Toledo, OH: Elem school adds "mindfulness system" for students to "deescalate"

Oct 4, 2018, NBC24, Toledo, OH: Creating calm in the classroom: why one Toledo school is teaching mindfulness to students https://nbc24.com/news/local/creating-calm-in-the-classroom-why-one-toledo-school-is-teaching-mindfulness-to-students It's a type of classroom you don't see in many schools. With yoga mats, calming lights and a focus on positivity; it's a classroom for mindfulness. Robinson Elementary is the first school in the area to launch the pilot program…. "Mindfulness is really something we all already do, it's about noticing, it's about really being present to what you're doing, how you're feeling and what's going on in the environment and what's expected. What could benefit yourself and the environment, the people around you," said Jenn McCullough, the mindfulness educator at Robinson Elementary…. The program is a collaborative effort between Toledo Public Schools, the Toledo Mindfulness Institute and the University of Toledo's Psychology Department. The psychology department is conducting research on the 300-plus students, to see how effective the practice is for improving cognitive brain function…. Robinson Elementary was chosen by TPS administrators to test the program, because the school had the highest number of suspensions in the district. "Well a lot of times before we would have people shout out, we would have outbursts throughout the day. Kids really are using the mindfulness system to deescalate, they also use the room as an intervention for their behavior," said Dr. James Jones, Robinson Elementary School principal. Signs are posted around the school to remind students to stop and take a deep breath. Dr. Jones said he has seen a dramatic change in his students over the past year, even with the behaviorally challenged students who tend to act out the most. "They'll go to the mindfulness room and take a break and then they'll practice those techniques to deescalate the behavior and it's given them an ownership of their behavior and that's huge especially in an urban district," said Dr. Jones….