132 • PART II: MINDFULNESS IN EDUCATING FOR SELF-REGULATION AND ENGAGEMENT
to guide them to find a quiet place (e.g., at their study desk or table) or a favorite place (e.g.,
under a tree in the backyard). That is really all they need.
It is very important to be transparent and culturally sensitive regarding what you rec-
ommend for at-home practice (Cook-Cottone, Lemish, & Gyker, 2016; Rechtschaffen, 2014).
Some families do not feel comfortable with practices that appear to be connected to the
historical roots of mindfulness (Cook-Cottone et al., 2016). For some parents, it can feel as if
the practices are in conflict with their own religious practices. For example, when I was in
elementary school, I was learning to use the rosary and preparing for my first communion.
I believe it would have been uncomfortable for my mother, who taught Sunday school, to
have me come home from school with mala beads and a Sanskrit mantra. She would have
found it interesting, as she did the cardboard pyramid I brought home or the sign language
alphabet I learned. Still, in the absence of context and an explanation from the teacher, me
coming home with mala beads may have been concerning for her. In this way, being trans-
parent and informative, and keeping mindfulness practices secular and free of artifacts that
resonate with historical roots, ensure access to practices for kids.
Rechtschaffen (2014), author of The Way of Mindful Education, explained it this way.
Coffee originated in Ethiopia, where it was used as a stimulant beverage for a millennia
before it was exported to places like Egypt and the Middle East. Coffee is now a ubiquitous
beverage and key menu item in coffee shops and restaurants all over the world. Coffee is
loved by people of all ethnicities, races, and religions. While coffee has been used to wake
us up, mindfulness practices are used to tune us in and create focus. Drinking coffee to wake
up will not make you Ethiopian any more than using mindfulness practices to tune in and
engage will make you Buddhist (Rechtschaffen, 2014).
In discussions about secular practices for schools, I have heard educators argue that
there are central tools that have historical roots, that have been used effectively for centuries,
and that there is no need to change something that works (e.g., mala beads, singing bowls).
The main motivation to engage in secular practices is that it increases access. For some par-
ents, the perceived link to religious practices creates unnecessary tensions especially when
alternative, secular forms of the tools are available. It can be helpful to think about the
function of the tools that you are using and make substitutions that allow access for all.
For example, if you were using mala beads to help students concentrate, substitute cups of
pebbles or dried beans for counting breaths or affirmations.
Writing and Recording your Own Mindful Meditation Script for Home
A foundation of constructivism is this: When students create their own meaning, they learn.
Teaching students formal meditation practices can help them create a set of tools to use to
handle stress, self-regulation, and practice intentionally engaging in the world around them.
Recall, our next goal is to help them become architects of their own learning. Students can
write their own meditation scripts for use at home (Willard, 2016). When students create
their own meditation scripts, they become architects of their own learning. To create a script,
students need to include breath, physical presence, and sensations, an object for focus, per-
haps a story about the object, a section to bring awareness back to breath, and a closing
bringing them back to current moment awareness (see Table 6.1). Once they have written
out their scripts, have them trade scripts so that a peer can read it to them. They should