If you ever spent any time in detention as a kid, you probably thought, “what is the point of this?” I think it’s pretty universal that detention consisted of staring at a wall and not doing anything, except maybe homework. Not the best.
The people in charge at Robert W. Coleman Elementary School in Baltimore, Maryland, had a different idea. Instead of putting kids who misbehave to detention, they’re sent to what is called the Mindful Moment Room.
The room is filled with plush pillows, lamps, and decorations. Kids are asked to calmly talk through what caused them to be sent there and then are encouraged to meditate and do breathing exercises to calm down.
The school partnered with a local nonprofit called the Holistic Life Foundation to create the Mindful Moment Room. For more than a decade, the Holistic Life Foundation has offered an after-school program where kids can practice mindfulness exercises and yoga.
The programs run by the Holistic Life Foundation also include mentoring, tutoring, and learning about the environment by visiting farms, cleaning up local parks, and building gardens.
The kids have responded well to the program – in fact, suspensions at the elementary school plummeted. When nearby high school implemented the same programs, they also saw suspension rates drop and attendance increase.
Take a look at this video about the program at Robert W. Coleman Elementary.
This is a great idea. Honestly, I wish the schools I went to as a kid did this…
