More US schools are taking breaks for meditation, teachers say it helps students’ mental health

REX, Ga. (AP) — Third-grade students at Roberta T. Smith Elementary School had just a couple of days until summer break and an hour until lunch, but they’d no trouble focusing after they walked into class. They were ready for certainly one of their favorite parts of the day.

The children closed their eyes and moved their thumbs from their brow to their hearts as a pre-recorded voice guided them through an exercise called shark fin, a part of an everyday classroom meditation routine.

“Listen to the bells,” said teacher Kim Franklin. “Remember to breathe.”

Schools across the U.S. have introduced yoga, meditation and mindfulness to assist students manage stress and emotions. As the depth of scholars’ mental health struggles became clear within the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention endorsed schools’ use of the practices last 12 months.

Research has shown that mindfulness programs in schools will be helpful, especially in low-income communities where students struggle with high levels of stress or trauma.

The mindfulness program got here to Smith Elementary School through a contract with the Clayton County Public Schools system, where two-thirds of the scholar body is black.

GreenLight Fund Atlanta, a network that connects communities with local nonprofits, helps Georgia school systems fund a mindfulness program offered by Inner Explorer, an audio platform.

Joli Cooper, executive director of GreenLight Fund Atlanta, said it was necessary to the group to support a company that’s accessible and relevant to communities of color within the Greater Atlanta region.

Children across the country struggled with the results of isolation and distant learning as they returned from schools closed as a result of the pandemic. The CDC reported in 2023 that greater than a 3rd of scholars felt persistent sadness and hopelessness. The agency really helpful that schools use mindfulness practices to assist students deal with their emotions.

“We know that our teens and young adults are really stressed in terms of their mental health,” CDC Director Dr. Mandy Cohen told The Associated Press. “There are real skills that we can give our teens to make sure they’re coping with big emotions.”

Mindfulness approaches are a type of social-emotional learning that has turn out to be a political flashpoint amongst many conservatives, who say schools are using them to advertise progressive ideas about race, gender and sexuality.

But supporters say this system helps focus much-needed attention on student well-being.

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“If you look at the numbers, unfortunately in Georgia the number of kids of color with suicidal ideation and success is quite high,” Cooper said. “If you look at the number of psychologists available for these kids, there are not enough psychologists of color.”

Black youth have the fastest-growing suicide rate amongst racial groups, in response to CDC statistics. Between 2007 and 2020, the suicide rate amongst black children and youths ages 10 to 17 increased by 144%.

“There’s a stigma around being able to say you’re not OK and you need help, and being able to ask for help,” said Tolana Griggs, assistant principal at Smith Elementary School. “With our diverse school community and wanting to be more aware of our students, how different cultures feel and how different cultures respond to different things, it’s important to be well-rounded in everything we do.”

Across the country, children attending schools predominantly attended by students of color have less access to psychologists and counselors than children attending schools predominantly attended by white students.

The Inner Explorer program guides students and teachers through five- to 10-minute sessions of respiration, meditation, and reflection several times a day. The program can be utilized in Atlanta Public Schools and greater than 100 other districts across the country.

Teachers and administrators say they’ve noticed a difference of their students since incorporating mindfulness into their routines. For Aniyah Woods, 9, this system helped her “calm down” and “not stress out anymore.”

“I love myself as I am, but Inner Explorer helps me feel more like myself,” Aniyah said.

Malachi Smith, 9, practiced at home while his father helped him meditate.

“You can relax by looking at a shark fin, and once I calm down, I realize I am a brilliant scientist,” Malachi said.

After completing their meditation, Franklin’s class shared their feelings.

“Relaxed,” one student said.

Aniyah raised her hand.

“It made me feel at peace,” she said.