The role of a leader can be daunting. As an elementary principal, I remember the feeling of dodging through a hailstorm, as matters of varying degrees of urgency and importance came hurtling at me from all directions.  Okay, maybe that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but not much!

Today, the landscape of public education is shifting dramatically. Educators and school leaders are navigating a steady stream of challenges, from polarized public discourse to significant changes in policy and funding structures. These changes have left many hard-working, highly skilled practitioners second-guessing themselves or striving even harder to uphold their values, beliefs, and professional expertise.

How can those working in public education manage, sustain, and even thrive amid such uncertainty?

An Overview of How One Elementary School Introduced a Mindfulness Initiative

Almost a decade ago, well before the COVID-19 pandemic and today’s heightened political discourse surrounding education, my school made a decision to embrace mindfulness as part of our school improvement plan. The American Psychological Association defines mindfulness as "awareness of one’s internal states and surroundings." With this in mind, we set out to create a culture of presence, reflection, and regulation across our community.

We began by engaging the faculty in professional learning about mindfulness. We partnered with a local expert to learn about what mindfulness is, its benefits, how to practice it ourselves, and how to facilitate it with young children in a meaningful and manageable way.

Next, we introduced mindfulness into daily classroom routines. Using a research-based CASEL SELect program, we explicitly taught students about their brains and how they work. Teachers utilized a variety of mindfulness tools during transitions throughout their days to help students prepare for learning. For example, after recess, a teacher might dim the lights and allow students a few moments of mindful coloring at their seats before inviting them to the rug to begin the lesson. Others might begin by guiding students in a “Five-Finger Breathing” exercise, while some might choose to invite students to focus on the sound of a chime as it became fainter and silenced, signaling when they could no longer hear it. We also utilized storytelling - oral and children’s books - to convey the theme of mindfulness and presence.

Many classrooms established “mindful corners” where students could spend a few moments when they needed to reset or self-regulate. Though each such corner was unique, these were generally equipped with a cozy place to sit, as well as a variety of tools from which students could choose (stress balls, kinetic sand, glitter jars, etc.).

Beyond the classroom, we wove mindfulness into the rhythm of school life. As principal, as part of our morning video announcements, I proclaimed each Monday to be “Mindful Monday,” and guided the school in a brief mindful exercise to begin the week. We began our staff meetings and professional learning sessions with a “Mindful Moment.” Teachers took turns leading their colleagues in a brief exercise to help them transition from the frenetic pace of the school day into our time together as colleagues and adult learners.

Over time, many teachers began to cultivate a mindfulness practice of their own. One teacher opted to engage her fourth-grade students in a project to design and build a labyrinth at the school.  This remains a lasting place where students and staff can pause to walk mindfully on the campus.

We also offered opportunities for parents/guardians and families to come to campus to learn about and practice mindfulness. Through parent/guardian education evenings and family “Be Kind to Your Mind” events, we equipped families to utilize the same strategies at home that students were learning in school.

Even though our explicit, school-wide focus on mindfulness waned over the years, these practices remain embedded in our culture. Teachers and students have continued to utilize mindfulness strategies during trying times in their personal lives, as well as when larger, more systemic challenges have surfaced.

Mindfulness Through the Lens of a Systems Thinker

As described above, at our school, we recognized that mindfulness could be a powerful tool to foster students’ self-regulation. What we didn’t fully anticipate was the ripple effect and the unintended benefit for the adults in our system.

As our mindfulness practices became embedded into the fabric of our school, I began to notice patterns that extended beyond individual strategies or isolated successes. The shifts we were seeing, in student behavior, staff resilience, and school culture reflected deeper systems at work. It was through this lens that I recognized clear connections to the Habits of a Systems Thinker, which helped us more fully describe and sustain the changes we were cultivating.

As you consider starting or deepening a mindfulness practice in your own context, the following Habits of a Systems Thinker may offer a helpful perspective, especially in today’s challenging climate.

Seeks to Understand THE BIG PICTURE - The public elementary school classroom can be seen as a microcosm of the larger society. We wanted students to have a sense of belonging to their classrooms and to the school, and to have regular opportunities to learn and develop academically, socially, emotionally, and physically. Teaching students how their brains worked, as well as how to self-regulate with various mindfulness strategies, equipped them with tools that would help them be successful in these endeavors.

Recognizes the Impact of TIME DELAYS When Exploring Cause and Effect Relationships - It has been almost ten years since we introduced mindfulness as a school-wide initiative. Some effects were quickly evident.  For example, students could be seen choosing to spend a few moments in a mindful corner or selecting from a variety of breathing techniques (often with coaching) when engaged in a conflict with a peer. Other effects were evident after a time delay.  For example, graduating high school seniors came back to campus years later and commented on the ongoing usefulness of mindfulness techniques they learned in elementary school, particularly during times of high stress and uncertainty, such as during the COVID-19 pandemic.

CONSIDERS Short-Term, Long-Term, and Unintended CONSEQUENCES of Actions - As described above, there were both short-term and long-term positive consequences (effects) of our actions.  In addition, unfortunately, there were unintended negative consequences (effects) of our actions. A small number of families took exception to what their children were learning about mindfulness, as they believed it was being used to promote a religion. Most came to understand and support our efforts after individual conversations were held to explain and share more specifics of what we were doing and how we were doing it. However, at least one family chose to leave the school because of our mindfulness initiative.

Consider How MENTAL MODELS Affect Current Reality and the Future - It became evident that differences in some mental models about mindfulness were hindering our efforts to affect change for the entire school community, and we made some modifications because of this. For example, we had a staff member who was skilled at graphic design create a mandala (a geometric figure representing unity, harmony, and interconnectedness) using our school colors and mascot. After much consideration, though mandala designs had become popularized (used in gardens, fashion, pop culture, etc.), we opted to stop using the custom image because of their origin as a Buddhist devotional symbol.

Recognizes That a System’s STRUCTURE GENERATES ITS BEHAVIOR - From the various transition routines that teachers used to the weekly school-wide Mindful Monday exercise on the morning announcements, we built a number of structures that students (and staff) came to rely upon to develop mindfulness habits/practices.

Throughout this journey, mindfulness and systems thinking became steady anchors for our school community—structures we could lean on even as the broader environment shifted around us. As the winds of change in education have only grown stronger, these practices continue to offer a foundation for navigating uncertainty with resilience, clarity, and hope.

A Mounting Challenge

While these habits and practices offered us steady ground within our school, we were not insulated from the broader shifts affecting education across the country. As the years unfolded, external pressures on public education intensified, placing additional strain on the very people these systems rely on most-teachers and school leaders.

Teacher and principal well-being has been a concern for a long time.  According to a January 2022 survey by the Rand Corporation, “Teachers and principals reported worse well-being than other working adults.”  The following table is from their report:

This mounting pressure is not new, but it has become harder to ignore. While the data above reflects the post-pandemic climate, it does not take into consideration today’s polarized political climate. In early 2025, a series of federal policy changes—including executive orders and shifts in Department of Education priorities—signaled major disruptions for the public education system. These included actions related to curriculum oversight, department structure, and funding requirements. For many educators, these changes added new layers of uncertainty and concern.

How does one who works in public education manage amid such a maelstrom? While these national policy shifts introduced new challenges, they also reinforced the importance of the foundational practices we had already begun, especially mindfulness.

Navigating the Storm, One Step at a Time

In times like these, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed or powerless. But amidst the uncertainty, practices like mindfulness and systems thinking offer more than just tools - they offer perspective. They help us pause, re-center, and focus on what we can influence, even when so much feels out of our control.

Take a moment to consider how your understanding of the big picture of public education connects with what happens in your own school, classroom, or home. How can you maintain balance between the big picture and important details? What is in your sphere of influence today? What is not? What is in your sphere of influence over time?

Should you be interested in developing a mindfulness practice of your own, consider the patterns and structures that might support this. Know that developing new habits takes time and that you can anticipate time delays before seeing the results you desire. Are you open to short-term discomfort in exchange for long-term clarity, grounding, or gain?

And if the Habits of a Systems Thinker sparked your curiosity, there’s much more to explore. These habits—and the systems thinking tools that support them—can help you visualize ideas and relationships more clearly and act with greater intention.

If you want to explore how mindfulness and systems thinking might support your own practice or leadership, I’d love to be a part of that journey. Through Kimbo Coaching and Consulting, I offer coaching, consulting services, and capacity-building opportunities that help teams and individuals navigate complexity with greater clarity, calm, and connection.

No matter the weather around us, we can choose to lead from a place of steadiness within.