Mindfulness
Stress levels for American children are too high. For example, when the Yale University Center for Emotional Intelligence, working with the Born This Way Foundation, asked 22,000 American high school students to describe in their own words the three emotions they felt most frequently during the school day, the top three reported feelings were “tired,” “bored,” and “stressed.” Three-quarters of the feelings described were negative; only a quarter were neutral or positive. In another study, only 29% percentage of sixth through 12th grade students nationwide who report that their schools provide caring, encouraging environments.
Here at Pine Cobble School, we try to do better.
We won’t promise your child will never experience stress. Growing up, after all, is difficult, and our best lessons are usually the hardest ones. But we do actively teach students the tools they need to help them recognize their feelings and manage their stress. We have an active mindfulness curriculum, which was developed by Monica Endres, a certified yoga teacher who has studied with the Holistic Life Foundation. She developed a series of age-appropriate exercises designed to teach students how to recognize their thought patterns, center themselves, and control their own energy.