Restore the moment of silence in our schools

We are raising a generation inundated with noise: digital, political and emotional. But there is a simple change we can make in their daily lives that may be the most powerful tool we can offer: one minute of stillness.

This complements a similar return to the tried and true, with a renewed emphasis on civics in our schools.

How? Civics in America has quietly slipped into the background in recent decades. With classrooms consumed by standardized testing and performance metrics, the subjects that teach young people how democracy works, and what it demands of them, have been pushed aside.

That makes the renewed interest in civics is welcome. Teaching history, constitutional literacy and democratic process is essential, especially in an era of fierce political polarization.

Yet that is not enough to fix what is broken. A textbook can teach how a bill becomes a law, but not why we should care about our neighbors. A lesson can outline checks and balances, but not create inner balance in a child. Civics can explain government; it cannot instill conscience.

That is why, if we are serious about repairing the fabric of American society, we must consider reinstating something simple, constitutional and profoundly effective: a daily moment of silence in public schools.

For decades, psychologists and educators have emphasized that children need more than information, they need formation. A moment of silence is exactly that: 60 quiet seconds at the start of the day for students to reflect, calm their thoughts, and set intentions. It does not endorse religion. It does not prescribe ideology. It gives every child the freedom to use the moment as their family and upbringing guide them.

Some students may think about kindness, or gratitude, or how to treat a classmate. Some may pray silently, as the Constitution allows.

The power of the practice is not in what is said, but in what is allowed to be felt.

Research shows that a daily reflective pause reduces anxiety, improves focus, strengthens self-discipline, and fosters empathy. In schools where it has been adopted, the overall tone becomes calmer, more respectful and more unified. At a time when hostility and division spill into classrooms from social media and national politics, cultivating inner stillness is a necessity, not a luxury.

And this connects directly to civics. Democracy requires patience. The moment of silence builds patience. Democracy requires listening. Silence trains listening. Democracy requires self-restraint. Reflection develops self-restraint. Democracy requires respect. A quiet moment creates space for respect.

If civics education teaches students the architecture of democracy, the moment of silence nurtures the character needed to sustain it.

A renewed civics curriculum will help our students understand the world outside of them. A restored moment of silence will help them understand the world within.

New York has the opportunity to lead the nation. Restoring a daily moment of silence is cost-free and transformative. It aligns with every community, every background and every value system. And it strengthens the very traits — responsibility, empathy, clarity, and concern for others — that a healthy democracy depends on.

If we want real change, we must invest not only in civics, but in conscience. Not only in knowledge, but in reflection.

America's future may well begin with something as small, and as profound, as one quiet minute.

This guest essay reflects the views of Rabbi Anchelle Perl, the director of Chabad of Mineola.