There’s always that one room where the “bad kids” go when they get into trouble. The detention room.
It’s a method that’s been used as a form of discipline for decades, yet the method behind it is actually anything but helpful.
In fact detention has been shown to be an ineffective way of helping a child reflect and understand why they are being punished, according to Forbes.
And what’s worse, sending kids to detention has shown to create a poor relationship with little trust between the teacher and student.
More importantly, children are not being taught how to reflect on their behavior, or ask themselves why they got upset. They are not learning how to develop healthy coping skills or how to behave better.
But one school has decided to put a new theory to the test by replacing detention with yoga.
Robert W. Coleman Elementary School in Baltimore has a special room within the school called the Mindful Moment Room, filled with pillows, yoga mats, lamps, decorations and aroma therapy scents.
When a child acts out or gets into trouble, they are asked to go to the Mindful Moment Room, sit down, stretch, breathe and allow themselves time to calm down. They are also asked to talk about what happened and to discuss how they are feeling, according to Upworthy.
The room was created with help from the Holistic Life Foundation, a non-profit organization located in Baltimore, and specializes in various school programs to help teach children a healthier way to deal with their emotions and stress.
And the program is seeing huge success. The school reported no suspensions for the 2015 and 2016 school year.
Developing healthy coping skills is a tool that begins to develop from the time of birth, and more children today are lacking the ability to effectively communicate their anger, as well as having an intolerance for frustration.
With the help of programs like the one Robert W. Coleman Elementary School put into place, children are not only taught how to cope and deal with anger and frustration, they are also taught to effectively communicate how they are feeling.
The school reported both parents and students are very pleased with the program, as are the teachers.
And any program that helps with the health and development of the younger generations gets an A+.