being told by a teacher in Junior
High School “We are taught history so that we may learn from it and hope to not
repeat our mistakes.” The irony of that
statement is that history still seems to repeat itself. We are in the 21st
Century and we still have wars, arguments about racism, and religion. All of
these conflicts having been around in varying incarnations throughout history.
Being quick to anger, not being able to think clearly, or respond well to
stressing influences often contribute to the environmental factors which may
eventually lead to some of the larger conflicts that take place.
If education is the means by which
we are meant to learn and be prepared for the world, perhaps it may be a good
idea to incorporate forms of stress, anxiety, and emotional management into our
formal education. Given the amount of stimulation available to us thanks to our
growing technologies for communication and entertainment it can be easy to be
overwhelmed with not only having to make decisions for our individual lives but
being aware of everything else going on in the world. One idea that has been proposed is the idea of
teaching meditation in schools. There are numerous amounts of benefits
associated with meditation “such as decreased depression, improved focus,
reduced stress and anxiety in general (Giovanni).” Proponents of the idea
believe that having these tools for stress management and developing focus and
control of our emotions at an early age can help make for a better functioning
individual.
The lack of a healthy stress
response in and of itself is not a sole contributing factor to the conditions
of the larger world issues but it does make a difference in our own individual
lives. In an article interpreting the results of a survey about stress
conducted by the American Psychological Association, Rebecca Clay states “Stress is up. Most Americans are suffering from moderate
to high stress, with 44 percent reporting that their stress levels have
increased over the past five years.” (Clay) The increase in stress not only
affects our emotional state but our physical health as well. Stress is known to
contribute to health concerns regarding the heart and weight gain.
Incorporating meditation in our education early may be beneficial in preventing
some of these health concerns. In an online Time Magazine article author
Laura Blue reports on a study that says “researchers found a 48% reduction in
the overall risk of heart attack, stroke, and death from any cause among
members of the meditation group compared to those from the health education
group.”
There are of a number of studies and
research still being completed regarding the subject of the effects of
meditation. The majority of the findings in the various studies point towards
the benefits of introducing meditation. One particular study introduced the
process of Transcendental Meditation with students from different public
schools in 4 different states, for the purpose of “Reduced Psychological Distress in Racial and Ethnic Minority Students
Practicing the Transcendental Meditation Program” (JOIP.) They wrote, “The
results of this study indicated that practice of the Transcendental Meditation
program is effective in reducing psychological distress in racial and ethnic
minority secondary school students…there were no treatment-by-ethnicity
interactions, indicating that the results were consistent across ethnic
groups.”(JOIP) It would appear that the idea of including meditation as a part
of our learning would be an asset to our current educational curriculum.
There are concerns however about the
realities of how it may actually have influence in our lives. Concerns that
have been raised about teaching mediation in schools has to do with the fear of
it being “religion in disguise.” (Decarr.) This concern stems from the fact
that the most effective practice of meditation being employed in the majority
of studies on its effects called mindfulness comes from ancient Buddhist
practices. The concern however is not as warranted as it might seem. The
practice of meditation involves developing habits of deep breathing, focusing
attention and awareness. These habits are not mutually exclusive or tied to the
Buddhist religion. The very act of observation is a component of mediation
practices and yet has no ties to religion but is instead something that occurs
naturally in the process of learning. The practice of meditation does not
require one to learn or be indoctrinated by the Buddhist religion or teachings
to learn and develop these skills.
Another concern was raised by a school
teacher from Vancouver, Canada named Tina Olsen. Olsen expressed some of the
concerns raised about teaching meditation in school in a “critique of a social
and emotional learning program called MindUP” which teaches meditation.
(Wickelgren) Her concern was that,
“To teach a child to
practice non-judgmental awareness is to risk interfering with the child’s
ability to heed his sense of right and wrong. A child must make judgements to
choose between right and wrong actions. When he acts in accordance with his
sense of what is right, he grows in moral character, and develops greater
self-control.” (qtd. in Wickelgren How
Social and Emotional Learning Could Harm Our Kids)
It can be noted that
often the arguments of issues regarding racism and religion stem from preconceived
ideas and notions about particular races or beliefs. Teaching non-judgmental
awareness could in some small ways alleviate and possibly prevent the
escalation of arguments and incidents based on subjects of racism and religion.
Through personal observation it can be said a number of unnecessary incidents
can arise from the assumption of racism or negative religious connotation when
in fact no such intentions exist within or are intended by the communicator.
The non-judgmental awareness aspect of some forms of meditation can be a
beneficial contributor to our human interactions. This being the case because
often judgments made on false premises or assumptions are what initiate
arguments or contention within an environment that may not have previously been
conducive to such experiences.
In every moment of our education we
are being prepared for the experiences we will have in life. Our ability to
cope and adapt to the world will be an essential part of our success in our
experiences. Incorporating beneficial practices such as meditation into our
education would be an valuable tool for helping us in our interaction in the
world. In effect reducing and managing our stress not only benefits ourselves
but those whom we interact with. We do this by not unduly placing our burdens
on others because we have the tools to manage ourselves. We have the tools to
find ways to bring back the peace and enjoyment in our lives because we can
more effectively manage our responses.
The evidence suggests at least the idea is worth considering.
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