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Mindfulness helps students regulate emotions and engage in respectful discussions.

Contemplative education builds self-awareness alongside academic learning.

Present-moment practices can improve focus, empathy, and emotional regulation.

By Manisha Nagpal, Ph.D., and Josie Lee, BA, Duquesne University

A middle school English class is usually bubbling with energy, but today the air was thick with tension. The teacher, Mrs. Adams, had decided to use a small group discussion approach to allow students to reflect on a social-moral dilemma posed by their novel: “Do good deeds cancel out bad deeds? Why or why not?” Marcus said, “If you do something bad but then do something really good, it should obviously balance out.” A few students nodded, but across the room, Jada shook her head hard. “That’s not how it works,” she shot back. “If you hurt someone, you can’t just fix it by helping somebody else. The harm still happened.” Liam jumped in before Marcus could respond. “But people make mistakes! If they try to make up for it, shouldn’t that count for something?” Students began debating over each other, voices rising as the class divided into sides. A couple of students crossed their arms, clearly frustrated, while some others shrank back into their seats. “Let’s stop for a moment,” Mrs. Adams said gently. “Close your notebooks. Everyone take one quiet, deep breath.” The students hesitated, but the calmness in her voice settled them. “When we talk about social-moral questions,” she continued, “it’s normal to feel strongly. But if our emotions take over completely, it becomes harder to listen to one another, remain respectful, and think carefully about complicated questions like this one.” “So,” Mrs. Adams said with a small smile, “let’s try again. Remember to notice how you’re feeling as you speak and as you listen.” Hands began to rise again, more slowly this time. And in that moment, the lesson was no longer just about good deeds and bad deeds—it was about learning how to steady the mind and body so real thinking could happen.

A middle school English class is usually bubbling with energy, but today the air was thick with tension. The teacher, Mrs. Adams, had decided........

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