Students of Stillness

By teaching school kids to be “in the moment,” an Oakland educator helps them focus.

Illustration by Keiko Morimoto

(page 2 of 2)

How could public school teachers justify devoting 15 minutes when they have so much material to cover so that their students can meet state standards?

The program takes a total of three hours and 45 minutes to teach a lifetime skill. It helps classroom management. 
 
If this program is based on Buddhist practices, is this bringing religion into schools?

We’ve taken the Buddhism completely out. What we’re doing is completely secular. We had Christian ministers look at this. They said, “There’s no religion there.” I’m Jewish. I don’t know Buddhism at all.
 

What are your long-term plans?

I have sought social justice in education for over 30 years and have found mindfulness to be the most effective tool ever. I would like to see mindfulness in every classroom in the country, from preschool to grad school. Mindfulness mitigates the stress we all face. The younger we are when we learn it, the better equipped we will be to be present for our lives, to greet the joys, and to as gracefully as possible address the challenges we will inevitably encounter.