By Katia Jenkins Brown
Staff Writer
The Manhattan Beach Unified School District introduced the MindUp! program at the beginning of the 2015-2016 school year in order to teach children how the brain responds to stress and other emotions.
MBUSD elementary school teachers practice anxiety reducing strategies in MindUp! by taking moments to reflect on student’s behavior . The lessons provide students with brain focused strategies for learning to control stress and focus on material.
“One of the big topics in America right now is just having our students have the best mental health they can have,” MBUSD superintendent Dr. Michael Mathews said. “Sometimes schools work in opposition towards good health because there are lot of demands, a lot of stress.”
This past June, all MBUSD elementary school teachers worked with a MindUp! institute staff member for a day of training. The new social and emotional lessons are aimed to teach the kids how to calm down when they are stressed.
“Teachers just work with the students and train them just to take a few moments here and there to stop the clutter, to slow down, and then go back to what you were doing,” Mathews said. “The research shows that will increase your brain’s capacity to do the hard work you have to do.”
According to Meadows special education teacher Lynn Johnson, the program has proved successful in helping students stay focused in class and learn new ways to participate and grow as a class community.
“I don’t see any downsides to this program.” Meadows principal Katherine Whittaker said. “They are doing the lessons and activities together, which builds community and helps develop a common language and understanding about their emotions and behaviors and those of others.”
Because of the positive response in elementary schools, MBUSD is working on finding a way to introduce a similar program into Manhattan Beach Middle School and Mira Costa High School. According to Mathews, trying to adapt the program to fit the higher grades is causing difficulty.
“We want to do some kind of program.” Mathews said. “We don’t know if it’s Mind Up! or not. One of the challenges of grades 6-12 is that you no longer have one teacher. Where can it be a regular part of the curriculum? So, we’re really trying to figure all those things out.”
According to Mathews, this program will benefit higher grade levels because the elementary school students who continue MBUSD education onto Mira Costa High School will be the first of a generation that can mentally control their stress levels. He hopes to have a recommendation to the Board of Trustees by December or January.
“We talked a little bit about the brain, and how a happy brain works better, functions better.” Meadows Elementary School teacher Carla Yates said. “I’m hoping that it will help them internalize happiness a little more. Hopefully they’ll carry that throughout their lives and just be a little more positive.”
Leave a Reply