eteacher-lp1 | Mindful NZ Schools

Mindful NZ Schools Programmes

Developing a Culture of Kindness in the Classroom

At Mindful NZ Schools we seek to change the schools drop- out rate, low achievement, emotional and behavioural problems. We aim to help schools develop a culture of kindness, self-awareness and personal responsibility.

How can Mindfulness help?

One of the biggest causes of poor achievements and dropping out of school is rooted in behavioural problems, not knowing how
to manage emotions. That can if left unchecked, be the beginning of a vicious circle, escalating into all sorts of problems; under-achieving, lack of self-respect, substance abuse etc.

Studies have shown that social behaviour and academic achievement increase significantly among students who have received Mindfulness instruction. Mindfulness has been proven to help children make sense of their emotions and the world around them.

Mindfulness exercises are designed to train our attention and awareness so it is possible to self-regulate and shift attention when caught up in negative thinking, worrying and distraction.

As the benefits from Mindfulness are becoming more commonly known and acknowledged there is a growing demand in schools for Mindfulness training and trained Mindfulness facilitators.

Harvard, Oxford and Stanford Universities offer Mindfulness courses. So do successful companies such as Google and Intel.

Mindfulness is not just a trend, but a proven method to help increase focus and attention, the ability to access calm under stress and turbulence as well as better resilience.

Why don’t we teach Mindfulness in schools already?

Even with all the facts and studies that show the positive influence of Mindfulness in any environment where people work and interact together, many educators and counsellors, that themselves can see the benefits of Mindfulness and want to bring into the school, sometimes find it hard to convince the person in charge of the decision to give it a go.

Get a 1 hour presentation to your school

Mindfulness can’t be learnt by talking or reading about it. Mindfulness is experiential. One thing that often helps a school to take a decision about bringing in a Mindfulness programme is to let a mindfulness facilitator come in and do a short presentation and demonstration. It is both fun and informative and often surprising how many people that immediately respond to the simple exercises we do in the presentation.

Contact Rita for a presentation to you school

Contact Us For A Presentation

Rita Riccola is a Reg. NZ Teacher and a trained Mindfulness
teacher with 25 yrs experience who has completed courses
with Mindful Schools USA and attended many Mindfulness
retreats. She has provided training for many schools in
Auckland and trained teachers at Diocesan Schools for Girls
and Dilworth Junior College.

The purpose of Mindful NZ School’s work is to reach as many educators as possible to share these proven and effective techniques and give all children a chance to find their own strengths and connect with their innate ability to self-manage. This doesn’t just creates happier students and children. It creates a happier culture in the whole school; for teachers and students.

“Rita is a fabulous facilitator – she made us feel extremely comfortable, was open minded and encouraged us all to share from our diverse backgrounds and areas of expertise. I came away with many very practical, easy to use exercises that I have since been using with with my classes of various ages. Thank you Rita for gifting me such a wonderful and enjoyable afternoon of learning”.
Louise Dore, Auckland

How can Mindfulness help?

One of the biggest causes of dropping out of school is behavioural problems-not learning to manage emotions is dangerous and the problem often escalates when left unchecked leading to under-achieving, poverty and lack of self-acceptance.

Studies have shown that emotional regulation, social behaviour and academic achievement increase significantly among students who have received Mindfulness instruction*.

We believe that Mindfulness should be available to everyone, everywhere- to alleviate personal suffering and promote self-regulation, increase emotional and social intelligence and develop compassion and empathy for others.
Mindfulness has been proven to enrich lives and to help children make sense of their emotions and their connection to others and the world around them.

Why Mindfulness in schools?

Many years ago, Harvard University conducted a study on why some people were more successful than others. They tracked 1,000 people from birth to 32 years looking for reasons that set the successful people apart. At the end of the study they were able to point to one thing that underpinned success.

It wasn’t race, class, gender, rich or poor- it was the ability to pay attention and to have self-control and this was across a wide band of people from many different backgrounds and circumstances.

These two qualities were shared by all successful people in the study; the ability to regulate emotions and thinking and focus.
In short, if you can’t pay attention and focus you will not learn effectively and if you don’t have self control, you can’t work towards goals beyond ‘instant gratification’.

Mindfulness exercises are designed to train our attention and awareness of where our attention is, choosing to shift attention when we get caught up in aimless thinking, worry and constant distraction.

It has been forecast that depression will affect 20% of the population by 2020. We know people, including children and students are suffering.

At the same time, research constantly reports Mindfulness leads to increased happiness and improved self-management and impulse control and many other well recorded, evidence based benefits.

So what is Mindfulness?

Mindfulness is a way of purposefully engaging your attention in the present moment without judging it good or bad and noticing where your attention is;caught up in worry, anxious thinking, over thinking, aimless thinking.
It’s about not wandering off into an imagined future or going over the past but fully engaging right here right now.
Mindfulness is grounded in 30 years of scientific study at Oxford, Harvard, Stanford, Massachusetts Institute of Technology where it grew out of a programme designed to assist people with unmanageable pain and it was very successful.

Why aren’t we teaching Mindfulness when we know all this?

I have spoken to many social workers, councillors and educators who see the benefits and want Mindfulness in their schools but have to get approval, often from people who simply think Mindfulness is another ‘fad’ or ‘flavour of the month’.

Mindfulness is not a ‘fad’, it is not religious or ‘new age’, It is a proven technique that is shown to:

Decrease stress and anxiety
Decrease over-thinking and aimless thinking
encourage impulse control
improve memory, focus and attention
improve overall well-being
promote happiness and mental clarity
improve sleep
improve executive function
increase compassion, acceptance and kindness.

From morning to night we are inundated with distractions: emails, social media, advertising, iphones, computers, ipods, tablets and the never ending inner dialogue that is very draining.

The ability to focus on one thing at a time is a skill and requires practice. Just as athletes, who know their sports, continue training on a daily basis, Mindfulness which really is a mental training requires regular practice.

All day long our minds are throwing up thoughts, memories, emotions. Thoughts and emotions come and go lives waves on the ocean- they rise up, stay awhile then dissolve back into the ocean. Our thoughts are like this too but when we identify with our thoughts and emotions they take over us- we give them power over us.

Pain is inevitable, it’s part of being human but suffering is ‘optional’. We can’t control what circumstances or events life will present us with but we can choose to respond rather than react by learning to not let emotions and thoughts control us.

Mindfulness allows us to be reflective rather than reactive. That’s not about running away from feelings and emotions but it helps us to not be overwhelmed.

“Suspensions at our school dropped from 14 last year to 6 this year. We attribute this to the mindfulness programme.”

“I had dreaded this would be my last year teaching until the Mindfulness programme began at my school. Now I am Re-dedicated to my profession.”Quotes from educators

“The thing is with mindfulness is that when you are going to do something bad, you know it and you can stop.”

“I like mindfulness because it helps me feel better and teaches me to concentrate.”

“When my sister gets on my nerves, I tell her to leave me alone so I can take a deep breath. I always use the technique whenever I am mad.”

Quotes from children

“Teaching Mindfulness to school children is fast growing momentum as the benefits become evident. Mindfulness has great potential as a key strategy for a positively impacting on the learning and wellbeing of children and young people in education settings.”New Zealand Mental Health Foundation

About the Trainer

Rita has been practising mindfulness for over 25 years and has attended a number of silent mindfulness retreats and seminars on ‘A Course in Being’. She has completed the Certificate Course with Mindful Schools (USA). Rita is also a registered NZ Teacher.