The importance of mindfulness training for teachers

What is it about?

This article responded to informal feedback from teachers of the gifted who participated in an 8 hour workshop on teaching mindfulness to gifted students. They reported that their own sense of mindfulness was enhanced, which led to the question: Does research support what was heard from these teachers? A review of the literature showed that while there are few studies on teachers and mindfulness, these studies, both qualitative and quantitative, indicate that the practice of mindfulness produces growth in well-being, self-awareness, reflective capacities, setting of intentions, and reconnects teachers’ motivation to teach. Resources for teacher training in mindfulness are provided.

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Why is it important?

The qualities that mark outstanding teachers are their desire to improve their teaching, to improve the quality of their classrooms, and to build positive relationships with students. .While more research in this area is needed, it does appear that training teachers in the practice of mindfulness produces positive results. This is welcome news to those teachers who are seeking not only to improve their teaching and their classroom environments but to increase satisfaction not just in their teaching, but in their personal lives as well.

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