---
title: 3 Reasons Why Educators Should Practice Mindfulness | Extended Notes
description: Mindfulness can help educators reduce stress and prevent burnout.
---

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# [3 Reasons Why Educators Should Practice Mindfulness | Extended Notes](https://www.extendednotes.com/blog/after-school-articles/3-reasons-why-educators-should-practice-mindfulness)

 Written by [ExtendEDNotes](https://www.extendednotes.com/blog/author/extendednotes) | Aug 17, 2015 4:00:00 AM

## Mindfulness for Educator Introspection

 

Long hours and a multitude of stressors make teaching one of the most demanding jobs out there. A hectic schedule and long workdays can lead to decreased effectiveness. Mindfulness can help educators reduce stress and prevent burnout.

 

According to Jon Kabat-Zinn, founder of the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center, mindfulness is “paying attention on purpose, in the present moment and non-judgmentally, to the unfolding of experience moment to moment.”

 

Mindfulness can boost mental health and resilience:

 

- **Build awareness of thoughts and emotions:** Daily, educators are faced with negative behaviors. Mindfulness can help a person to become less reactive and better able to think about the desired outcome in a stressful situation.
- **Increase self-compassion: **Educators are often very hard on themselves for many reasons—a failed lesson, the inability to reach a challenging student, saying the wrong thing to a student or parent—the list goes on. Mindfulness teaches how to reflect on thoughts without judging them as “good” or “bad.” Reflection without judgment helps a person have more compassion for herself.
- **Improve classroom environment: **When educators can minimize stress, they are able to more effectively carry out lesson plans, manage classroom behaviors and build relationships with students. In return, on-task behavior and students’ academic performance improve.

Mindfulness can boost staff morale and establish a less stressful learning environment in your after school program! For more ideas, check out <https://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2012/06/09/7-easy-ways-to-be-mindful-every-day/> [3 Tiny Habits to Enhance Your Mindfulness Practice](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/mindfulness_b_1337948).

[View full post](https://www.extendednotes.com/blog/after-school-articles/3-reasons-why-educators-should-practice-mindfulness)

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