Happy Teachers Change the World: A Guide for Cultivating Mindfulness in Education

by Thich Nhat Hanh, Katherine Weare

Overview

Thich Nhat Hanh’s official guide to secular mindfulness in schools complete with step-by-step techniques and exercises

Joyous and reenergizing practical guidance for teachers on caring for themselves and their students, with inspiring wisdom from real educators 

The Plum Village approach to mindfulness in schools stresses that educators must first establish their own mindfulness practice as a basis for their work in the classroom. These easy-to-follow, step-by-step techniques are designed by teachers to help their colleagues cultivate this important foundation and better support their students. You’ll find:

• Basic mindfulness practices taught by Thich Nhat Hanh
• Guidance from educators using these practices in their classrooms
• Ample in-class interpretations, activities, tips, and instructions
• Inspirational stories from teachers, administrators, and counselors

With motivational anecdotes from colleagues and tried and true mindfulness exercises from Thich Nhat Hanh and the Plum Village community, this loving and supportive guide is an invaluable tool for educators to calm, focus, and reenergize their classrooms.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781941529638
Publisher:	Parallax Press
Publication date:	06/06/2017
Pages:	400
Sales rank:	184,476
Product dimensions:	6.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Thich Nhat Hanh was a world-renowned spiritual teacher and peace activist. Born in Vietnam in 1926, he became a Zen Buddhist monk at the age of sixteen. Over seven decades of teaching, he published more than 100 books, which have sold more than four million copies in the United States alone. Exiled from Vietnam in 1966 for promoting peace, his teachings on Buddhism as a path to social and political transformation are responsible for bringing the mindfulness movement to Western culture. He established the international Plum Village Community of Engaged Buddhism in France, now the largest Buddhist monastery in Europe and the heart of a growing community of mindfulness practice centers around the world. He passed away in 2022 at the age of 95 at his root temple, Tu Hieu, in Hue, Vietnam.

Table of Contents

Foreword Jon Kabat-Zinn xiii

Letter to a young teacher thich nhat hanh xvii

Preface: A vision for education the plum village community xxvi

Preface: The plum village contribution to the field of mindfulness in education Katherine Weare xxxii

Part 1 Core practices

1 The breath 2

Breathe, you are alive! thich nhat hanh 3

Teaching notes on getting in touch with our breath 6

Core practice: getting in touch with our breath 8

Mindful breathing in our lives and our teaching 12

2 The bell of mindfulness 20

An ambassador for peace and happiness thich nhat hanh 21

Teaching notes on the bell of mindfulness 24

Core practice: inviting the bell 27

Core practice: listening to the bell 28

The bell of mindfulness in our lives and our teaching 30

3 Sitting 40

Sitting like a mountain thich nhat hanh 41

Teaching notes on sitting mindfully 44

Core practice: short sitting practice 47

Teaching notes on finding the best sitting position 52

Sitting mindfully in our lives and our teaching 53

4 Walking 58

Walking just to walk thich nhat hanh 59

Teaching notes on mindful walking 61

Core practice: mindful walking in a circle 63

Core practice: longer mindful walk 66

Mindful walking in our lives and our teaching 69

5 The body 81

Body and mind united thich nhat hanh 82

Teaching notes on the body practices 84

Teaching notes on awareness of body and breath 85

Core practice: awareness of the body and the breath 86

Teaching notes on ten mindful movements 88

Core practice: ten mindful movements 89

Teaching notes on deep relaxation 96

Core practice: deep relaxation 98

Teaching notes on lying down in the classroom 102

Awareness of the body and body practices, in our lives and our teaching 104

6 Eating 110

The cosmos in a carrot thich nhat hanh 111

A food contemplation 112

Teaching notes on mindful eating 113

Core practice: tangerine meditation 116

Core practice: eating a snack mindfully 119

Core practice: eating a whole meal mindfully 121

Mindful eating in our lives and our teaching 122

7 Taking care of our emotions 130

No mud, no lotus thich nhat hanh 131

Teaching notes on taking care of our emotions 136

Teaching notes on using our breath to get in touch with our emotions 138

Core practice: using our breath to get in touch with our emotions 139

Teaching notes on tree in a storm 142

Core practice: tree in a storm 143

Teaching notes on pebble meditation 145

Core practice: pebble meditation 147

Taking care of emotions in our lives and in our teaching 151

8 Being together 160

Deep listening and loving speech thich nhat hanh 161

Teaching notes on being together 165

Core practice: sharing in a circle with deep listening and loving speech 168

Teaching notes on beginning anew 173

Core practice: beginning anew 178

Being together in our lives and in our teaching 180

Part 2 Bringing it all together

9 Cultivating mindfulness in ourselves 194

Mindfulness begins with ourselves 195

What do teachers gain from practicing mindfulness? 196

Becoming more mindful ourselves: first steps 201

Deepening our practice: going on a retreat 206

Building a local community 209

Cultivating mindfulness in our everyday lives 210

10 Cultivating mindfulness in our students and classrooms 214

Cultivating mindfulness in our students 215

Relating skillfully to student behavior 215

Preparing to teach students mindfulness 218

Methods and approaches for teaching mindfulness 221

Mindfulness and learning 224

Integrating mindfulness within an ethical and social and emotional curriculum 227

Mindfulness and the mainstream subject-based curriculum 238

When mindfulness is difficult to teach 256

11 Cultivating mindfulness across school and university communities 260

Cultivating a sense of family 261

Sharing mindfulness with our colleagues 262

Reaching out to students' families 271

A whole-school, comprehensive approach 279

Happy teachers change the world 285

Appendices

A Summaries of the core practices 289

Getting in touch with our breath 290

Inviting and listening to the bell 292

Mindful sitting 294

Mindful walking 296

Awareness of the body and the breath 298

Ten mindful movements 299

Deep relaxation 302

Mindful eating (tangerine meditation) 304

Using our breath to get in touch with our emotions 306

Tree in a storm 308

Pebble meditation 310

Circle sharing 312

Beginning anew 314

B The five mindfulness trainings 316

C The five contemplations before eating 319

D What next? resources to develop your personal practice and your teaching of mindfulness 320

Notes 330

Acknowledgments 334

Contributors to this book 336

Editorial Reviews

A wonderful resource for those searching for ideas to bring mindfulness to their own lives as well as to their students. The voices and expertise of classroom teachers resound throughout this rich volume.”—Mark T. Greenberg, PhD, Pennsylvania State University
 
“At last: a book about mindfulness meditation for teachers—and thus for students—that preserves the depth and the wisdom of its Buddhist roots. And a practical one at that, full of elegant suggestions that today's stressed youngsters ought to jump at. It will do much good.”—Guy Claxton, PhD, What’s the Point of School? and Building Learning Power
 
“The contributions of Thich Nhat Hanh and Katherine Weare to the field of contemplative pedagogy are many. With this important book they bring not only their own depth of experience to the task, but also that of hundreds of teachers to aid teachers and students everywhere in attaining genuine happiness through the practice of a mindful and compassionate education.”—Arthur Zajonic, PhD, The Heart of Higher Education
 
“This book is both a joy to read and a very practical resource for teachers who want to pass on the practice of mindfulness to their students. Grounded in research evidence and in the experience of teachers who have travelled this path before, it shows the transformative power of mindfulness to bring education to its senses. A must for any teacher in any setting who has ever wondered if what they are doing could be done with more fun and less effort.”—Sarah Stewart-Brown, PhD, Warwick Medical School, UK
 
“This book should not only be a required reading for teachers and educational personnel, but also for those who are concerned about the future of our children. The contemplative practices and experiential exercises … are indeed capable of fostering more resilient, happier and compassionate teachers and pupils, and thus have the potential to change the world.”—Rony Berger, PsyD, The Center of Compassionate Mindful Education, Tel Aviv University; Ben Gurion University; The Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education at Stanford University
 
“What an important book! Thich Nhat Hanh is a global leader dedicated to bringing mindfulness, happiness, well-being, and peace to educators, students, and society. He has keenly felt the responsibility of helping young people …and has dedicated his whole life to the mission of communicating timeless, universal values in an accessible way. Katherine Weare is an educator with decades of experience in bringing well-being and mindfulness into schools and universities. …To have these two co-authoring this book is a wonderful and precious gift to us all.”—Vidyamala Burch, Mindfulness for Health and Mindfulness for Women
 
“For educators everywhere who yearn for wisdom and partnership in their courageous efforts to form young hearts and minds in an increasingly fragmented world, this book is a trustworthy and wise companion… It is essential reading for all those interested in mindfulness in education today.”—Robert W. Roeser, PhD, co-editor of Handbook of Mindfulness in Education
 
“In this outstanding book, Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh, with his profound teachings and deep practices, and Professor Katherine Weare, with her considerable experience of emotional education, child development, and mindfulness in education, collaborate to provide a step-by-step detailed sequence of mindful practices for everyday activities such as breathing, walking, eating… Beautifully written, highly accessible, knowledgeable and deeply practical, this book will be an invaluable to teachers and students alike.”—Paul Gilbert, PhD, OBE, Centre for Compassion Research and Training, University of Derby, The Compassionate Mind
 
“‘Mindfulness is a path not a tool.’ Thich Nhat Hanh, Katherine Weare, and the Plum Village teachers illuminate this path with precision and clarity. Enlivened with the diverse and precious experiences shared by those who walk the path in their classrooms and lecture halls across the globe, this book is an extraordinary offering to all educators and their students.”—Christine Burke, PhD, Australian Catholic University
 
“Happy Teachers Change the World is an enormously valuable compendium of mindfulness practices for those working in education.”—Richard Burnett, Mindfulness in Schools Project, UK
 
“Bursting with wisdom and compassion in an era when our teachers and students need it more than ever, this book is a gift to the future of our communities and larger society. [It]reminds us that the best way to cultivate happy, mindful children is to cultivate happiness and mindfulness in the adults around them…Nhat Hanh and Weare teach us exactly that, drawing deeply on both science and spirit to nourish the seeds of mindfulness in ourselves and future generations, truly changing the world.”—Christopher Willard, PhD, Growing up Mindful and Child’s Mind
 
“When I first read this book a single word came up over and over, ‘beautiful.’ The book’s intention; the potential to change the culture of schools, to affect the trajectory of young people’s lives; the confluence of ancient wisdom and contemporary education practice; the clarity of the writing—beautiful. I hope this proves to be a seminal text for educators around the world with an interest in how best to support the learning and well-being of young people and those who teach them.”—Willem Kuyken, PhD, Oxford Mindfulness Centre, University of Oxford[It]
 
“This wonderful book gives us wise insights and tools to integrate mindfulness into education, in order to enhance the full human-beingness of teachers, students, and parents. [It] allows us to teach best what we most need to know—the art of living.”—Nimrod Sheinman, ND, Israel’s Center for Mindfulness in Education, The Center for Mind-Body Medicine, and Mindful Schools, Israel

From the Publisher

With her gentle British accent and relaxed pacing, Rachael Beresford creates a peaceful mood for absorbing this summary of Thich Nhat Hanh’s educational initiatives. She sounds serenely engaged with the content; it feels like she’s part of the Buddhist monk’s work, rather than just performing. Paul Brion’s reading of the foreword, the author’s “Letter to a Young Teacher,” and alternate chapters pairs nicely with Beresford’s performance. His resonant voice is a particularly soothing vehicle for the opening passages, creating a promising summary of what’s to come. The author’s Plum Village approach to education first encourages teachers to develop their own minds, bodies, and hearts through mindfulness. Only by adopting this approach to life can they teach students what it means to be happy and present in the world and to take care of the planet. T.W. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine

JUNE 2020 - AudioFile