Chapter 20: A Zen Moment: Using Mindfulness to Engage and Heal Classrooms

Can mindfulness be used to engage students in the classroom? And can such engagement lead to greater understanding and healing for both the teacher and students? This chapter will tell of middle school teacher Dennis (pseudonym) and his experiences with a teacher mindfulness–based intervention (MBI) in a K–12 professional development setting. Utilizing case study methodology and interviews with Dennis immediately after the intervention and at a five–month follow–up, this chapter spotlights his use of a daily “Zen Moment” to engage and relate to his students on a deeper, more spiritual level. In Dennis’s own words, he tells the story of how the compassion training from the MBI impacted his relationship with his students and led to the development of a social and emotional “check in” and ultimately, a whole new mindfulness curriculum.