Grammar Gazette- Issue 1, 2014

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Teaching students skills to remain ‘in the moment’ via meditative exercises, is thought to enhance and improve mental health, resilience, working memory, empathy and psycho-social wellbeing.

As educators and advocates for adolescent girls we have a duty to empower our students, and to develop their confidence, resilience and optimism. For our Grammar girls will soon become Grammar women, equipped with both the ability and the desire to make a significant and positive contribution to the world. As such, Mr Pincott, Head of Art and trained in meditation and yoga practices, has been introducing our Year 12 students to the area of mindfulness and assisting them to develop skills in relaxing, sustaining attention and managing stress. Initial feedback is positive and Girls Grammar is committed to investigating options for incorporating mindfulness further into our school community. Thus, just as we always have, Brisbane Girls Grammar School aims to remain a trailblazer in providing a robust, holistic and academically rigorous education for adolescent girls.

Although rooted in Eastern religion and philosophies, mindfulness is a secular approach which has gained momentum of late due to empirical research denoting its benefits. It involves the self-regulation of attention to one’s present experience with an attitude of openness and acceptance. Teaching students skills to remain ‘in the moment’ via meditative exercises, is thought to enhance and improve mental health, resilience, working memory, empathy and psycho-social wellbeing. Furthermore, interventions embracing mindfulness have been shown to reduce stress, anxiety and depression. Executive functioning, the mental processes critical for academic achievement, has been suggested to improve with mindfulness training. Thus, devotees of mindfulness consider it an indispensable tool for coping and perhaps the key to surviving in the 21st century.

WINTER ISSUE / 2014