Public Education is a Matter of Public Health (Baltimore Sun)

Thursday Jun 9th, 2016

Every day, in each of my classes, there is a moment, after we sit down, after the academic warm up, after stretching, jogging in place, after the fidgeting, the last sneaky check of the phone and the giggles. In our west side classroom, surrounded by desolation and the lingering specter of social unrest, we are quiet. And we are still. We are breathing. And we are ready.

"It calms us down," the students said. "It helps me through stress." These were typical comments after a six-week study in which my team of high school teachers implemented daily exercise and mindfulness activities in our inner city Baltimore classrooms. All across America, educators are engaging in similar activities designed to increase emotional and cognitive regulation as we recognize the importance of addressing the needs of the "whole child."

Read More at: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/oped/bs-ed-breathing-showalter-20160609-story.html

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