MINDFULNESS BUILDS RESILIENCE

Breathe Deeply. Once Again.

MINDFULNESS BUILDS RESILIENCE

Gray ’33 practices roller coaster breathing, a student favorite during the mindful moments Katie Aladj ’03 uses while teaching guidance resource classes. Norfolk Academy’s youngest learners, students in grades one through three, are bolstering their social and emotional competence in this Year of Togetherness through lessons that emphasize mindfulness. Mindfulness is a general concept, one that has become more popular in schools in recent years. The Mayo Clinic describes mindfulness as an intense awareness of how you are feeling in the present moment, without interpretation or judgment. Recent educational research supports the positive effects of practices like focused attention and breathing exercises on improving self-awareness and the ability to self-regulate.

Mindfulness strategies can be particularly helpful for young students, as they adjust to school expectations and begin to independently navigate social relationships outside of their households. This year, as was the case last year, students also face added stressors related to adjusting Covid-19 safety protocols like masks and distancing.

At Academy, first grade students learn about how different parts of their brains respond to stress and other intense emotions. After being introduced to the prefrontal cortex, amygdala, and hippocampus (in a child-friendly way, complete with silly nicknames and hand gestures), students are better able to identify and understand their own thoughts, emotions, and actions.

With this background knowledge, students are empowered to focus on the steps they can take to thoughtfully respond instead of reacting during stressful times, whether that be a particularly challenging math problem or a loss on the soccer field at recess. Students begin each guidance lesson in first through third grades with a mindful minute. Some favorites include “roller coaster breathing,” “belly breathing,” and “fire hands.” These strategies help students to focus their attention and awareness on the here and now.

Both students and teachers alike have responded with excitement to the applications of mindfulness that extend beyond guidance class. Resource teachers are using mindful prompts to help children transition appropriately through the hallways, and physical education teachers have incorporated focused breathing into their lessons. It’s not uncommon to walk past a primary classroom whose teacher is using one of the mindful minute scripts, introduced in guidance classes, to refocus or prepare the group for an upcoming lesson.

Perhaps most popularly, Cooper Library Librarian Madelyn Kresinske and Guidance Counselor Katie Aladj ’03 have collaborated to host combined “guidrary” classes in the spring that include relaxation breathing and yoga poses. Students look forward to these lessons, especially when they are able to bring their yoga mats outside and enjoy their surroundings on campus.

This intentional focus on self-awareness and self-regulatory skills in the early academic years helps to boost individual resilience while laying the groundwork for later lessons in character development, problem solving, and healthy friendship skills. ◆

Katie Aladj ’03 is a Lower School Assistant Director and Guidance Counselor for grades 1–3. She incorporates mindfulness into her guidance resource classes.