Calm classrooms, vibrant school communities.

Mindfulness is our ability to pay attention to what’s happening in the present moment with an attitude of openness and curiosity. Research has shown that practicing mindfulness can help students and educators learn how to build self-awareness, regulate their emotions, and focus their attention – skills that are key to success in and outside of the classroom! 

In addition to building these important skills, incorporating mindfulness into the classroom has been shown to create a calmer classroom environment by supporting students in feeling safe and at ease throughout the school day. Teachers also benefit from the practice, which can help reduce feelings of burnout and chronic stress while contributing to a more positive school climate overall. 

The mindfulness techniques found in the Calm Classroom program can support students in healing from the effects of childhood trauma. By learning skills that activate the body’s relaxation response, while calming the fight-or-flight mechanisms in the limbic system, students can harness their innate resilience and become active participants in their own wellness. Educators who may be experiencing vicarious trauma, chronic stress and/or burnout report the personal benefits of teaching and practicing Calm Classroom techniques on a regular basis.

The Calm Classroom manual is composed of 3-minute scripted mindfulness-based techniques that are led 2-3x per day during classroom transitions. While classroom teachers are encouraged to lead the techniques daily during a set schedule, school counselors, social workers, deans, paraprofessionals and other school staff are invited to lead the techniques during authentic moments, such as during one-on-one or small group meetings, after a classroom upset or before a test or quiz.

The manuals are composed of 40+ breathing, movement, relaxation and focusing techniques. Each hardcopy and digital manual includes an Implementation Schedule that provides guidelines for rolling out the techniques in the classroom. Teachers are encouraged to lead the same 2-3 techniques every day for one week, before moving on to the next week of techniques laid out in the schedule.

Teachers are encouraged to read the techniques aloud from the scripts in order to maximize student engagement and create a sense of connection and care. Teachers may also choose to train students to lead the techniques aloud 1-2x per week. If teachers are not comfortable reading the techniques aloud or would like to practice along with the students, audio recordings of each technique are accessible via the digital manuals in the Calm Classroom Teacher Portal.

The Calm Classroom Teacher Portal is our online platform that includes access to digital versions of all of our hardcopy manuals, our 2-hour Calm Classroom E-learning Course, and a library of nature videos and audio to play during Calm Classroom or at other times throughout the day. The digital manuals include audio recordings of each technique as well as Connection Questions for teachers to use in the classroom 1-2x per week post-technique to encourage self-awareness, discussion and social-emotional skill building.

When implemented on a school-wide level, Calm Classroom contributes to a school-wide culture that centers foundational social-emotional skills like self-awareness and self-management,  setting the stage for the healthy development of other core competencies like social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. The program encourages students and staff to develop a common language around emotional regulation and well-being, leading to a school environment that fosters a sense of safety and belonging. Mindfulness interventions have been shown to improve executive functioning especially when practiced starting at a young age, and by beginning Calm Classroom in pre-k and kindergarten classrooms and continuing through middle school and high school, students will retain skills that will support them in the classroom and beyond.