Pre-Course

·         Pre-course – September 5 – 7

o   Retreat, August 31 – September 7

o   Hanh & Weare, Happy Teachers Change the World

o   YouTube: Hanh, “We help our children by teaching them mindfulness”

§  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8H4ZC1xfTXM

o   Article: “Does Mindfulness Belong inPublic Schools? Two Views,” Tricycle, Brown and Santorelli, (2016)

§  https://tricycle.org/magazine/does-mindfulness-belong-public-schools/

o   Begin course Journal: thoughts, notes, connections

§  Personal intention(s) for course and study of mindful education

§  Why mindful education?

JOURNAL

Greetings from the Washington State coast! My name is Liz and I live in a small resort town named Ocean Shores. I am a native Washingtonian, home-schooled my three children, received an undergraduate degree in Religion from Pacific Lutheran University as a non-traditional student, and am glad to start my third semester in this Mindfulness Master’s Program. I live with my husband, Chuck, my best girlfriend, Lisa, and my son, Taylor. When I am not studying or writing, I enjoy cooking, gardening, and playing tourist in my own backyard of the Pacific Northwest.

Since my journey started with the study of religion back in the mid-90’s, both as a devotee and academic, this program is a continuation and a practice. I was drawn to this program because I was interested in higher education and the subject matter. I believe that mindfulness practice is needed in so many ways, both individually and collectively, as it has been beneficial for so many since the time of the Buddha. My area of interest is bringing mindfulness techniques and benefits to elementary education. While I am not a certified teacher, I love working with children and being a part of their lives. I currently volunteer in a local 3rd grade classroom introducing students to mindfulness activities and mindful dialogue.

My personal intentions for this independent study are to understand the academic and cultural discussion surrounding mindfulness in education, specifically elementary. I really am excited to see the bigger picture beyond any hype or ‘magic bullet’ perspective on the benefits of mindfulness to students, teachers, administrators, and parents alike. The complexity of public education is obvious, but no more than any other area of human interaction. It is my observation that the longer institutions are established and functioning, the more complex they become. So, with that in mind, and a healthy dose of reality, empathy, and compassion for all involved, I am motivated to understand as much about the current environment, and how mindfulness can possibly be of service, in elementary education.

So, why mindful education?

I am not alone is saying that it is so important to give children a solid, healthy start in life. Elementary education is a huge part of that. I enjoy being with children because I find them transparent and honest about their experiences, observations, and feelings. Interacting with them about important subjects in a context of mindfulness, to me, is a natural way to explore deeply important life skills such as self-regulation, self-awareness, empathy and compassion toward others – really, how to live in the world without getting trampled and defeated. I truly believe that the skills of mindfulness, even on a rudimentary level, can lend valuable life skills to children that have potential to stay with them for their lifetimes. I want to be a part of that and is my effort to ‘be the change’ – more loving empathy and compassion – that this world desperately needs.

I don’t believe that the public schools are horrible places for children to be, as some homeschoolers claim. But I do know that there is a particular kind of suffering that can manifest in school environments that is distinct from home – more people, more distractions, and more peer pressure (for a start). But then, there are instances where the classroom or school community can be a refuge for certain students because their homelife is a dangerous place. It is my desire to bring whatever tools and compassion I can to the school environment to help.

This year is my second year of volunteering in a 3^rd grade classroom at Pacific Beach Elementary. I am fortunate to be working with Lisa, my best friend and roommate, who is the teacher of this class of about 20-ish students (Lisa has taught elementary education for more than 20 years). The demographic of the district is pretty evenly split between  low-income white students from mostly conservative families, and low-income Native American students from the adjacent close-knit reservation community of the Quinault Indian Nation. There is a tribal elementary school, but a good number of families choose to send their students to Pacific Beach Elementary that is a short distance from the community of Tahola.

A little history: Pacific Beach is one of two elementary schools in the North Beach School District. This district has not had a stellar reputation throughout its history, and last year had to dismiss the superintendent for inappropriate and harmful management. The new superintendent is very dynamic and charismatic – everyone is cautiously hopeful that Mr. Kelly will infuse the district with some much-needed optimism and positivity. The principal of Pacific Beach Elementary where I volunteer has been in her position for many years and is very open to mindfulness techniques and anything that will be a benefit for the students and the teachers.

I met with the principal, Lynette, at the end of last school year where I had the opportunity to share my course of study and need for internship. At the end of that conversation, I am happy to say, she gave her blessing for me to continue volunteering and introducing mindfulness activities to the 3^rd grade class, an unpaid internship for Spring semester at PBE, and to continue meditative dialogue with small groups throughout the year. (Last year I did fieldwork of introducing Insight Dialogue to 3^rd graders as my final project in Mindful Communication). Also, I will be giving my final presentation for this independent study to the faculty at PBE.

My main motivation for earning a degree in Mindfulness Studies, and with this independent study, is to facilitate less suffering. I want to suffer less, I want my family and friends to suffer less, and I want to help the students, teachers, and administration at PBE to suffer less. With that intention firmly in mind, I will see where that leads.

Reactions, Reflections & Connections

The Tricycle article was a great one to start the course. I was rather surprised that a religion professor could be so staunch on her assessment that Buddhism is a religion; I would have at least expected more nuance that ‘some’ schools of Buddhism practice rituals/religious activity, but she sort of threw all Buddhist thought into the bucket of ‘religion.’ She stated that “certain leading proponents envision ‘secular’ mindfulness as ‘stealth Buddhism,’ a ‘skillful means’ or a ‘Trojan horse’ for mainstreaming the Dharma” (Brown, 2016). It almost seems as though she thinks that all religions are seeking converts (similar to evangelicalism). It is on this assessment that she bases her argument:  mindfulness practices or techniques do not belong in public schools. 

I can see her point and concern – if mindfulness practices were simply Buddhist and if all who are teaching mindfulness were intent on gaining Buddhist converts. But, in my rather biased opinion, I must agree with the statement of Santorelli, that the practice is “nonreligious - mindfulness doesn’t not ask someone to adopt a predetermined belief system or dogma. In practice, mindfulness offers us a method for investigating the nature of sentience and sanity” (2016). Further, she pointed out, and I tend to agree, that no one religion ‘owns’ contemplative practice. I guess I would classify contemplative practice, such as meditation or mindfulness practice, as a rather generic human spirituality (that’s the 'sentient and sanity' part – connecting the body-mind in the present moment  facilitates self-awareness and allows space to explore one’s feelings, emotions, and experiences). I especially liked the statement “while mindfulness is an ethos – the core being ‘do no harm’ – mindfulness is not a religion” (Santorelli, 2016).

One last comment about the article: perhaps Brown was conflating religion with spirituality, however I don’t believe they are the same. Religion is a set of agreed upon beliefs, rituals, and purity laws, while spirituality is concern of the human spirit (or soul, if you will), that is a 'nourishment' of self-awareness within a wider environment or even the cosmos. (Those are my own definitions.)

Concerning Happy Teachers Change the World, even though TNH is obviously practicing mindfulness as part of his religion, I don’t think he would join those who might suggest that mindfulness taught to school students is a form of ‘stealth Buddhism.’ He clearly stated that his purpose is to “offer effective methods for educators to apply mindfulness in their own daily lives and the lives of their colleagues and their students, helping to create a more loving, peaceful and supportive learning environment where there is mutual trust, communication, and understanding in classrooms, schools, and universities” (Hanh & Weare, 2017). We all need more compassion, acceptance, and peace in all areas of life, in my view. Further, I am not an advocate of religious proselytizing in any form, and certainly appreciate this attitude of sharing what can be a tool for self-awareness and possibly self-regulation. For me, that is all a win.