This School Replaced Detention With Meditation And You Won't Believe The Results
Sep 28, 2018 by apost team
The notion of punishing misbehaving students with detention is ingrained into schools, but it might not be entirely effective.
To punish students through deprivation might only teach them that they should improve their behavior so they don't get punished again.
One school has realized the fallacy of this and has elected to replace detention with meditation.
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Making a difference
Robert W. Coleman Elementary School, in Baltimore, Maryland, has opted to use meditation as a means of helping improve student behavior.
When a student acts up, they're not sent to detention. Instead, they're told to go to the "Mindful Meditation Room," a special room designated for helping students work through frustrations and other problems via the practice of mindfulness meditation.
As this video shows, it's been having some incredibly positive effects on students.
Why meditation?
The practice of meditation is not some sort of new age concept with dubious benefits.
Researchers have found that it can reduce stress and increase brainpower significantly.
For elementary school students, who can have difficulties keeping their emotions in check and understanding the consequences of their actions, meditation can help them better understand themselves. It's never too early for a child to learn meditation.
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Since Robert W. Coleman Elementary School began implementing this meditation program, no student has been suspended.
The link between mindfulness and improved student behavior shouldn't go unacknowledged.
At another Baltimore school that uses meditation, Patterson Park High School, there's been a decrease in suspensions. Additionally, truancy rates have dropped.
What's next?
We can only hope that other schools around the country follow the example of Robert W. Coleman Elementary School and start phasing out detentions for meditation instead.
The old ways of punishment seemed to lack any long-term benefits, unlike meditation.
It might take some time for schools to realize this. So, it's important to spread the word as much as possible.
Think about what kind of a difference a meditation room would've for your school experience. Would it have made things less stressful and helped your class feel more harmonious?