Practicing mindfulness meditation should be a daily requirement for all k-12 students and faculty. The reason for this is because the benefits one receives from the continued practice of this technique are applicable to an abundance of situations and conflicts one may face throughout their life. I began practicing mindfulness meditation during my first semester as a college student as a method of coping with my increased levels of stress and anxiety compared to what I was used to with a high school workload. Meditation for me was a time to escape from the weight of my responsibilities and focus on my own mental health, something that is often abused through the rigorous study habits and of students. The benefits of mindfulness meditation impact not only one’s mental health, but one’s physical health, including one’s ability to cope with illness. Students’ physical health is also very often overlooked due to the “academics first” mindset students are encouraged to follow. However, monitoring one’s physical and mental health is not only important for students. The challenges that come with being an adult in the “real world” warrant substantial amounts of stress that are often dealt with inappropriately.  This is why I believe an important aspect of implementing mindfulness meditation into the k-12 school system is making it a requirement for both students and faculty.

While a large number of the benefits observed from practicing mindfulness meditation are applicable to all age groups and occupations, many can be directly related to the tasks and challenges faced by k-12 students. These benefits include a reduction in levels of stress, anxiety, and depression as well as an increase in levels of productivity and concentration. During my time as a k-12 student, I faced many of the same struggles faced by the majority of students: stress, anxiety, lack of concentration, lack of motivation, depression, etc. These symptoms are caused by the unbearing workloads put on students combined with the expectation for students to lead fulfilling social lives outside of their academic environments. Knowing what I do today about the benefits of mindfulness meditation could have helped me immensely growing up, which is why I feel so passionately about the implementation of this practice into all k-12 school. The benefits of meditation of students are not only seen in the physical and mental health of the students, but in their performance in school. A school in San Francisco, Visitacion Valley Middle School,  implemented Quiet Time, a Transcendental Meditation program; following the first year with the program, the school reported the number of suspensions had been cut by 45%, attendance rates had climbed to 98%, and even the students’ GPA’s had shown improvement. Similarly, another California school that participated in this meditation program produced results showing that twice as many students scored proficient in English on the California Achievement Test compared to schools that didn’t implement the program. While these benefits of mindfulness meditation fulfil many of the needs of k-12 students, many of these benefits as well as others are directly applicable to meeting the needs of the faculty and staff as well.

Despite spending their days with a bunch of kids, school faculty and staff have all the same responsibilities as any adult, and with these responsibilities comes great levels of stress and anxiety as well as a lack of focus due to the overwhelming number of duties adults have such as paying bills and raising children. Several benefits of meditation that are directly applicable to the needs of adults include increased creativity, focus, and resilience. These benefits would not only improve performance in the workplace, but improve the quality of the lives of these individuals, making them have a more positive outlook and enthusiasm towards mentoring the children in our community. Another meaningful incentive for the requirement of daily mindfulness meditation to be extended to the faculty and staff is the ability of the staff to then not only receive the benefits of meditation themselves, but to lead the student by example. This would not only make the schools’ transitions into this program easier, but would make the students more enthusiastic about properly practicing meditation and maintaining it as a part of their daily schedules.

Throughout the past several decades, the practice of mindfulness meditation has been becoming increasingly present in today’s society. With this heightened exposure comes new knowledge and understanding of the benefits we receive when we decide to make meditation part of our lives. The benefits observed have great relevance pertaining to the needs of k-12 students and faculty, which is why the implementation of this practice into k-12 school systems is a transition that would not only benefit these individuals in their lives today, but prepare them for their futures as productive and influential contributors to society.