The Mindful School is a school where mindfulness 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 Eline Snel Method 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, the peace in the classroom and the learning performance were clearly visible, measurable and palpable. Meanwhile, more than 20 teachers at this school have been trained in mindfulness. Parents are also given the opportunity to follow the parent training according to the Eline Snel Method at the school.
Currently, there are several schools in primary and secondary education in the Netherlands that qualify as Mindful School. Below you will find 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 any questions. Ask for Marijke Paulusma or Yvonne Mul. They are fully familiar with the Eline Snel Method 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 here a video about the P.J. Troelstra school and the Eline Snel Method.
De Kingschool - Denekamp
The Kingschool in Denekamp became the first Mindful School in Overijssel in 2017. Visit their website or contact the director Magda Nijmeijer.
Watch here a video about mindfulness within this school.
Willibrord school - Amsterdam
The Willibrordschool 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 Eline Snel Method, provides mindfulness lessons for the children throughout the year. In addition, she encourages her colleagues to strengthen the 'attention muscle' for ten minutes every day.
Watch here a video about the Eline Snel method within this school.
St Dominicusschool - Utrecht
The St. Dominicusschool in Utrecht became a Mindful School in 2018, on the initiative of 80% of the teachers. Meanwhile, 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 mindfulness training for the children.
Mindfulness Schools - Secondary Education
Openbaar Lyceum De Amersfoortse Berg - Amersfoort
At the Openbaar Lyceum De Amersfoortse Berg in Amersfoort, teacher Liesbeth Dollekamp (video) has been giving the 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 has anchored Mindfulness in education since 2015, with a team of four trained teachers. If you want to know more about this, read this interesting article.
