REX, GA. — — Third graders at Roberta T. Smith Elementary School had just a few days until summer vacation, and an hour until lunch, but there was no problem focusing. feedback as they enter the classroom. They were ready for one of their favorite parts of the day.
The children closed their eyes and traced their thumbs from their foreheads to their hearts as a pre-recorded voice led them through an exercise called shark finning, part of a routine meditate in the room.
Teacher, Kim Franklin said: “Listen to the chimes, remember to breathe.
Schools across the US are introducing yoga, meditation and mindfulness practices to help students manage stress and emotions. As the depth of student and mental health issues became apparent in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last year endorsed the use of practice schools.
Research has found that school-based mental health programs can help, especially in low-income communities where students face high levels of stress or anxiety.
The psychology program came to Smith Elementary through a contract with the school system, Clayton County Public Schools, where two-thirds of the students are Black.
GreenLight Fund Atlanta, a community-based network of local nonprofits, is helping Georgia school systems pay for a mindfulness program delivered by Inner Explorer, an audio platform.
Joli Cooper, executive director of GreenLight Fund Atlanta, said it is important to the group to support an accessible and relevant organization for communities of color in the Greater Atlanta area.
Children across the country struggled with the effects of isolation and isolated learning as they returned from pandemic school closures. The CDC in 2023 reports that more than a third of students are affected by feelings of chronic sadness and hopelessness. The agency recommended schools use cognitive techniques to help students manage emotions.
“We know that our teens and young adults are really stressed,” CDC Director Dr. Mandy Cohen told The Associated Press. “There are real skills we can give our young people to make sure they deal successfully with some big ideas.”
Mindfulness methods represent a form of social-emotional education, which has become a political spotlight with many conservatives saying schools are using it to promote progressive views on race, gender and sexuality.
But advocates say the program brings much-needed attention to student welfare.
“When you look at the numbers, unfortunately, in Georgia, the number of children of color with suicidal thoughts and success is very high,” Cooper said. “When you look at the number of psychologists available for these children, there are not enough psychologists of color.”
Black youth have the fastest-growing suicide rate among racial groups, according to CDC statistics. Between 2007 and 2020, the suicide rate among Black children and youth ages 10 to 17 increased by 144%.
“It’s a shame to be able to say you’re not well and you need help, and to have the ability to ask for help,” said Tolana Griggs, assistant principal at Smith Elementary. “Since we have our diverse schools and we want to know our students more, how different cultures feel and how different cultures respond to things, it is important that we participate in all the things that we do do.”
Nationwide, children in schools that serve mostly students of color have less access to psychologists and counselors than those in schools that serve white students.
The Inner Explorer program guides students and teachers through five to 10 minutes of breathing, meditation and meditation several times a day. The program is also used in Atlanta Public Schools and more than 100 other districts across the country.
Teachers and administrators say they have noticed a difference in their students since they have incorporated mindfulness into their routines. For Aniyah Woods, 9, the program helped her “calm down” and “de-stress.”
“I love myself the way I am, but Inner Explorer helps me feel like myself,” Aniyah said.
Malakia Smith, 9, practiced his practice at home, with his father helping to guide him through meditation.
Malakia said: “You can relax with a shark’s fin, and when I am quiet, I realize that I am a professional.
After Franklin’s group finished their meditation, they shared their feelings.
One student said: “I’m comfortable.
Aniyah raised her hand.
He said: “It made me feel at peace.
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