2016

05 Oct Christian Science Monitor Highlights CSP: Reimagining Schools

The Christian Science Monitor published an in-depth story on the Compassionate Schools Project.

One of the teachers, Miss Clem, commented on the difference with this type of instruction, “How many times as a teacher have I said, ‘Sit up and focus,’ when I’ve never once given you the definition of what focus means?”

Now, she’s showing them what it feels like to focus…. She points to that morning, when one most of the class was sitting obediently, but “I had a kid, during the bell, running across these chairs,” Clem says, pointing to a row of blue chairs lined up against the wall. “But,” she says proudly, “I had 22 kids who were able to sit here and tune him out. Now imagine that in a testing situation.

“They need to be able to stay focused even through major distractions. Everything about this curriculum teaches them how to do that.”

29 Sep TIME Magazine Features Compassionate School Project

In “The Mindful Classroom,” Time highlighted the Compassionate Schools Project curriculum being implemented in Louisville, Kentucky classrooms.

From the article, by Mandy Oaklander for Time:

Some Experts Think Mindfulness is the Antidote to Distraction, Misbehaving—Even Poor Math Scores. Are They On to Something?

Christina Johnson’s Classroom must be the most peaceful place at Cane Run Elementary School in Louisville, Ky. Instead of desks, six rows of black yoga mats line the floor. All the lights are off except for one gently glowing lamp. Underwater sounds gurgle from a pair of speakers. Today nearly two dozen fifth-graders are sitting on the mats with their shoes off and eyes closed, following Johnson as she guides them through a relaxation exercise. “Take a nice, nice deep breath in, and keep your hands on your anchors, please,” Johnson says. The kids place one hand on their chest, the other on their belly. Johnson taps a chime and the kids know what to do: listen intently, and when the long reverberation stops, their hands shoot up. “Good job,” Johnson says.
Photo by Luke Sharrett for Time: Fifth-graders flow through yoga-inspired poses in a mindfulness class at a public school in Louisville, KY.

—Time Magazine, October, 2016 

*Time Magazine allows access to the full article only with a subscription here, “The Mindful Classroom,” but you may get the article by contacting Youth-Nex. For this permission, contact: Ellen Daniels edaniels@virginia.edu.

19 Aug NPR talks to Jennings about Unique Teacher Development Program

Tish Jennings is featured on the NPR Higher Ed blog for her work with CARE, Cultivating Awareness and Resilience in Education, the evidence based program she co-founded which teaches mindfulness to teachers. CARE is the first mindfulness program studied with funding from the U.S. Department of Education. Jennings is also a key leader on the Compassionate Schools Project.

From the NPR article:
“Teaching is inherently a stressful occupation, and by many accounts, it’s getting more so. Students bring the effects of poverty and trauma into the classroom. Administrators lay on the pressure to meet ever-changing standards. In the last few years, teacher job satisfaction has reportedly plummeted to a 25-year low, and turnover is high — almost 50 percent for new teachers. Patricia Jennings isn’t necessarily out to change all these factors. Instead, she aims to help teachers become the change they wish to see in the world.”

Read the full story: When Teachers Take A Breath, Students Can Bloom

25 Jul City of Kindness Features Compassionate Schools Project

The City of Kindness is a coalition of organizations, including Friends of the Dalai Lama, and the Born This Way Foundation, working to inspire kindness in the world. City of Kindness featured the Compassionate Schools Project as one of several resources “to create a culture of kindness from inspiring small acts all the way to building lifelong social and emotional skills.”

See: “Teach Kindness“