How One Rapper Brought a Whole 5th Grade Classroom to Tears (and Why UW-Madison is Awesome)

As a Paved With Verbs Life Coach and College Admissions Counselor, it is my job to know everything that's happening at every university at all times. Which is how I came upon this (warning: it's sort of a tearjerker  -- but, like, totally happy tears):

What an amazing collaboration! Bringing mindfulness -- a centuries-old practice -- into the classroom seems to improve both academic performance and emotional well-being. 

The large, randomized-control trial involves 700 4th and 5th grade students and 20-30 teachers across 20 Madison elementary schools. A team from the Center for Investigating Healthy Minds is training students and teachers in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR).

"Such practices, particularly early in life when neuroplasticity is at its peak, have the potential of helping children pursue a trajectory of healthy development," wrote Richard Davidson, founder of CIHM and a professor of psychology and psychiatry.

In a time when student mental health is at an all-time low (and student obesity is at an all-time high), mindfulness is exactly what kids should be learning in a classroom. Plus, it's an awesome way to prevent them from turning into mindless hoop jumpers. And, eventually, these kids might become experts at thinking themselves happy. 

Way to go, CIHM, Madison Metropolitan School District and UW-Madison!

Also, if you're an educator interested in mindfulness, don't miss JusTMindfulness. And Don't Flip Yo' Lid.