Teachers as contemplative practitioners: Presence, meditation, and mindfulness as a classroom practice

Scope and method of study. The purpose of this study was to create narratives in teachers' own words of their experiences when they implement John Miller's (1994) Contemplative Practitioner model of classroom practice, a way of being in the classroom described as "Presence." The technique of using the breath to anchor attention in the moment was used in both the meditation outside the classroom and the mindfulness practice in the classroom. This study used Torbert's research model, action inquiry, in which mindfulness was the aim and primary research instrument. Qualitative research techniques of long interviews, journals, and focus group interviews were used. Collected data were presented in narratives of each participant's experiences.;Findings and conclusions. Analysis of the data yielded the following findings and conclusions: (1) A working definition as well as the benefits of meditation and mindfulness emerge as a unique fit between the individual's life experiences and present needs. (2) Both older and younger students spontaneously co-opted the breath as an anchor for mindful attention, using it to keep themselves on task, after observing this behavior in their teachers. (3) Non-dualistic relationships of interconnectedness between teacher and student enhanced communication and pedagogy. (4) Ordinary classroom interactions and tasks became satisfying in and of themselves, created more harmony and made school humane. (5) Further research might extend the exploration of integrated Eastern and Western philosophies to inform teaching, educational research, and practice with mindfulness, humanizing schools.