Mindfulness at Baldwin

Mindfulness at Baldwin
Posted on 12/05/2017
MindfulnessTo be mindful is to bring awareness to the present moment with curiosity and without judgment.

Research on mindfulness​and adults over the last 30 years has been showing positive benefits. Research on mindfulness and youth is more recent. Studies have shown that mindfulness education with youth can increase attention and emotional regulation, improve social skills, and decrease stress and anxiety.

At CPS, mindfulness has been growing with teachers’ increasing interest and the district support through grassroots efforts. At Baldwin, Natalia Cepeda, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction and Mindful Schools teacher, has been teaching the Mindful Schools curriculum in several classrooms.

The program, which consists of frequent short lessons in the classroom, allows students to learn and practice mindfulness skills and to share how the skills help them at school and at home. After the program, teachers are offered support to continue practicing mindfulness with their students on an ongoing basis.

MindfulnessIn Ms. Moylan's first grade, students learn mindful listening to be able to pay attention to sounds in their bodies and close by, and then sounds far away. This helps them better manage their attention in class. Mindful listening is an exercise that helps students focus during the lesson, specially those who are still struggling to focus on their breath.

In Ms. Fitzgerald's third grade class, students are learning how mindfulness can help them when they take a test. Students can tap into the different mindfulness exercises and strategies they have learned to calm themselves down and better focus during a test. It was fun to see students share the strategies that best work for them. Ms. Fitzgerald moves beyond Natalia’s curriculum and has students complete projects on mindfulness as they investigate thoughts and mindfulness of thinking.
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