Students participated in a short meditation and breathing exercise. I read I Close My Eyes by David Ignatow. After the meditation, they were asked to write whatever came to mind. Classwork was conducted in silence. Daydreaming and even boredom were encouraged!
Lesson Note: “Boredom heightens daydreaming because moments of boredom resemble sleep. Each inhale and exhale become part of the experience. When the mind finds itself in an interlude of rest, synapses connect in different ways, and new thoughts are formed. The listener creates their own harmony in the space, just as our minds [might] fill boredom with a story or, observation or memories to escape the boredom. Mysteries abound in the time we’re not ‘entertained.’ “–Pep Talks for Writers (2017) by Grant Faulkner: Executive Director of National Novel Writing Month.
Ms. Hernandez, 7th Grade
Don’t let the breath escape
by Madeline J.
Sitting there in silence,
Feel my breath escape from my body,
I lay there,
I wait till the quiet in me comes alive,
And my heart and mind collide,
Let the inner thoughts disappear like mist,
At this moment, all is a bliss,
With the last inhale, release the strain.
Do not worry; do not feel the pain.
Meditation Cloud
by Caelan G.
When I sit down and, the meditation begins.
I am lifted out of my seat, swirly clouds of color around me.
I am soaring through the sky, full of colors and peaceful music.
I land on a soft, fluffy cloud that feels like a pillow but more fluffy and more soft.
I walk hop up and down.
Breath in.
I hop up.
Breath out.
I fall back down.
Breath in.
I hop up.
Breath out.
I fall back down.
I take a big, deep breath. I fall from the fluffy cloud, floating in the colors of meditation.
“Everyone open your eyes,”
I softly get put back in my chair.
I open my eyes.
