Ten minutes of mindfulness during math class

This week I put on again my math teacher hat as a substitute teacher in an international school. It was Friday morning, and I opened the class by asking who was looking forward to the weekend. More than half of the class raised their hands. To my surprise, a small number of students didn’t raise their hands, and I asked the reverse question: “How many of you are not looking forward to the weekend?” One student, in particular, raised his hand with what seemed a strong determination to express himself.  

I asked him about his reason not to be looking forward to the weekend, and his answer touched me: “I don’t like weekends because on Sunday evening I get anxious thinking of the upcoming week and I can’t sleep until 3 am.” Others raised their voices “Me neither, I can’t sleep on Sundays”, “For me, it is every night that I fall asleep at 3 or 4 am.” 

Insomnia reduce students ability to focus

I shared with them how I used to struggle with insomnia as a student, and then later when working. I still remember having the Monday blues, after a relaxing weekend, reaching a high peak of anxiety on Sunday evening, worrying about the work, the pressure, and the early waking up. 

How I wish someone had taught me during my student years how to deal with my anxiety with simple breathing techniques! I am now working for myself and make my own schedule and working rules, and do not experience Monday blues anymore. But how do you do when you are in a system with a regular schedule you have no control over, and you know every evening your friend anxiety comes to pay you a visit? Anxiety leads to insomnia, which itself cause a lack of attention during the day.

I decided to share with them a simple mindfulness exercise: 

“Let’s do a breathing exercise before we start with the lesson.”

A student said: “But we always breathe!”

“Yes, we always breathe, that’s true, and because we do it automatically, we don’t pay attention to it.” 

I continued sharing that scientific studies proved we cannot be anxious and focus on our breath at the same time, therefore connecting with our breath is a way to reduce our anxiety. 

I invited them to sit comfortably and close their eyes, pay attention to the tip of their nose, and to notice which nostril is more open; then to pay attention to their chest, how the rib cage expands and contracts. Then I invited them to open their eyes and to share how they were feeling at that moment. Some said they were feeling tired, some said their head was heavy, some said they wanted to sleep. I invited them to notice that none of them expressed they were feeling anxious.

Another student said he was feeling very relaxed because he thought about the end of his day when he would go back home and rest on his sofa. I used his example to say that looking forward to the next uplifting moment is also a way to relax.

Thoughts are like buses that pass in your mind

I shared another relaxation technique that can help before going to bed. Imagine your thoughts are like buses, and you can choose which bus you get in. You can decide to get on the bus that drives you to the destination of worry, or you can let it pass until another bus comes. You can get on or off the bus any time you want or just simply stay at the bus stop and let them pass by.

Then I closed the discussion and dived into our math lesson about fractions. 

My students earnestly studying fractions

As a substitute teacher, I have only limited time to connect with my students. 

Checking in before the class helps me to get to know them better and create an atmosphere of trust and respect. I also learned that investing the time at the beginning of the class on topics related to their lives improved their focus.

If you would like to know how to use mindfulness and non-violent communication techniques in your classroom contact me on [e-mail] or via WeChat: juliafeste

Mindfully yours, Julia

MA in general engineering

Certified Montessori educator

NVC trainer & coach

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