The Mindful School is a school where attention training is no longer a luxury, but a necessity to cope with the many changes, tasks and challenges in education with both head and heart.
In 2014, the first Mindful School according to the Method Eline Snel became a reality. At the P.J. Troelstraschool in Amsterdam, all 750 students received mindfulness lessons throughout the year, under the inspiring guidance of two experienced mindful teachers, Marijke Paulusma and Yvon Mul. The positive effects on behavior, calm in the classroom and learning performance were clearly visible, measurable and tangible. Since then, more than 20 teachers at this school have been trained in mindfulness. Parents are also given the opportunity to follow the parent training at school according to the Method Eline Snel.
There are currently several primary and secondary schools in the Netherlands that qualify as Mindful Schools. Below is an overview of the Mindful Schools.
Mindfulness Schools - Primary Education
P.J. Troelstraschool - Amsterdam-West
The P.J. Troelstraschool in Amsterdam-West is the first Mindful School in the Netherlands. Visit their website for more information and do not hesitate to contact them with questions. Ask for Marijke Paulusma or Yvonne Mul. They are fully familiar with the Method Eline Snel and have extensive experience with its implementation within the school. Over the years they have managed to overcome various challenges in a Mindful way.
Watch a video about the P.J. Troelstra School and Method Eline Snel here.
The Kingschool - Denekamp
The Kingschool in Denekamp became the first Mindful School in Overijssel in 2017. Check out their website or contact the director Magda Nijmeijer.
Watch a video about mindfulness within this school here.
Willibrord school - Amsterdam
The Willibrord School became a Mindful School in 2018, with 90% of the teachers being trained in mindfulness. Mirjam Blok, herself a teacher and mindfulness trainer according to the Method Eline Snel, provides attention classes for the children throughout the year. She also encourages her colleagues to strengthen the "attention muscle" for ten minutes daily.
Watch a video about the Eline Snel method within this school here.
St Dominic's School - Utrecht
St. Dominic's School in Utrecht became a Mindful School in 2018, at the initiative of 80% of the teachers. Since then, 20 teachers have been trained through the 8-week mindfulness training, making Mindful Teaching a permanent part of the learning environment. The two enthusiastic mindfulness trainers, Mirjam Elbertse and Tanja van Houvell, provide daily attention training for the children.
Mindfulness Schools - Secondary Education
Public Lyceum De Amersfoortse Berg - Amersfoort
At the Openbaar Lyceum De Amersfoortse Berg in Amersfoort, teacher Liesbeth Dollekamp (video) has been giving Mindfulness training to full groups of young people every year since 2014 to VWO and HAVO students.
Montessori college - Nijmegen
The Montessori College in Nijmegen, with a team of four trained teachers, has anchored Mindfulness in education since 2015. If you want to know more about this, read this interesting article.
