Mindfulness. Social Emotional Learning. Restorative Practices. A vibrant trilogy of awareness, self-care, and compassion. Let’s look at how they complement each other.
What is SEL?
SEL is the process through which all young people and adults acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to develop healthy identities, manage emotions and achieve personal and collective goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions.
SEL advances educational equity and excellence through authentic school-family-community partnerships to establish learning environments and experiences that feature trusting and collaborative relationships, rigorous and meaningful curriculum and instruction, and ongoing evaluation. SEL can help address various forms of inequity and empower young people and adults to co-create thriving schools and contribute to safe, healthy, and just communities. (CASEL)
What are Restorative Practices?
Restorative practices offer schools an alternative to traditional disciplinary actions that center on punishment for misbehavior and breaking rules. These punishments push kids—disproportionately students of color and low-income students—out of their classroom and school community. They may be suspended or simply sent to the principal’s office or suspended, but students who are pushed out may drop out of school altogether.
In contrast, restorative practices focus on resolving conflict, repairing harm, and healing relationships. They support a positive and safe school climate, prevent bullying, and reduce disciplinary incidents. A restorative culture can mitigate the negative effects of punitive discipline policies that exacerbate inequity.
Educators use two types of restorative practices in schools:
Proactive school wide strategies to create a sense of community, build healthy relationships, and develop conflict resolution skills, sense of belonging, and agency.
Restorative processes like circles, conflict-resolution programs, peer-led practices, and tribunals to respond to incidents that cause harm.
(NextGen Learning)
What is Mindfulness?
Mindfulness is often defined as, “maintaining a moment-by-moment awareness of our thoughts, emotions, bodily sensations, and surrounding environment with openness and curiosity.” (Mindful Schools).
Mindfulness is simply:
Being aware, in the present moment, by choice, without judgment.
(Jon Kabat-Zinn)
There has been much written and practiced regarding Mindfulness in the past decade, as it has been made more widely available to Western cultures via its Buddhist roots. In an educational setting, Mindfulness is practiced in a secular fashion, quite rooted in somatic rather than religious/spiritual methodologies. Primary focus is on being fully aware of what is happening in the here and now (without judgment as to whether the moment is good or bad, positive or negative), and well as using the breath as an anchor to facilitate that awareness.
How and where do they intersect?
By being aware…mindful…we are empathic to the needs of others. Compassion and self-awareness are the byproducts of Mindfulness…which in turn leads to authentic Restorative Practices, and a strengthening of Social Emotional Learning and growth.
The intersection of Mindfulness, Restorative Practices, and Social Emotional Learning is the natural confluence of creating an environment that is safe, supportive, and equitable.
One may build the “intersection equation” of these three concepts beginning with one, and folding in the other two. For example, for Restorative Practices to be most effective, one must not only be Mindful (practicing Mindfulness), but also exhibit appropriate emotional intelligence. And so forth.
Another perspective that shines a light on the intersection of Mindfulness, Restorative Practices, and SEL, is one that comes through understanding The Fourteen Mindfulness Trainings. As articulated by Thich Nhat Hahn, known widely as the “father of Mindfulness” in the Western World, these fourteen teachings embrace the primary aspects of SEL (e.g. develop healthy identities, manage emotions and achieve personal and collective goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions) and Restorative Practices (e.g. strategies to create a sense of community, build healthy relationships, and develop conflict resolution skills, sense of belonging, and agency).
The Fourteen Mindfulness Trainings
(with a brief description of each…)
The First Mindfulness Training: Openness
We will train ourselves to look at everything with openness and insight in order to transform dogmatism and violence in ourselves and the world.
The Second Mindfulness Training: Non-Attachment to Views
We are determined to avoid being narrow-minded and bound to present views. We are committed to learning and practicing non-attachment to views and being open to others’ experiences and insights in order to benefit from the collective wisdom.
The Third Mindfulness Training: Freedom of Thought
We are committed to respecting the right of others to be different, to choose what to believe and how to decide.
The Fourth Mindfulness Training: Awareness of Suffering
We are committed to finding ways, including personal contact and using telephone, electronic, audiovisual, and other means, to be with those who suffer, so we can help them transform their suffering into compassion, peace, and joy.
The Fifth Mindfulness Training: Compassionate, Healthy Living
We will practice looking deeply into how we nourish our body and mind with edible foods, sense impressions, and consciousness.
The Sixth Mindfulness Training: Taking Care of Anger
Aware that anger blocks communication and creates suffering, we are committed to taking care of the energy of anger when it arises, and to recognising and transforming the seeds of anger that lie deep in our consciousness.
The Seventh Mindfulness Training: Dwelling Happily in the Present Moment
Aware that life is available only in the present moment, we are committed to training ourselves to live deeply each moment of daily life.
The Eighth Mindfulness Training: True Community and Communication
Aware that lack of communication always brings separation and suffering, we are committed to training ourselves in the practice of compassionate listening and loving speech. We are determined to learn to listen deeply without judging or reacting, and refrain from uttering words that can create discord or cause the community to break.
The Ninth Mindfulness Training: Truthful and Loving Speech
We are committed to learning to speak truthfully, lovingly and constructively. We will use only words that inspire joy, confidence and hope as well as promote reconciliation and peace in ourselves and among other people. We are determined not to say untruthful things for the sake of personal interest or to impress people, nor to utter words that might cause division or hatred.
The Tenth Mindfulness Training: Protecting and Nourishing the Sangha
As members of (this) community, we should take a clear stand against oppression and injustice. We should strive to change the situation, without taking sides in a conflict.
The Eleventh Mindfulness Training: Right Livelihood
We will do our best to select a livelihood that contributes to the wellbeing of all species on earth and helps realize our ideal of understanding and compassion.
The Twelfth Mindfulness Training: Reverence for Life
Aware that much suffering is caused by conflict, we are determined to cultivate nonviolence, compassion, and the insight of interbeing in our daily lives.
The Thirteenth Mindfulness Training: Generosity
We are committed to cultivating generosity in our way of thinking, speaking, and acting.
The Fourteenth Mindfulness Training: True Love
We will treat our bodies with compassion and respect.
Summary:
Mindfulness, Restorative Practices, and Social Emotional Learning are not mutually exclusive. And ideally, they are not subset of each other. While each facet can be an umbrella term for the other two, they can certainly operate independent of each other, but beautifully feed off of each other when combined.
The intersection of these three dynamic components facilitate an open, compassionate, and non-threatening environment that further enhances growth and learning…for students and faculty/staff alike.