At first glance, Quiet Time – a stress reduction meditation
strategy used in several San Francisco middle and high schools, – looks like
something out of the om-chanting 1960s. Twice daily, a gong sounds in the
classroom and rowdy adolescents, who normally can’t sit still for 10 seconds,
shut their eyes and try to clear their minds.
The practice of meditation in schools deserves serious
attention from parents and policymakers. An impressive array of studies shows
that integrating meditation into a school’s daily routine can markedly improve
the lives of students. If San Francisco schools Superintendent Richard Carranza
has his way, Quiet Time could well spread citywide.
CLEANSING TROUBLED MINDS
What’s happening at Visitacion Valley Middle School, which
in 2007 became the first public school nationwide to adopt the program, shows
why the superintendent is so enthusiastic. In this neighborhood, gunfire is as
common as birdsong – nine shootings have been recorded in the past month – and
most students know someone who’s been shot or did the shooting. Murders are so
frequent that the school employs a full-time grief counselor.
In years past, these students were largely out of control,
frequently fighting in the corridors, scrawling graffiti on the walls and
cursing their teachers. Absenteeism rates were among the city’s highest and so
were suspensions. Worn-down teachers routinely called in sick.
Unsurprisingly, academics suffered. The school tried
everything, from counseling and peer support to after-school tutoring and
sports, but to disappointingly little effect.
Now these students are doing light-years better. In the
first year of Quiet Time, the number of suspensions fell by 45 percent. Within
four years, the suspension rate was among the lowest in the city. Daily
attendance rates climbed to 98 percent, well above the citywide average. Grade
point averages improved markedly.
About 20 percent of graduates are admitted to Lowell High
School – before Quiet Time, getting any students into this elite high school
was a rarity. Remarkably, in the annual California Healthy Kids Survey, these
middle school youngsters recorded the highest happiness levels in San
Francisco.
Reports are similarly positive in the three other schools
that have adopted Quiet Time.At Burton High School, for instance, students in
the program report significantly less stress and depression, and greater
self-esteem, than nonparticipants. With stress levels down, achievement has
markedly improved, particularly among students who have been doing worst
academically. Grades rose dramatically, compared with those who weren’t in the
program.
LESS STRESS, MORE PASSION
On the California Achievement Test, twice as many students
in Quiet Time schools have become proficient in English, compared with students
in similar schools where the program doesn’t exist, and the gap is even bigger
in math. Teachers report they’re less emotionally exhausted and more resilient.
- The research is showing big effects on students’ performance,” says Superintendent Carranza.
- “Our new accountability standards, which we’re developing in tandem with the other big California districts, emphasize the importance of social-emotional factors in improving kids’ lives, not just academics.
- That’s where Quiet Time can have a major impact, and I’d like to see it expand well beyond a handful of schools.”
While Quiet Time isn’t the final solution for a broken
education system, it’s a game-changer for many students who otherwise might
have become dropouts. That’s reason enough to make meditation a school staple,
and not just in San Francisco.
DAVID LYNCH – TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION IN SCHOOLS
Sources:> MeditationTransforms Roughest San Francisco Schools | SF Gate
> Karma Jello
Via : educateinspirechange.org