Could this be a better way to handle misbehaving children?

When pupils act out or misbehave, many schools will dole out detention as a form of punishment. But one school in Baltimore, USA is trying something a little different and with incredible results. For those who can remember sitting through detention, it might bring back memories of total boredom and frustration, and perhaps didn&rsquo;t always alter or change behaviour for the better. Could there be a better way to discipline students? Instead of giving pupils a solitary time out or detention, the Robert W. Coleman School has created a Mindful Moment Room, a brightly-coloured space that&rsquo;s filled with light, decorations and plush purple pillows. Children who have misbehaved are encouraged to sit in the 'oasis of calm' and engage in breathing exercises or meditation. The goal is to help the kids calm down and re-focus. In the Mindful Moment Room, pupils are also encouraged to talk about what happened. <img alt="children-meditating-outside__hero" class="ci-image ci-hero" src="https://ui3.assets-asda.com/dm/children-meditating-outside__hero_GL?scl=1">The meditation room was created in partnership with the <a href="http://hlfinc.org/" target="_blank">Holistic Life Foundation</a>, a local nonprofit organisation that offers after-school yoga and mindfulness education to young children. But does offering meditation instead of detention actually work? So far, the results at the school have been pretty impressive. Since first taking part in the programme two years ago, Robert W. Coleman hasn&rsquo;t issued a single suspension. Here in the UK, a similar initiative is the<a href="https://mindfulnessinschools.org/about/about-us/" target="_blank"> Mindfulness in Schools Project,</a> a non-profit company that teaches adults how to set up mindfulness programs. Perhaps we'll be seeing more meditation rooms in schools across the UK soon! In the meantime, work on being more mindful with these <a href="https://www.asda.com/good-living/article/the-best-meditation-and-mindfulness-apps" target="_blank">8 meditation apps to help calm your mind</a>.

Forget detention! This school uses the power of meditation instead

By Asda Good Living,26th September 2016

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