Everybody Present: Mindfulness in Education

by Nikolaj Rotne, Didde Flor Rotne

Everybody Present seeks to create a new kind of culture in our schools: one that counters stress and facilitates learning. It reframes the student-teacher relationship, showing teachers how to supplant antagonism and foster strong relationships by planting seeds of mindfulness in their students and encouraging them to embark on a mindfulness practice of their own.

Illustrating the transformative effects of mindfulness on educators, students, and their classrooms, Everybody Present shows how mindfulness helps to strengthen inner peace and prevent stress, foster contagious joy and an ethic of altruism, improve understanding between student and teacher, and fortify competence in educational relations.

A working manual addressed to everyone in the educational universe, Everybody Present presents real-world applications grounded in solid research. Stories, exercises, and case studies demonstrate the effectiveness of mindful practices across all areas of education.

Everybody Present is intended to contribute to the creation of a culture throughout the educational system writ large, working against stress and victim mentality to set in motion a revolution of silence, allowing each individual the experience of inter-being, inner calm, and joy. By exploring the challenges of teaching, Everybody Present will help all educators transform feelings of inadequacy into experiences of abundance.

Genres: Education, Nonfiction, Professional Development

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

Reviews

[D · Rating 4 out of 5]

Teaching, not therapy

Feelings of anger inform us that our values or expectations aren’t being met

It’s a great book with knowledge on bringing mindfulness practice with children.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

According to the authors, Nikolaj Flor Rotne and Didde Flor Rotne “Everybody Present: Mindfulness in Education” is meant to “demonstrate how mindfulness techniques can transform not just children but the adults who teach them.” Reading the title and the blurb on the back of the book, I assumed it was going to be mostly focused on children in the classroom and how to create a better environment for them to learn in. It does touch on this, but that is not what the main focus of the book is. There are a lot of stories from the authors’ lives (which I love) about their journey and how the book came into being. There are also a lot of stories to help Illustrate a point and there are mindfulness exercise such as keeping a gratitude journal, deep breathing and breath awareness. That is what this book excels at: how to breath, how to calm yourself, how to acknowledge feelings such as anger without letting the feelings dictate our behavior. If you are looking for direct skills that can be instituted immediately in the classroom, then this book probably is not for you. I thought some of the ideas were lovely, such as a minute of silence before class, and although I would love if my children’s teacher could implement sessions where the kids focus on breath, I know that you would also get a lot of parents upset that this was being taught to their children. They would not see it as mindfulness but as a way to “convert” kids in a way they would not like. I do not agree with that, but that is the reality.

Although from the title it does sound like it is centered around the classroom, the book is actually written for anyone who reads it; a parent, teacher, friend, mentor, yourself. I think that the title is actually a little misleading. You can use it with children, but it is not limited to that.

Overall I enjoyed the book with the true stories, the stories to help make a point, and the various exercises within. I think that anyone who picks this up can use it to help themselves become more aware and mindful.


**This book was received through GoodReads Member Giveaway. This did not influence my opinion in any way.**

[Sarah Cohen · Rating 4 out of 5]

useful bits and I think an important resource for all teachers to reflect on and start an inquisitive and compassionate mindfulness preactice.

[Melissa Tobin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent reference for mindfulness practice in the classroom