From Burnout to Breakthrough:  Cultivating Mindfulness and Self-Awareness in a High-Need School

Key Points

• At Northaven Elementary, a Title I school in Memphis, the mindfulness journey began with two educators practicing self-awareness and modeling mindful behavior.
• Mindfulness grew into a schoolwide culture through activities like Kind Mind Club, Mindful Mornings, and family wellness events that foster connection and emotional growth.
• Students and teachers experienced empowerment and healing as mindfulness helped them manage emotions, reduce stress, and build compassionate relationships.

At Northaven Elementary, a Title I school in Memphis, we serve a resilient community. Many students face food insecurity, unstable housing, and trauma. Our dedicated educators carry the weight of academic expectations and emotional support. For a while, it felt like we were all running on empty.

But something shifted. We didn’t begin with a formal program or district directive. We started with one breath, one intention, and two educators exploring a different way of being, beginning with ourselves.

The Journey Begins with Self-Awareness

As a professional learning community (PLC) coach, I support instruction and staff wellness. A few years ago, my colleague and I began using mindfulness personally to manage stress. We felt the impact and wondered what it might offer our school.

That led us to WholeSchool Mindfulness and becoming Northaven’s first mindfulness directors. With training and support, we began integrating mindfulness and SEL into our school culture to promote presence, reflection, and connection. We didn’t try to fix everything at once.  We focused on modeling what it meant to slow down, listen deeply, and breathe through hard moments.

What Mindfulness Looks Like at Northaven

Today, mindfulness is becoming part of who we are. Our work began with staff noticing how we were showing up differently. From there, interest grew and so did the practices.

Now we see teachers leading mindful transitions, students using breathing strategies when overwhelmed, and families participating in wellness events. One powerful milestone came in December 2024 when we co-led Breathe In, Give Out: Gratitude in Every Breath, a national event hosted by WholeSchool Mindfulness. Two of our Kind Mind Club student leaders joined us in sharing gratitude and breathing practices with a national audience, a reminder that student voice is central to this work.

Other highlights from our schoolwide efforts include:

• Kind Mind Club: Student ambassadors practiced gratitude circles, mindful reflections, and peer support activities.
• Mindful Mornings: Each Tuesday and Thursday begin with shared breath and intention across classrooms.
• Parent Engagement: Events like “Gratitude with Grandparents” and mindful movement sessions bring families into the practice.
• Staff Wellness: Weekly tools and mindful PLCs support teacher self-regulation and growth.

We are still learning. We are not perfect. But we are committed to doing the heart work, one breath, one reflection, one connection at a time.

Student and Teacher Voices Matter

The impact is visible. One student told me, “When I get mad, I do that breath thing you showed us. It helps me not mess up.” Another wrote in their journal about deciding to pause rather than react.

A teacher once said, “Mindfulness gave me permission to pause and stop internalizing every behavior. I don’t feel like I have to carry everything anymore.”

SEL is not a lesson, it’s a lens. When we lead with presence and awareness, students feel seen, and staff feel supported.

Healing Through Connection: The 5th Grade Mindfulness Club

One of the most meaningful parts of this journey came through a group of 5th-grade girls who were frequently in conflict, including fights in the restroom. Instead of punishment, I offered connection. I invited them to meet during lunch, and the 5th Grade Mindfulness Club was born.

They showed up every week, not because they had to, but because they wanted to. We created a space where they could reflect, reset, and grow. Together we read Be Mindful and Mindful Me, created mindful art, listened to affirming music, and filled a Gratitude Jar with kind actions and uplifting notes.

We opened each session with a mantra inspired by Edward Everett Hale:

“I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do.”

At their promotion ceremony, these girls led the audience in mindful breathing and shared how the club helped them feel more confident, kind, and in control of their emotions. It was a moment of pride, presence, and purpose.

This reminded me that when we meet students in their struggle, not just their success, we help them lead from within.

Final Reflections

“You can’t teach what you haven’t practiced.” That phrase has become a compass for us. We’ve learned that self-awareness, when modeled with care, can ripple through a community and create lasting change.

The 2024-2025 school year has been full of growth, learning, and impact. As Year 1 mindfulness directors through WholeSchool Mindfulness, we’ve worked to nurture a school culture rooted in presence, equity, and belonging. We’ve seen students become more reflective, staff more intentional, and families more engaged.

There is still work to do. But we are grounded in this truth: change takes everyone, and small moments matter. We will continue to build a culture of mindfulness, one breath, one classroom, one conversation at a time.

The views in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of CASEL.

Comeshia Williams is a 25-year educator, professional learning communities coach and mindfulness director at Northaven Elementary in Memphis, Tenn. She is passionate about cultivating self-awareness, resilience, and equity through mindfulness in schools. As a breast cancer survivor and author, she brings compassion and purpose into every space she leads.

Related Posts

• From Vision to Reality: Schoolwide SEL at a California Elementary School
• A Relationship-Fueled Learning Community: Teachers and Students in California Share the Impact of SEL
• Creating a School Where Students Soar

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