Excellence in Action resulting from students optimizing brain functioning





     

principal
Principal Paul Stringer supports offering students the Transcendental Meditation/Quiet Time Program because it helps them be more relaxed, handle stress more effectively, and grow in happiness and the ability to focus in school.

 

 

 

lynn kaplan
Lynn Kaplan is very fulfilled knowing that she was able to make a real difference in the lives of "at risk" students by teaching them Transcendental Meditation.

 

The Transcendental Meditation/Quiet Time Programme in Connecticut, USA
by Lynn Kaplan and Peter Trivelas at www.davidlynchfoundation.org
7 December 2010

In the fall of 2006 we embarked on the most fulfilling adventure of our lives. The David Lynch Foundation had approved funding to implement the Transcendental Meditation/Quiet Time Program for 450 students in the Arts and Technology Academy at Weaver High School in Hartford Connecticut. We began by teaching all of the principals and administrators for the four academies at Weaver.

The principal, Paul Stringer, a retired Marine, was sold from his first meditation. He was amazed at how easy and effortlessly he was able to transcend all of the stress around him and find deep quiet within. After his meditation, Paul felt peaceful even in the midst of the most intense situations at school.

When the students learned to meditate they noticed they were more relaxed and able to focus at school. It was always a joy to watch the students learn the Transcendental Meditation technique and see the peace and happiness on their faces right away.

The Arts and Technology Academy was impressed with the first year of the program so the principal wanted to move ahead to teach all of the rest of the students in the school.

Over four years almost one thousand students, faculty and staff learned to meditate at Weaver High School. We saw an incoherent, loud school settle down to become a calm and orderly environment, conducive for learning and growing. The metal detectors at the front doors disappeared and in their place were smiling and welcoming faces.

A high point for us at Weaver was when the students created a Transcendental Meditation Weaver choir. They stayed after school three days a week for three months to practice in order to perform at the “Change Begins Within” fundraising concert at Radio City Music Hall. Staying after school meant missing their school bus and paying to take city buses home in the freezing cold. They were so grateful for all they had gained through their meditation practice; they were committed to helping David Lynch Foundation raise money for other students around the world to learn to meditate.

Another high point was when we collected the data on the dropout and graduation rates for the seniors students. We were able to track the students who had learned to meditate and compare them with students who opted out of the program. The data was very impressive. The dropout rate for the non-meditators was 22%, compared to only 2% for the meditators. The graduation rates were just as dramatic: 86% of the meditators graduated, compared to only 67% of the non-meditating students.

It is beyond words to describe the fulfillment of knowing we were able to make a real difference in the lives of these kids. It has been especially wonderful running into students in town who have graduated from Weaver High. They always thank us for teaching them the Transcendental Meditation program and tell us how much it continues to help them handle stress in their lives.

The Weaver High School Quiet Time story started to be shared around the City of Hartford. A director of the Trinity College Student Counseling Center in Hartford contacted us because they wanted this simple technique to help their stressed out, "at risk" students. We worked with the college to teach two freshman seminar classes, the women's squash team and a group of students who were invited to learn through the Student Counseling Center. Trinity College was completely supportive and helped to implement the program on campus.

Trinity College also conducted research on the Transcendental Meditation program. They measured depression, anxiety, perfectionism, stress levels, and self-efficacy by comparing a control group of students with the students that learned Transcendental Meditation and practiced in groups for most of the school year. One of the psychology department heads, who analyzed the data, was amazed at the results. He said he had never seen such significant results before. They are now preparing the research for publication in a college counseling center journal.

Thank you David Lynch Foundation for this rare opportunity!

 

© Copyright 2010 David Lynch Foundation

 

   
"The potential of every student is infinite. The time of student life should serve to unfold that infinite potential so that every individual becomes a vibrant centre of Total Knowledge."—Maharishi

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