Stoic Wisdom for the Contemplative Teacher: Prosochê and Praemeditatio Malorum as Alternative Approaches to Mindfulness

Teacher burnout and attrition in K-12 schools are rising, prompting a search for sustainable ways to reduce exhaustion and emotional strain. Building on Christopher McCaw's work about contemplative practices shaping teacher identity, this paper reconsiders definitions of mindfulness for teacher professional becoming by introducing less-explored Greco-Roman philosophical perspectives. It specifically examines prosochê (attention) and the Stoic exercise of praemeditatio malorum to expand the conceptual framework of the contemplative practitioner. Drawing on personal reflections as a beginning teacher during the COVID-19 pandemic, the author explores the implications and limitations of using philosophical premeditation as a contemplative practice for educators.

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Abstract

In K-12 environments where teacher burnout and attrition are increasingly prevalent, where can educational professionals seek sustainable approaches to reduce exhaustion, emotional demands, and uncertainty? In this paper, I extend Christopher McCaw’s research on the direct and dynamic relationship between contemplative practices and who teachers are and are becoming. By examining the current debates around defining reflective and contemplative practitioners, I call for alternative definitions of mindfulness when considering teacher professional becoming and submit for consideration the perspectives of Greco-Roman philosophy which has hitherto been less explored apropos education. Using prosochê (attention) and the Stoic exercise of praemeditatio malorum to expand the conceptual framing of becoming a contemplative practitioner, I articulate the gifts of Hellenistic thinking and what it can offer K-12 teachers. With personal reflections as a beginning teacher during the COVID-19 pandemic, an exploration of the implications and limitations of philosophical premeditation implemented as a contemplative practice for educators are considered.