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KatieKnopf
2/23/2015
ENG315
Dr.Phares
IndividualResearchPaperFinal

AvoidingTeacherBurnout:HowToIncorporateThePrinciplesOfMindfulnessInThe
ClassroomInOrderToBeSuccessfulInAFastPacedEducationalWorld.

Inourfastpacedand21stcenturysociety,stressisconsideredanormofourwestern
culture.Ifyougotoanyschoolduringreportcardweekandaskateachertodescribehisor
heremotions,anyonewhoanswerscalmwillautomaticallybecastoutofthestafflounge.
Lately,ithasbecomeapopulartrendtoglorifyyourstresslevelsinacompetitivefashion:Oh,
youhaveatenpageresearchpapertowrite?WellIhavea
fifteen
pagepapertowriteandmy
edTPAassessmenttocompleteANDIhaveahistorytestonFriday!Withoursocietyand
governmentcreatingmorerigorousexpectationsforteachersandschoolsinordertoprepare
studentstocompeteonaglobalscale,manyteachersarefindingthemselvesburntoutfromall
oftheadditionalstressesandpressuresthatcomewiththeirjobtitle.AccordingtoFlorRotne
Manyteacherssufferfromchronicstressonaccountofatenseworkenvironmentandfeelings
ofinadequacytheteachingprofessionhasneitherthestatus,northeopportunitiesequaltothe
expectationsplacedonteachers(27).Newteachersareespeciallypronetotherisksofteacher
burnout.11%ofnewteacherswillquitaftertheirfirstyearintheclassroom,and45%willquit
withintheirfirstfiveyearsofteaching(A).Withtherigorousexpectationsandstressesof
nationalchangestooureducationalstandards,itisevidentthatteachersneedextrasupport
duringthistimewhentherearemoredemandsontheirjobsthaneverbefore.Employing
Mindfulnessmeditationthepracticeofmaintaininganonjudgmentalstateofheightenedor
completeawarenessofone'sthoughts,emotions,orexperiencesonamomenttomomentbasis


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isaneffectivestrategyforcombatingthenegativeeffectsofteacherburnoutandforcreatinga
positivementalhealthstatusforallteachers.Educatorsandschooldistrictscanalsoapply
mindfulnesspracticesintheirclassroomsandschoolsinordertobenefitthewellbeingof
studentsandhelpthemtobeabletoengageintheirstudiesinamorefocusedmanner.
Mindfulnesspracticesareaneffectivewaytoensurethatteachersandstudentsareabletocreate
apositive,effectiveandmentallyhealthylearningenvironment.
Iftherewasawaytopurchasehappiness,balanceandtranquilityatthegrocerystore,
thesewouldbethemostpopularitems:everyonewantstheseidealsintheirlives,butnoone
knowshowtoachievetheseconceptsinpractice.ThephilosophiesofMindfulnessallowtheir
practitionerstoincreaseallofthesecomponentsoftheirlivesbysimplybecomingreflectiveof
theirinnerbeingnocrazylifestylechangesnecessary.Bysynthesizingallcommondefinitions,
wecanconcludethatthemostcomprehensivedefinitionofMindfulnessis
amentalstate
achievedbyfocusingononesawarenessonthepresentmoment,whilecalmlyacknowledging
andacceptingonesfeelings,thoughts,andphysicalreactionstoeventsoccurringinoneslife.
TheessenceofMindfulpracticesisthatwhenanindividualexperiencesaheightenedsenseof
emotion,theyareabletodisengagefromtheiremotionsandobserveandidentifytheirfeelings,
inordertoobjectivelyrecognizewhatishappeningforthemmetacognitivelyandconcludewhat
willbethebestnextstepforthemselvestotake.Thebestwaytopracticeandachieve
mindfulnesspracticesistofocussolelyononesbreathandbreathingforasignificantduration
oftime.ThisisoftendonethroughtheuseofMindfulmeditation.Manyindividualshave
preconceivednotionsaboutmeditation:thatitistiedtospecificreligiouspractices,thatitisan
exoticexperiencethatcanonlybeachievedbytravelingsomewhereintheeasternworld,thatit
hastolastforhoursonend,thatittakeyearsofpractice,etc.InhisTEDtalktitledAllItTakes


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Is10MindfulMinutes,AndyPuddicombeaddressessomeofthepreconceivednotionsandthe
truthbehindmindfulmeditationbystatingmostpeopleassumethatmeditationisallabout
stoppingthoughts,gettingridofemotions,somehowcontrollingthemind,butactuallyit'squite
differentfromthat.It'smoreaboutsteppingback,seeingthethoughtclearly,witnessingit
comingandgoing,emotionscomingandgoingwithoutjudgment,butwitharelaxed,focused
mind.InmanyMindfulnessmagazines,websitesandjournals,Mindfulnesspractitionersoften
compareaMindfulinteractionwithonesemotionsusingtheimageryofwatchingacloud
movingthroughthesky.InteractingwithonesemotionsthroughaMindfulstateshouldbea
tranquilandpeacefulexperience:thegoalistoobjectivelyobserveyouremotionsandidentify
themforwhattheyare,butnottodwellonanyparticularemotionfortoolong.Youaresimply
toacknowledgethattheemotionisthereandthatitexists,andmovingforwardyouwill
acknowledgethisemotionasacontributingfactortoyourthoughtsandreactionstothe
circumstancesyouarein.Whilethismaysoundlikeasophisticatedapproachtomeditation,in
practiceitisactuallyquitesimple:Mindfulnessmeditationinvolvessitting(orlyingdown)
quietlyfor20or30minutes,onceortwiceaday.Meditatorsfocusontheirbreathingoranother
physicalsensation,allowingthemindandbodytoletgooftensionsandconcerns(Harvard
WomensHealth1).ItisimportanttonotethatMindfulmeditationcanbeandshouldbe
personalizedtothepractitioner,andcanbedonethroughanycombinationofmeditative
elementsthattheydesiresuchaslisteningtotranquilmusic,arecordingofnaturesounds,
usingaguidedbodyscanexercise,orjustsittinginsilence.Themeditationscanbeaslongoras
shortasthepractitionerdesires,andcanbepracticedinavarietyofsettings.Ideallyfor
meditationsthepractitionerisabletoliedownorsitinacomfortableposition,butmeditations
canalsobepracticedinmoreactivesettings,suchasaworkdeskorevenwhilewalkingfora


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periodoftime.
Well,whatever[yourmethod]is,meditationofferstheopportunity,thepotentialtostep
backandtogetadifferentperspective,toseethatthingsaren'talwaysastheyappear.We
can'tchangeeverylittlethingthathappenstousinlife,butwecanchangethewaythat
weexperienceit.That'sthepotentialofmeditation,ofmindfulness.Youdon'thaveto
burnanyincense,andyoudefinitelydon'thavetositonthefloor.Allyouneedtodoisto
take10minutesoutadaytostepback,tofamiliarizeyourselfwiththepresentmomentso
thatyougettoexperienceagreatersenseoffocus,calmandclarityinyourlife.
(Puddicombe)
TheintentionofMindfulnesspracticesandmindfulmeditationistospendtimefocusingonyour
breathingasameansofcenteringyourmindwithinyourbody,andtospendsometime
reconnectingthesetwoelements.
SomeindividualsmayfindtheidealsofMindfulpracticesbettersuitedfortheirpersonal
lifethantotakeplaceintheworkplacehowever,thereissignificantamountoftheoreticaland
scientificwritingsonthespecificfieldofworkplacemindfulnessthatclaimincorporating
mindfulpracticesinorganizationalsettingsisimportanttopromotethementalhealthand
wellbeingofemployees.Theseprinciplesareespeciallytruewhendiscussingtheconcernof
teacherburnoutwhichcanbedefinedasphysical,emotional,andattitudinalexhaustionthat
beginswiththefeelingofuneasinessandmountsasthejoyofteachingbeginstofadeandcan
becomeaninsidious,progressiveformofselfneglect(Freudeinberger160).Therearemany
symptomsofteacherburnout,themostsignificantbeingTeachersexhibitattitudesofcynicism,
negativity,andcallousnesstowardthestudents,parents,andcolleaguesand[Teachers]
demonstratedecreasedeffectivenessintheirjobperformanceandfeelpowerlesstoaltertheir


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situation(Maslach).Intheirstudyonjobstresses,TraversandCooperconcludedthatthefive
topsourcesofjobpressuresderivefromchange.Inanationwherewearetryingtoadopt
nationaleducationalstandards(commoncore)toprepareourstudentstobecollegeandcareer
readyinordertocompeteintheglobaljobmarket,changeisaregularterm(andstresscreator)
inthemoderneducatorsvocabulary.Withthischangingculture,therearemoredemandsbeing
placedonteachersthaneverbefore,whichfrequentlycausesfeelingsofemotionalexhaustion,
oneofthekeysymptomsofburnoutandstress:
Manyteachershavethefeelingthattheyareforeverbehindandunderachievingbecause
itshardforthemtoliveuptotheirideals.Ateachersidealsoftengohandinhandwith
asenseofpersonalresponsibility:thefeelingthatwhetherwesucceedorfailis
completelyuptous.Thismeansthatweconstantlyfeelwerelackingsomethingthat
wecouldandshouldbedoingbetter,andthatitsourdutytofindawaytoimprovethe
situation.Thiscanleadtoapermanentsenseofinadequacy,inwhichnothingwedois
evergoodenough,coupledwiththefeelingthatitsallourownfault.(FlorRotne2728)
Essentially,teachersareexperiencingtheemotionalstressesofbeingoverworked,underpaid,
andunrecognizedfortheireffortsofoneofthemostimportantjobsinoursociety:educatingthe
futuregenerations.Butthesesymptomsofteacherburnoutarenotinventedbyindividuals
gatheringinthestaffloungecomplainingabouttheirjobs:Researchhasshownthatwork
overload,lackofautonomy,emotionaldemands,lowsocialsupportandroleambiguitycanlead
tostressandburnout(Hoigaardet.al347).Thefirststeptocombatingteacherburnoutisto
acknowledgeitsexistenceandprevalenceinoureducationalsystems.Simplyput,wecannotfix
theissueifwedonotacknowledgeitsexistence:Thestresssuffererhasdifficultyinknowing
whatheneeds,andisoftenunawareofhismentalstate.Similarly,hehasdifficultydeveloping


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goalsandstrategiesfortakingaction,evaluatingactions,ormakingdecisionswhenanumberof
optionspresentthemselves(FlorRotne68).Havingteachersandadministratorssetpersonal
andschoolwidegoalsfortheirmindfulnesspracticesandtheirwellbeingwillhelpestablish
clearguidelinesandmethodsforteachersandstudentstoapproachtheirlearningexperienceina
mindfulmanner.Havingteacherscreatedistinctpersonalandprofessionalgoalswillnotonly
helpthemindevelopingtheirpersonalmindfulnesspractices,butalsohelpthemimplementtheir
workplacemindfulnesspracticesinordertohelppracticereflectiveteachingandgrowasan
educator.Usingthesestepstocreatehigherlevelsofteacherefficacywithinaschoolbuildingis
anotherwaytocombatteacherburnoutbyadministratorsfocusingonhowtodevelopgreater
collaborationandachievementamongthestaffinordertopromoteprofessionalgrowthas
teachers.Furthermoreresearchhasshownthatthereisaconnectionbetweenteachingefcacy
andburnout.Teacherswithlowteacherefcacyseemtocopebyavoidingdealingwithacademic
problemswhileteacherswithhighperceivedefcacydirecttheireffortsatresolvingtheir
problems(Hoigaardet.al348).Creatinganenvironmentwhereteachersareinvestedintheir
schoolandfeelempoweredtoseekoutthesolutionstoproblemsnotonlycreatesacultureof
efficacy,butgivestheteachersawaytorefindthejoyofteachingthattheymayhavelost
throughbecomingburntoutandgivesthemameanstocontrolsomeoftheneverending
changesthattheyhavetodealwithonadailybasis.Ifteachersaregiventheabilitytocontrolor
haveinfluenceoversomeofthestressorsoftheirlives,theemotionalfatigueofburnoutcanbe
lessened.
Inorderforteacherstowanttobecomereinvolvedandreinvestedintheirprofession
andtheirclassrooms,theymusttakecareofandnurturetheirownmentalandemotionalhealth.
Mindfulnesspracticescanbeusedtoresetonesmentalstate,butitcanalsobeusedas


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consistentmentallyhealthypracticesinordertopreventemotionalexhaustion
.Justasthesaying
anappleadaykeepsthedoctorawaycanbeappliedforphysicalhealth,ameditationperday
cankeepyoufromgoinginsanecanbethoughtofformentalhealth.Inourlargersociety,
Mindfulnesspracticesandmeditationshavebecomeafavoredformofmedicineusedbydoctors.
Inastudypublishedin
PsychosomaticMedicine
,49womenwithbreastcancerand10menwith
prostatecancerhadpsychologicalandimmunefunctiontestingbeforeandaftera
mindfulnessbasedcourse.Symptomsofstresslessenedon8of10measures,andqualityoflife
improved(HarvardWomensHealth3).ThisstudyclinicallyprovesthatMindfulness
meditationpracticesaresavinglives.InKellyMcGonigalspopularTEDtalkHowToMake
StressYourFriendsheexplainstotheaudiencethatoursocietalexpectationthatstressisbad
foryouisactuallynottrue.Stresscancreatemanypositiveoutcomesallaspectsofyourhealth:
however,itisthebeliefthatstressisbadforyouthatcausesstresstotakeanegativeformwithin
ourselvesandourbodies.Thisrevolutionaryoutlookonstresssimpactinourlivesfurther
supportstheidealsofimplementingMindfulnesspracticesintoourpersonalandprofessional
lives.Insteadoftraditionallyreadingstressasanegativeemotionalexperience,theMindfulness
practitionerwillacknowledgestressasanemotiontheyareexperiencingandknowhowto
calmlyrespondtotheeventsaroundthem.Bytrainingourbrainstostepbackandobserveand
acknowledgeouremotions,wecanavoidthenegativeassociationsofstressandsimplyidentify
thatwehavemanydifferentinfluencesonourcurrentmentalstate,andthatwewilldealwith
eachoftheseinfluencestothebestofourability.
TheconceptofMindfulnessandhowtoobserveonesemotionsisanimportantskillthat
cancreatepositivechangesinanindividual'sbrainfunction.WhiletheconceptsofMindful
practicesaresimple,creatinganactivepracticeofMindfulnesslikeanynewskillcanbe


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challengingforsome.GoingthroughaMindfulnesstrainingcourse,eitherindividuallyorwithin
anorganization,canhelptoeffectivelyrewireonesbraintodefaulttohealthymindfulness
practices.
HarvardWomensHealth
publishedanoverviewarticleonMindfulnesspractices,
wheretheysharedthatAftermindfulnesstraining,brainwaverecordingsshowedapatternof
activitygreaterintheleftprefrontalcortexthanintherightthatsassociatedwithhappiness
andoptimism.Beforethecourseandinthecontrolsubjects,therightleftactivitywasmore
even(3).Justaswehopethatthecurriculumthatweteachourstudentsimpactstheirthinking
andreasoningabilities,Mindfulnesspracticescanhavethesameimpactonourbrainsandcan
changethewaythatweperceivethecircumstancesinourworldaroundus.Intheirbook
EverybodyPresent:MindfulnessInEducation,NikolajFlorRotneandDiddeFlorRotne
discusshowthischangeinbrainfunctionisbeneficialtoteachers,andhowmentallyhealthier
teacherscanleadtobetterclassroomenvironmentsforstudents:
Researchshowsthatmindfulnessgenerallystrengthensthefrontallobes,which,among
otherthings,leadstoanincreasedabilitytoempathizewithothersandtomakecomplex
decisions.Weknowthatmanyteachersexperiencetremendouspressureintheirdaily
work.Seeninthislight,mindfulnessisanecessarypreventativemeasureagainststress
intheeducationalsetting.Bypracticingmindfulnesswecanpreventstressandbecome
betteratunderstandingourstudents,createabetterlearningenvironment,andincrease
theirhealthydevelopment(Siegel2007).(69)
Mindfulnesspracticesarealsoimportanttopracticewithintheclassroomtobenefitthe
students.Inanagewherestudentsareconstantlyoverstimulatedwithtechnology,media
influencesandbalancinghomeandschoolexpectations,todaysstudentsareundermore
pressurethanevertoperformtothebestoftheirabilities.Thiscancause17,13andeven9year


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oldstoexperiencealotofstressandpressureduetorisingexpectations.LoganLaPlante,a13
yearoldfromNevada,discussestheseexpectationsinhisTEDkidstalkHomeschoolingMakes
MeHappy.Logansays:
Whenyouaskalittlekid,sometimesyoullgetthebestanswer.Somethingsosimple,so
obvious,andreallyprofound.WhenIgrowup,Iwanttobehappy...Whatbumsme
outistoknowthatalotofkidstodayarejustwishingtobehappy,tobehealthy,tobe
safe,notbullied,andbelovedforwhotheyare.Soitseemstomewhenadultssay,
Whatdoyouwanttobewhenyougrowup?Theyjustassumethatyoullautomatically
behappyandhealthy.Butmaybethatsnotthecase.Gotoschool.Gotocollege.Geta
job.Getmarried.Boom!Thenyoullbehappy,right?
Wedontseemtobemaking
beinghappyandhealthyapriorityinourschools.Itsseparatedfromschools,and
forsomekidsitdoesntexistatall.
Butwhatifwedidntmakeitseparate?Whatifwe
basededucationonthestudyandpracticeofbeinghappyandhealthy?Becausethats
whatitis,apractice.Andasimplepracticeatthat.
Itisimportantandnecessaryforteacherstohavemindfulpracticesnotonlythemselves,butfor
thestudentsintheirclassroomandtheirschoolcommunityaswell.InhisbookWayOf
MindfulEducation:CultivatingWellBeingInTeachersAndStudentsMindfulnesseducator
DanielJ.RechtschaffenstatestheimportanceofactivelyteachingourstudentsMindfulnessin
thisoneimpactfulsentence:Studentsaretoldtopayattentionathousandtimesinschool,but
rarelyaretheytaughthow(10).Whilemanyadministratorsandteachersmaybehesitantto
spendthreetotenminutesofinstructionaltimehavingtheirclassespracticesittingstill,the
mentalandemotionalbenefitstostudentswillactuallyenablethemtomakemoremeaningful
connectionstothecurriculumtheyareexposedtoandhavemoreauthenticconnectionswith


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theirlearningexperiences.Mindfulnesspracticesintheclassroomareoftenimplemented
throughtheschoolssocialemotionallearningprogramasamoreauthenticandpracticalwayto
meetthestatesSELlearningstandards.SELProgramssupportstudentsindevelopingthese
fivesocialemotionalcompetencies:1)Selfmanagement2)Selfawareness3)Socialawareness
4)Relationshipskills5)Responsibledecisionmaking(Rechtschaffen17).Thesecompetencies
matchupwiththegoalsofMindfulnessandthereforeprovideanaturalconnectionforstudents
withinthecurricularsetting.InorderforMindfulnesspracticestobeeffectiveforstudents,the
teachershouldtrytoplanforandencourageMindfulnessexercisesonadailybasis:
[Mindfulnessis]anexperiencedbasedpracticetheonlyrealwaytolearnaboutitistopractice
itandmakeitapartofyourlife(FlorRotne47).TherearemanydifferentMindfulness
exercisesateachercanuseintheirclassroom:implementingtimeforguidedmeditationsfirst
thinginthemorning,creatingapeacecornerforwhenstudentsneedtotakesometimeto
processtheiremotionsbythemselves,andmakingdemocraticagreementsontheclassroomrules
andexpectationsaresomeexamplesofdifferentstrategiestheteachercanusetoteach
Mindfulnesstotheirstudents(Rechtschaffen98102).Astrategythatteacherscanteachtheir
students(andpracticethemselves)whenastressfulsituationsariseintheclassroomisthe
MindfulnessTrafficLight.Whenstudentsstarttoexperiencetheemotionsandreactions
relatedtostressoranxiety,theyshouldStopwhattheyaredoing,AcceptandProcesswhat
emotionstheyareexperiencing,andContributetotheirunderstandingofhowtheseemotionsare
impactingtheirreactionstotheworldaroundthem(FlorRotne5152).Thesearesomeofthe
overarchingstrategiesandphilosophiesthatteacherscangivetheirstudentsasawayoffostering
theirsocialemotionalcompetenciesandlearnhowtobeMindfulindividualsinordertobecome
morefocusedlearnersandindividuals.


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Inordertocombatthestressesofourfastpaced21stcenturysociety,teacherscanusethe
practicesofMindfulnessandMindfulMeditationintheirclassroomstocenterthemselvesand
createanengagingandfocusedlearningenvironmentfortheirstudentsinordertomaximize
theirexperienceintheclassroom.