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Acknowledgments

We like this quote by Kofi A. Annan (n.d.) and want to start with it:

There is no trust more sacred than the one the world holds with children. There is no duty more important than ensuring that their rights are respected, that their welfare is protected, that their lives are free from fear and want and that they grow up in peace.

Let me begin by thanking my coauthors, with the foremost thanks to Michele M. Rivers Murphy for always believing in our work, for being a motivational coach, and for her gift of working by my side, so to speak, even at a distance of hundreds of miles away. There were many days when Michele and I began our morning with a conversation and ended our day with a quick text or email. Then, I believe Michele will echo my gratitude for the loving, caring attention that Yvette Jackson provided to us. Yvette, as the more experienced author, and internationally known educator, has shown us a path forward, helping us navigate the publishing process.

On a personal note, thanks too to my husband, John Wilhelm, for his unflagging support and encouragement, and to our daughters, Maria, Holly, and Amber, for their love, their amazing ability to check in at just the right time, and their practical advice. As many of you know, trauma is something that many of us have experienced, and I cherish the insights from family as I hold in my heart their belief that this book is important for children and schools.

—Chris Mason

Writing our book has been a long and exciting process. I am thankful to have shared this special journey with my coauthors and cherished friends, Chris Mason and Yvette Jackson. Chris is an amazingly gifted and natural writer who has inspired me every step of the way through her unwavering passion for educating with both heart and mind and a strong belief in a more compassionate and caring world. I have shared many morning calls and rapid-fire emails in our mutual desire to strike just the right chord with our readers as we strive to cultivate a more compassionate educational landscape. Yvette is an invaluable resource and inspiration, having touched countless lives through her lifelong work and focus on strengths-based education as the vehicle to high intellectual performance. She has created a ripple effect of change, transforming educators’ belief about providing engaging and supportive environments so each and every child has the ability to maximize his or her potential. Yvette’s insights, work, and accomplishments in the field of education, as well as contributions to our book, have been remarkable.

On a personal note, I am both grateful and blessed to have my best friend and husband, Tom Murphy, always by my side to extend unwavering love and support and provide family balance for any endeavor I may choose. And, our daughters, Julia and Abigail Murphy, who inspire me every day through their compassionate hearts and goodness—to do more and make this a better world for all children. Lastly, I am indebted to my parents, Dick and Paula Rivers (both former educators), for being my first teachers and the best role models, parents, and cheerleaders that a child could have. Thank you for the many lessons learned along the way, for being nonjudgmental, and opening your hearts to not only your own children but to our many friends so that they too could feel love and supported along the path of life.

—Michele M. Rivers Murphy

I thank Chris and Michele for their leadership in demonstrating the power of mindfulness practices to generate in schools that healing balm for which students hope and dedicated teachers search. I am honored to have been able to join with them to write this book to provide educators with the research that substantiates the vital power that integrating mindfulness practices into their pedagogy has for mitigating the impact of trauma and mediating learning so the innate potential of their students can surface and flourish.

This book is also dedicated to my husband, Howard, whose constant love and support enable me to stay focused on my passion, my drishti—building the confidence of teachers to inspire all their students to believe in, value, and demonstrate their innate potential for high achievement and contribution to our society.

—Yvette Jackson

In the production of this book, several interns and colleagues reviewed drafts at various stages of development. Thanks to Meghan Wenzel and Effie Cummings for their assistance with editing, and the following interns who assisted with background research: Mahnaz Ahrary, Sheri Brick, Rachel Kelly, Morgan Grant, Tess Renerie, Joanna Marzano, Andrew Davis, Madison Rogas, Dana Asby, and Marah Barrow. Thanks too to Linda Clearly, Cheryl Karoly, Melissa Patschke, Jillayne Flanders, and Nancy Phenis-Bourke for their early reviews. Additionally, Paul Liabenow was instrumental in making recommendations to ensure that our practical examples were embedded throughout; Paul also provided support for our research and helped us maintain a network of principals who learned with us, as we put the pieces of this puzzle together. Midway through our writing process, we also met Maud Schaafsma, a brilliant strategist, who helped us connect some of the dots between trauma, mindfulness, and community building.

While writing this book, we engaged in related research. Our thanks particularly to Melissa Patschke, Jillayne Flanders, Sue Mullane, Kate Retzel, Chris Dodge, Brian Aikens, Matt Bergey, and the teachers at Royersford Elementary School, Lee Elementary School, and Orange Elementary School for the hours spent in meetings and classrooms piloting many of the recommendations that are included in our approach to mindfulness.

We are also grateful to our editors at Solution Tree, particularly to Amy Rubenstein, for her editorial eye and how she helped us weave our insights into a powerful plan for schools, and to Tonya Cupp, who led us through the final editorial production process.

Solution Tree Press would like to thank the following reviewers:

Cathy Alland

Mathematics / Options Teacher

Twin Groves Middle School

Buffalo Grove, Illinois

Lisa Borowski

Mathematics Coach and Interventionist

North Greenville Elementary School

Hortonville Area School District

Greenville, Wisconsin

Terese Brennan-Marquez

Director of Counseling and Student Wellness

Castilleja School

Palo Alto, California

Vicky Galloway

Counselor

West Middle School

Sioux City, Iowa

A. Blaine Hawley

Principal

Red Pump Elementary School

Bel Air, Maryland

Diane Langworthy

Guidance Counselor

Woodland School

Warren, New Jersey

Sarah Trevino

Professional School Counselor

Mason Crest Elementary School

Annandale, Virginia

Kylie Warner

Second-Grade Teacher

Truman Elementary School

Kansas City, Missouri