Join the Two Writing Teachers blog for the Slice of Life Challenge.
We’ve been talking about mood lately, in reading and in writing. I pre-ordered a box of mindfulness cards, Mindful Kids by Whitney Stewart. They arrived last week. I started to use them along with meditation first thing in the morning. I wasn’t sure how a group of various ages would respond to the concept of meditation. So far, I’ve been pleased.
I pulled a card from the Mindful Kids box and the instructions were to draw a picture of your mood. I asked my students to select a color that depicted their mood. I talked about the importance of being in touch with what you are feeling. Each response was as different as the kids in the room.
Dawson, 4th grade, said the picture on the right is how he felt when he came to school. On the left is how he feels in our class.
Austin, 6th grade, wrote a key to his color and image choices.
We turned off the overhead lights and sat in a comfortable position. I turned on the Insight Timer app, and we were silent together.
This was a beautiful and thoughtful way to begin a Monday morning, a Monday after another mass shooting, a Monday of a soft lockdown, a Monday in new time. I am coming to believe more and more in the face of these troubling times, I need to create a safe place. A safe place for expressing your mood, speaking your truth, and creating peace.
Reflections on the Teche 
I needed to be in your classroom Monday morning! This is wonderful, thanks for sharing it.
Hey, you’re from the hometown of Tabasco Hot Sauce! I visited the factory 30-som’n years ago. Yesterday on the bus, I served as a Pan-East Asian First Responder. A distraught homeless acquaintance told me about bad things that had been happening to him lately. In response to his complaints of mania and high blood pressure, I pointed out the cause-and-effect relationship, and suggested he chant the daimoku: Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. Yes, there are no inactive chanters nor agnostics in the foxholes. I made notes for him too.
What a great way to start a Monday and teach into the idea of mood. Have to say it reminds me of the Trevor Bryan.
I wish I was a student in your class. You are doing a fantastic job teaching mindfulness and insightfulness to your kids. We need more of that.