For some reason, I took first-year Latin in high school. My parents thought it'd be useful later in life, and I unfortunately obliged.Anyway, though I remember hardly any of the Latin learned in the class (Salve Magister=Hello Teacher), I do remember the first three minutes of every day.
Every one, including the teacher, would simply sit and meditate. With our elbows on desks and our hands over our faces, we would individually reflect on our lives. I think it was called "three quiet minutes."
Most kids loved it. It meant a solid three minutes when we were not reciting Latin poetry or diagriming sentences. It was essentially a three minute nap time, and who doesn't like nap time?
However, it turns out that my Latin teacher may have been on to something. An article in today's New York Times describes how "mindfulness training" is being tried out at a number of schools across the country. It's essentially a glorified version of my three-quiet minutes from Latin class.
In attempt to allow students to become more in touch with their emotions and to destress, schools are adapting techiques from Buddihst mediation, such as listening to the sound of a Tibetan bowl.
I realize that this post might not seem too relevant to anything, but I thought it was funny to see how my Latin teacher's technique has gone mainstream. I hope that he's getting some sort of royalties.
