This post was written by guest blogger, Gozde Nur Sahin, a school counselor from Istanbul International School in Istanbul, Turkey.

 

Calm Classroom is gaining popularity around the world. Last semester, Spring 2015, Calm Classroom program was implemented as a pilot project in Istanbul International School, Turkey.

 

My colleagues and I instructed the techniques in three pilot classrooms in morning and afternoon sessions for 8 weeks. The feedback from teachers, parents, and students was incredible! Some parents indicated that their kids tried to share the techniques they learned during the day with their parents who had a bad, stressful day. Even some students who had behavior problems and who were reluctant to participate in the beginning participated eagerly after the first few sessions.

 

These exercises are effective especially before the exams and after longer break times. They make students calmer and quieter. Particularly after long breaks (in our school we have 2 fifteen-minute breaks and a one-hour break in a day) when students may bring the problems that occurred on the playground into the classroom. When we applied these exercises after the breaks, students got calmer so that they could discuss problems more constructively. Likewise, students learned how to relieve their stress before exams, thanks to Calm Classroom.

 

Thanks to the Calm Classroom Team for providing this valuable program to us!

 

Below, are some comments from our students and teachers about the Calm Classroom Program:

 

Teacher feedback:

  • “I believe that it must be a school-wide program. I observed that students are more focused after the exercises. It is worth it to use five minutes form lesson time twice a day. Thank you.”
  • “It was a nice change for the students to have the Clam Classroom exercises. It helped them to concentrate on the upcoming lessons.”

Student Feedback:

What do you think about the exercises?

  • “They are very good for me especially before exams. I have more self-confidence for the exams now.”
  • “They are relaxing and fun.”
  • “I think positively about exercises because they are really relaxing.”
  • “I think they are very relaxing and they are very good just before the exams.”
  • ” They make us calm and they make us relaxed.”
  • “It relaxes me.”

How did you feel after practicing the exercises?

  • “Relaxed, happy, self-confident and successful.”
  • “After the exercises, I felt myself calmer and happier.”
  • “I feel relaxed, happy and excited.”
  • “I felt calmer while doing the lessons and exams.”
  • “It makes us feel strong, gives us more energy, makes us more comfortable and relaxed and we get more power.”

Did you have a chance to practice the exercises in your daily life?

  • “Yes. When I cannot find anything to do at home, I practice them.”
  • “I have opportunities to use them in my daily life, especially, when I get angry or sad. “
  • “I tried them before I sleep.”
  • “I repeat them every day to relax myself.”

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