As you can tell from some of my previous posts, I’m a very big fan of stories that involve shaking up our educational institutions. And I just found another one from Upworthy that is pretty darn cool: one school is replacing detention with meditation.
And, if you ask me, I think that’s a change that’s long overdue.
Now BEFORE YOU ROLL YOUR EYES BECAUSE YOU THINK MEDITATION IS HIPPY-DIPPY OR WHATEVER, hear me out. There’s a growing body of research demonstrating just how good mindfulness and meditation can be for our bodies and our minds. As James Gaines from Upworthy points out, several studies have linked meditation to significant improvements in people’s memory, attention span, and even mental resilience.
So, if meditation could have that many positive effects on adults’ brains, just imagine what it could do for kids!
One Baltimore elementary school recognized this potential and decided to see what it could do for its students. A few years ago, the Robert W. Coleman Elementary School partnered with the Holistic Life Foundation, a local organization that empowers people by offering a variety of programs that teach meditation, environmental sustainability, and workforce development, among other things.
This partnership brought about the end of the school’s outdated, traditional form of detention (ie. child staring at a blank wall in a sterile classroom, hating everything), and replaced it with a Mindful Moment Room. There, misbehaving kids are walked through breathing, meditation, and re-centering exercises that help them calm down. Once they’re calm, they’re encouraged to talk through their episode and discuss why they behaved the way they did. This room gives them a safe, supportive space to feel their feelings, and learn more constructive ways to express stress and frustration in the future.
Robert W. Coleman Elementary students also have access to The Holistic Foundation’s after-school program, Holistic Me. In addition to practicing mindfulness exercises and yoga, kids get the chance to help clean up local parks, build gardens, and visit local farms to learn more about urban agriculture initiatives.
The coolest part about this whole partnership? It’s working! According to the article, Robert W. Coleman Elementary had zero suspensions last year — a streak that’s continuing into this year as well.
I think those are some pretty compelling arguments for meditation’s efficacy, but I want to hear what YOU think about this. Do you think this could work at your kid’s school?
