Thursday, October 30, 2014

Cotton Ball Breathing

The end of the quarter can be a stressful time for both students and teachers. Teachers carry the stress of getting all the curriculum taught and grades finalized. Students carry the stress of applying all of the knowledge they have gained so far to quarterly assessments. Today my students took their on demand writing assessment, which had them putting into action all that they have learned about realistic fiction writing over the last several weeks.  However, before the students began I had them take out their cotton balls and do some cotton ball breathing.

The object of this cotton ball breathing exercise is to blow a cotton ball from the palm of your hand to the tips of your fingers without it falling off. The first time I handed each of my students a cotton ball and explained the activity, they looked at me like I was a little crazy. However, once they began the activity I could see a calm fall over the classroom. I saw the same calmness spill over this morning before their assessment. This breathing technique allows students to clear their minds and solely focus on that little cotton ball.

I was taught this breathing technique at a professional development course called “Mindful Practices” that I am currently enrolled in. This course offers a variety of techniques and activities to cool down your students and classroom. With all the stress that teachers and students face, it is important to take the time to cool down and think about nothing but a little white cotton ball. 




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