Sioux City, IA: Elementary students use mindfulness to counter stress from home and school

Feb 10, 2018, Sioux City (IA) Journal: Sioux City schools teach mindfulness to stressed students http://siouxcityjournal.com/news/local/education/sioux-city-schools-teach-mindfulness-to-stressed-students/article_bb88c975-4782-5318-8993-ca8017e8e668.html … Teachers in the Morningside Elementary and Pretty Creek Elementary schools in the Sioux City School District are touting the benefits of mindfulness for students. They say it gives students good tips on how to move from stressors in the school and their personal life, so they can clear their minds to focus on the subjects at hand. "They are able to be present and to be with you now, not thinking about recess or what they might be going home to," Morningside Elementary first-grade teacher Shelly Pratt said. … Pratt said mindfulness in the classroom has taken off nationally in the last two years. Brennan read up on it, saw some activities in other schools, then moved ahead the pieces she thought fit best at Perry Creek. "Mindfulness is just paying attention to the present moment, on purpose, without judgment,' Pratt said. …