Integrating Mindfulness in Education

Adapting in times of COVID-19 

In the shift to distance learning, we need a response that addresses the overall health and sustainability of learning environments and one that supports the well-being of every educator, student, and member of the school community. This means that educators will need to actively focus on maintaining attitudes of inclusivity, as they diligently prepare for a fundamentally different learning program required by this new reality.  

This article is inspired by my experience as a doctoral student, studying alongside talented students and experienced faculty members. In the last few years, the effects of mindfulness on students have been of the highest interest for educators and various researchers. There are multiple studies that suggest the different benefits that mindfulness has on students, and how this helps them to overcome the levels of stress that they face in their day-to-day classroom routines.

Today’s educators and students carry so much on their shoulders. Meeting academic and social expectations –  simply growing up and developing a sense of self and belonging – can be tough. Yet the pressures in today’s educational environment reach far beyond these basics. Our world is moving and changing faster than ever.

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Firing employees can be one of the toughest tasks a manager’s faces, and can present further challenges when the manager is also faced with the current “virtual workplace” due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Termination during this new reality can be even more complicated when organizations have to manage unskilled workers with limited technological proficiency.

With today’s workforce being forced into remote work by today’s rapid, worldwide spread of the novel coronavirus, many companies are finding themselves struggling to manage the terminations and offboarding of employees with the new “virtual” way of doing things. As an HR professional, my intent when firing someone is to always remain compassionate, empathize when the termination is resulting from redundancy, and make terminations more human and humane. But this new reality makes the old way of doing things bygone.

In curbing the spread of COVID-19, virtual communication provides people with the possibility to self-isolate and self-distance. Virtual communication can also get muddled, and trust and collaboration can suffer when workers are siloed. In the opinion of many, it can be perceived as the wrong medium for terminating employees.

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Author

Gifty Parker is the Founder and Executive Director at PARKER HR. She
oversees all Leadership Training Programs, Talent Excellence Programs, and
shares the responsibility of HR Manager for dnata Catering Canada Limited.