We have all been through those terrible detentions back in school. But it’s really debatable whether detention actually results in any proper productive development in children. While many of us may have been told to step outside the class or stand while others are sitting, in a method to shame us, – it always affects us negatively. Rather, we need to find a new way that will actually help students become better than they are without impacting their self-esteem.

In Baltimore, the Robert W. Coleman School brought about a change in their ‘detention’ method and it was a grand success. Taking help of the ancient Hindu practice of meditation, the school introduced the Mindful Meditation Room in February 2016, as reported by Uproxx. Here, meditation was used to calm and help students deal with anxiety and stress – thereby disciplining their mental thoughts. This method was introduced through a wonderful partnership with the Holistic Life Foundation. The school chose to break tradition and it seemed like a risky move. The question was – will it work?

Turns out – it did. The suspension rates in the school lowered significantly. Some of the students have mentioned how the program changed their lives. For example, if they were taking a test, they would just start taking deep breaths. In the midst of noise, they would meditate to tune out all the noise and become one with themselves. And the best part – it actually helped them to build their character. One of the students recalled that in the middle of a conflict with their parents, they were about to lose their cool when they remembered the breathing techniques. After breathing in and out – the anger was gone. That might actually be the best conflict resolution ever. Here are some of the kids practicing meditation:

√HLF uses a reciprocal teaching model so that the kids will go home and teach their families.

Young yogi in the making:

We need a change in our detention system so that we can actually help these students become good human beings in the future. Robert W. Coleman School has set up a wonderful example. Now, we can only hope that the other schools may follow through.