If you are a teacher or a learner you know that school is no joke. Classroom stress is a problem. ADD is very common. Behaviour and timekeeping leaves much to be desired. Violence is an issue in many schools.
There has been an alarming rise of classroom stress. There are widespread problems in education, including poor academic achievement, ADD, anxiety, depression, school violence, and teacher burnout. According to the Committee for Stress-Free Schools, to help neutralize this stress, many schools are establishing a “Quiet Time” period at the start and end of each school day—two 10- to 15-minute sessions when students sit quietly to rest and/or read silently.
Many schools are now offering their students and teachers the opportunity to learn and practice Transcendental Meditation during these Quiet-Time periods.This is a simple, scientifically proven, nonreligious technique for reducing classroom stress, improving health, and developing an individual’s full creative potential.
Extensive published research shows that this program strengthens physiological and cognitive foundations of learning, reduces ADD symptoms and promotes healthy lifestyle choices and positive behaviour.
So there is a new way to soften the air and create a receptive classroom atmosphere, free of classroom stress. Its called Quiet Time. And it works. For example:
- Transcendental Meditation has been used in South Africa in disadvantaged communities and in education for the past 31 years, with 30,000 students taught. The conclusion? It works. It’s been found to be an effective tool to compensate for education deficits and to instil greater confidence in students. Some information on its application in South Africa and globally may be found at the link http://www.cbesa.org
- TM is currently being taught in American Indian reservations as a tool to combat Type 2 diabetes, which affects over 50% of the adult population. In the same communities, research among Native American youth also found TM to promote higher scores on standardized state tests of mathematics and reading, 25% less absenteeism, and 30% higher graduation rates.
- 100,000 schoolchildren have learned TM in Latin America in the past four years. And the provincial education department of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil’s largest province, recently resolved to introduce Transcendental Meditation to over one million schoolchildren in 1000 schools.