Comments on: Meditation for High School Students

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 13:45:00 +0000

Trying to get into meditation. I am not a Buddhist, but I am a Protestant (christian). I however try to take some of the advice used in Buddhism. I feel that this will help multiply my focus, and mental flexibility. @ERIKA

By: camille

camille — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 21:07:11 +0000

Paul, et al,
I teach meditation (I call it stillness) in my classes (I teach English), and received a grant for a meditation club, which has been very successful. I get as many as 20 kids on a Friday afternoon!

I’d be happy to share ideas with you.
You can also read an article I wrote about stillness here:
http://florianyoga.blogspot.com/2009/08/teachers-how-to-incorporate-meditation.html

By: Paul

Paul — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 22:05:09 +0000

I am a high school English teacher in Southeastern Colorado who wishes to teach his students meditation. I am a Reiki master so I understand the benefits, but I don’t know what techniques to use for my students. We are in a small school which numbers less than 100 students in junior and high school. Does anyone have any ideas that might help me?

Shalom,

Paul Silva

[Got suggestions? Contact Paul directly at pavisilva AT hotmail DOT com]

By: Jon Delperdang

Jon Delperdang — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 00:48:40 +0000

Hello! This is such a great cause, teaching mindfulness to high schoolers, and something I am very passionate about as well. I am an undergraduate junior at the University of Minnesota and am apart of a student group on campus called Mindfulness for Students, which holds weekly meditation sessions and a handful of bigger events throughout the year. Our group is just starting to reach out to local Minneapolis high schools, having college students from our group volunteer their time to lead meditation sessions at the high schools. It is very exciting and it’d be a great way to expose these students to meditation through people who are only a few years older then them.

For me personally, I have a goal of integrating mindfulness, social justice, and arts into a program/coursework that could be brought to universities, high schools, and younger eventually. I don’t know if it would be through a non-profit, university, or what have you, but the thought of it all just gets me pumped like none other

It’s pretty clear to me that you, Josh, and others who post here would be great to keep in contact with or figure out a sort of shared vision that we could team with others on (potentially with a website

Feel free to contact me if teaming up on this sounds good to you or for anything really. My e-mail is delpe006@umn.edu.

Thanks all! Peace.
-Jon

By: sonia pellerino

sonia pellerino — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 01:57:39 +0000

It would amazing if meditation was implemented in the high schools. I’m an 30 year old, high energy, Italian/Ukrainian born Buddhist. I ‘m interested in teaching guided relaxation technique in an assemble form for teens. I would address the challenges that our youth are facing, so they’re able to relate and understand why meditation would be useful tool in their daily lives.

If you have any literature or contacts that would be beneficial can you please forward them.
thank you,
sonia Toronto. ontario

By: Faith

Faith — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 17:39:24 +0000

I am a clinical social worker in Orlando. I came across your site while doing research for a program I am developing to teach meditation to at-risk students at local alternative schools. I will be doing this as a volunteer and luckily had the good fortune of finding a principle who engages in daily meditation in her office (-;

I am so pleased that this is taking off. It is very important to have a brief Q/A for parents, “Is this religious in any way?” “No, it is not. It is not religious, it is not “new age”, it is simply GUIDED RELAXATION.”

In fact, this is the term utilized by many whose programs may may otherwise have been thwarted by religious zealots who cannot comprehend that searching for inner peace is not thought crime. (-:

By: joyce evans

joyce evans — Sat, 21 Jul 2007 17:21:34 +0000

Okay…we know it is a necessary thing to bring to high schools…let’s do it. Where do we begin? I will be teaching high school health soon and want to get this going in my classroom? Who’s doing it? Please contact me with info.

eager and waiting!

Joyce

By: Joshua Zader

Joshua Zader — Wed, 26 May 2004 22:51:07 +0000

Suzie,

Jon Kabat-Zinn (whose work you’re probably familiar with) tells the story of a woman who teaches mindfulness meditation in a Utah school in his essay “Indra’s Net at Work” in the book “The Psychology of Awakening: Buddhism, Science, and Our Day-to-Day Lives” edited by Gay Watson, Stephen Batchelor, and Guy Claxton.

(This is an excellent book for anyone interested in mindfulness and science, by the way.)

I also spoke with a friend of someone at Spirit Rock meditation center who used to teach meditation in a high school. But some of the parents objected to the teaching of “religion” (!) in school. Sad but true.

If you send me a copy of your speech, after you write it, I would love to read it and find out what you’ve learned. This is a topic that interests me, too, of course, and your findings might influence the research we’re doing in the psychology department here at University of New Mexico. So please keep me posted!

Best wishes,

Joshua

By: Suzie

Suzie — Wed, 26 May 2004 22:36:16 +0000

This article is great!!! I am actually looking for more information just like this. I am giving a persuasive speech on how public education should include meditation into the school day, or at least allow students to take meditation as an elective class in middle and/or high school. I really believe in the topic, but I am not sure where to look for convincing statistics or results like above. Please let me know if you have any more information.
Thank you,
Suzie