Mindful School Communities

“The beauty of Mindfulness Practices is in its carefully articulated yet simple-to-synthesize message of our students’ social, emotional, and mental health needs. We utilize Mindfulness Practices as our tool to communicate to all stakeholders our foundational philosophy and justification of mindfulness curriculum and practices within our district. Mindful School Communities fills a void, taking mindfulness and heart centered learning to the next level by providing a practical tool for healing stress and trauma and building student resilience. With the five Cs, teachers gain access to many engaging instructional activities that can be easily integrated into the academic curriculum, supporting healing and building compassionate school communities. Bravo!”

“Mindful School Communities provides compelling research that explains the connections between our neurological and physiological processes—the essential journey from head to heart—that affect our ability to learn, be self-regulated, and cope in our schools and communities. Readers not only get dozens of activities differentiated for K–12, the authors also explain how the five Cs can be monitored with their validated rating scale (S-CCATE).

Look into your heart and step into community building. Imagine embedding compassionate action into school practices, policies, and protocols. An important find for any educator who is looking for a way to increase student resilience, reduce stress, transform lives, and integrate mindfulness seamlessly throughout your school day.”

“From my perspective as an elementary school principal for twenty-seven years, Mindful School Communities is the book that can change the course of a school’s culture. Written from the heart, the authors are not only educational leaders but practitioners who share their successes and challenges in a way that is accessible for all school leaders. By building from the base of consciousness—the awareness that the heart and mind are connected and must work in concert—readers are introduced to the neuroscience of Heart Centered Learning and how the application of each of the five Cs (consciousness, compassion, confidence, courage, and community) can foster well-being.

Mindful School Communities provides a challenge to school leaders. Given these five essential elements, what speaks to your community, where can you begin, what will your school look like after a year, and how do you make it your own? The resources, activities, and reflection points included in this book guide differentiation and can be used by PLCs or as a book study. It is not a curriculum. It is an interactive guide that can provide your school community with a launching point for developing your heart centered school.”