Kids in Northeastern PA Are Gaining Resilience With Mindfulness and ‘Zentangles’

Inside the art room at Hazleton Area School District (HASD), one teacher has incorporated different mindfulness practices with her students, including intuitive drawing of repeated patterns, called zentangles. This is a meditative art form focusing on the calming process of drawing rather than a specific result. “While students were hesitant to sit still with themselves for a few minutes, as the lesson progressed, they became more comfortable and started to enjoy it,” she says.  

This is just one example of how mindfulness has made its way into classrooms. The meditative practice, which is offered in an array of programs through the Center for Mindfulness, part of Jefferson Health, has been affirmed through clinical studies conducted by universities and mental health centers. One study notes that mindfulness intervention helped students with social behavior, resilience, ADHD attention problems and served to decrease anxiety. 

A practice of self-care, mindfulness is more than 2,500 years old and was introduced in the U.S. in the 1970s. At its core is present-moment awareness, rather than thinking of the past or future. Practicing mindfulness can mean quietly sitting and being fully aware of the current moment, without getting lost in thoughts. It can also be done informally anytime, by directing our attention in the course of daily behaviors like brushing our teeth, taking a shower or drinking a cup of tea. These are all ways to train the mind to be present and step out of automatic pilot.

Mindfulness came to HASD after Lisa Wolk, a Level 2 teacher of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, made a presentation to the staff in support of its members’ and students’ well-being. She has led the ensuing sessions for grades 9-12 students in the Arts and Humanities Academy, who each has the opportunity to learn the practices by the end of the school year. Teachers of all grades also have access to five-week teacher training. 

“As educators and administrators observed the increasing social-emotional needs of students, HASD sought evidence-based approaches that could be woven naturally into the school day,” says Michelle Zukos​ki, EdD, Central Director of Federal Programs. “This led to our partnership with Lehigh Valley Health Network and Mindfulness in Education, a program designed specifically for school settings and aligned with educational best practices.”

“By investing in mindfulness, HASD continues to foster a school culture that values mental wellness alongside academic growth, giving students skills they can carry with them long after the school day ends,” Zukoski says.  

Research says that mindfulness in school is most effective as a group endeavor. When teachers, students and administrators all support the practice and believe in its value, everyone benefits. Two of the HASD teachers applying mindfulness say they improved their relationship with students after their own committed practice.  

“Taking small moments to ground myself made me less reactive in stressful situations and helped me better serve my students,” one says. “Having awareness of my emotions and being able to sit with difficult or painful ones and still have a sense of calm is a new goal in my mindfulness journey,” says another.

They are both grateful that students have had the chance to be introduced to mindfulness, and how it can be used in their everyday lives.

“Each week, the students are presented with a new technique, which they have the opportunity to practice,” says George Maue, a HASD physical education teacher. “While sitting in, and participating, I can see students being actively engaged, and trying to use the techniques described. Overall, the students have had a very positive response so far.” 

“After the first few sessions of the program, I can see the usefulness for this across all grade levels. Students are rarely taught these important skills, and I believe through practice this will greatly impact their day-to-day living,” Maue says. 

James Hearne, assistant principal at the Arts and Humanities Academy at HASD, introduced the idea of mindfulness sessions at the school and agrees there is intrinsic value in the practice.  

“I believe that mindfulness and other similar ways of thinking and developing as an individual are very important for young people to learn and harness,” he says. “I hope that we can do better than just teach students how to write a paper, memorize a set of facts or follow a formula to a desired answer. We must help young people become deep thinkers, connect to the world around them and learn how to manage their lives in a rapidly changing, chaotic world. Teaching mindfulness is an important component in this way of learning.”

Learn more about the mindfulness programs offered at Center for Mindfulness. They include Mindful-Based Stress Reduction and themed classes on topics such as mindfulness in motion and mindful kids.