Making Contact - Room To Breathe: From Chaos to Peace in the Classroom

At overcrowded and underfunded public schools across the country high suspension rates are exacerbating existing achievement gaps. Often, chaosb in the classroom is to blame, keeping students from concentrating on their classes. On this edition we’ll hear excerpts from Russell Long’s film “Room to Breathe” which takes us to a middle school in San Francisco, California, that began teaching mindfulness in the hopes of giving students the skills they need to focus on learning.

Featuring: Ling Busch, guidance counselor at Marina Middle School; Megan Cowan, mindfulness teacher, students and teachers at Marina Middle School in San Francisco.

For More Information

Mindful Schools

http://www.mindfulschools.org/

Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn on Mindfulness

http://youtu.be/fEINtdXIqns

Reproducing Social Inequality through School Security

http://www.edweek.org/media/kupchikward-02security.pdf

“Mindfulness” meditation being used in hospitals and schools

http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/health/2009-06-07-meditate_N.htm

In the Classroom, a New Focus on Quieting the Mind
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/16/us/16mindful.html?ex=1183608000&en=3d87faf9c47eb9f2&ei=5070

The Garrison Institute

http://www.garrisoninstitute.org