REX, Ga. (AP) 鈥 The third-grade students at Roberta T. Smith Elementary School had only a few days until summer vacation, and an hour until lunch, but there was no struggle to focus as they filed into the classroom. They were ready for one of their favorite parts of the day.
The children closed their eyes and traced their thumbs from their foreheads to their hearts as a pre-recorded voice led them through an exercise called the shark fin, part of the classroom's regular meditation routine.
鈥淟isten to the chimes," said the teacher, Kim Franklin. "Remember to breathe.鈥
Schools across the U.S. have been introducing yoga, meditation and mindfulness exercises to help students manage stress and emotions. As the depths of became clear in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last year endorsed schools' use of the practices.
Research has found school-based mindfulness programs can help, especially in low-income communities where students face high levels of stress or .
The mindfulness program reached Smith Elementary through a contract with the school system, Clayton County Public Schools, where two-thirds of the students are Black.
GreenLight Fund Atlanta, a network that matches communities with local nonprofits, helps Georgia school systems pay for the mindfulness program provided by Inner Explorer, an audio platform.
Joli Cooper, GreenLight Fund Atlanta's executive director, said it was important to the group to support an organization that is accessible and relevant for communities of color in the Greater Atlanta area.
Children nationwide struggled with the effects of isolation and remote learning as they returned from the pandemic school closures. The CDC in 2023 reported more than a third of students were affected by and hopelessness. The agency recommended schools use to help students manage emotions.
鈥淲e know that our teenagers and adolescents have really strained in their mental health,鈥 CDC Director Dr. Mandy Cohen told The Associated Press. 鈥淭here are real skills that we can give our teens to make sure that they are coping with some big emotions.鈥
Approaches to mindfulness represent a form of social-emotional learning, which has become a political flashpoint with many conservatives who say schools use it to promote progressive ideas about race, .
But advocates say the programming brings much-needed attention to students' well-being.
鈥淲hen you look at the numbers, unfortunately, in Georgia, the number of children of color with suicidal thoughts and success is quite high,鈥 Cooper said. 鈥淲hen you look at the number of psychologists available for these children, there are not enough psychologists of color.鈥
have the fastest-growing suicide rate among racial groups, according to CDC statistics. Between 2007 and 2020, the suicide rate among Black children and teens ages 10 to 17 increased by 144%.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a stigma with being able to say you鈥檙e not OK and needing help, and having the ability to ask for help,鈥 said Tolana Griggs, Smith Elementary's assistant principal. 鈥淲ith our diverse school community and wanting to be more aware of our students, how different cultures feel and how different cultures react to things, it鈥檚 important to be all-inclusive with everything we do.鈥
Nationwide, children in schools that serve mostly students of color have than those in schools serving mostly white students.
The Inner Explorer program guides students and teachers through five-to-10-minute sessions of breathing, meditating and reflecting several times a day. The program also is used at Atlanta Public Schools and over 100 other districts across the country.
Teachers and administrators say they have noticed a difference in their students since they鈥檝e incorporated mindfulness into their routine. For Aniyah Woods, 9, the program has helped her 鈥渃alm down鈥 and 鈥渘ot stress anymore.鈥
鈥淚 love myself how I am, but Inner Explorer just helps me feel more like myself,鈥 Aniyah said.
Malachi Smith, 9, has used his exercises at home, with his father helping to guide him through meditation.
鈥淵ou can relax yourself with the shark fin, and when I calm myself down, I realize I am an excellent scholar,鈥 Malachi said.
After Franklin鈥檚 class finished their meditation, they shared how they were feeling.
鈥淩elaxed,鈥 one student said.
Aniyah raised her hand.
鈥淚t made me feel peaceful,鈥 she said.
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