How cool would it be to grow up in a school that doesn’t encourage punishment? No standing outside class with your hands in the air, no murga asanas or embarrassing classroom punishments. I can’t speak for everyone, but I would love going to such a school. I mean who wouldn’t?
At Parenting Nation we often talk about using positive reinforcement instead of negative tactics while handling kids, especially toddlers. Here we have a school that is rightly proving our point in case.
Credit : Holistic Life Foundation
At Robert W. Coleman School in Baltimore, there is no such thing as detention for the elementary kids. In America, kids are asked to spend an hour after school as form of punishment. Whereas in India any form of mischief results in an unpleasant trip to the Principal’s office or a remark in the diary. Either way it doesn’t serve any purpose of actualization, just instills fear in the child. No wonder we had a few teachers in our time, we were not particularly fond of!
But things are changing for the better. At the Coleman School, there is something called a Mindful Moment Room. It is a brightly coloured room which serves the purpose of being an “oasis of calm”. This room is a great alternative to the windowless detention room usually found in schools. They aim to teach kids about Mindful meditation and breathing exercises. They also encourage kids to talk to behavioral professionals. The results have been amazing for the school. Kids are more focused, less aggressive and hence less rebellious. In fact, since first taking part in the programme two years ago, Robert W. Coleman hasn’t issued a single suspension.
The influence of yoga and meditation on our well being is well known, preached and practiced by thousands. Some schools have even inculcated it as part of their extra curriculum activity.
7 Reasons why kids should learn Mindfulness Meditation
1. It will improve their grades
2. It will change their brains in a protective way.
3. It lowers depression risk among teens
4. It will make them more empathetic and resonant towards other people’s feelings
5. It improves intuition and attention span
6. It improves impulse control and response flexibility
7. It works great as stress reduction