The naughtier among us will remember the utter tedium of a lunch break or afternoon spent in detention.
The punishment, which may or may not have included writing lines of Heaney or an essay on why one shouldn’t pass notes in class, was designed to deter us from future bad behaviour.
As many of us can attest, it didn’t seem to have the desired effect.
These days, more forward-thinking schools are taking a different approach. Take Robert W. Coleman Elementary School in Baltimore, Maryland, for instance, where detention has been replaced with meditation, resulting in a jaw-dropping reduction in suspensions.
When a child at Robert W. Coleman Elementary disrupts the class, they are no longer banished to a corridor or detention room. Instead, the pupil is sent to the Mindful Moment Room, a special space with cushions to sit on and soothing lamplight.
Once there, the child is asked to breathe deeply and shown how to meditate.
According to the school, the initiative, run in partnership with the Holistic Life Foundation, has been a surprise success. In fact, since it was introduced there have been zero suspensions.
“It’s amazing,” Kirk Philips, the Holistic Me coordinator at Robert W. Coleman told Upworthy. “You wouldn’t think that little kids would meditate in silence. And they do.”
The school also promotes other mindfulness practices as well as regular yoga for children of all ages.
Does your child’s school promote mindfulness? Tell us about it on Twitter @HerFamilydotie.
