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What Happens If We Replace School Detention
With School Meditation?

Can you remember the number of times you were sent to detention when you were still
studying in school? If not, can you remember the feelings you experienced while you
were in detention? If you’re one of the few who benefitted from detention, then you’re
the exception to the rule. Because as it turns out, students who are prone to mischief
and problematic behavior might not find any benefit from detention at all. As we move
further into progress, isn’t it also time to change how we discipline our youth?

When someone misbehaves in school, detention is the

first line of action

Detention has long been the preferred disciplinary action whenever someone misbe-
haves. In Finland, it was found that 30% of teachers turn to detention as a punishment
for misbehaving students. Around the world, detention is not really a new disciplinary
action but over time, its effectiveness has been questioned by many critics. The linked
study in our prologue is just one of the many evidences that detention might not be the
all-around disciplinary action we’re looking for. In another study, researchers have found
that detention was not an effective strategy for deterring the reoccurrence of bullying in
a school setting.

Enter meditation, considered as an alternative form of

disciplinary action

We have alternative medicine and alternative herbal remedies. So why not expand an
alternative model into our disciplinary level too? So what comes to your mind when you
hear the word alternative? The terms more natural, less dangerous and simpler, they
ring a common bell, right? If we think about it, these terms would provide for a better
environment for our younger ones too. Instead of exposing them to detention, seen as a
form of punishment, a time of suffering, we can expose them instead to a place of heal-
ing. A place where they can breathe freely, get their thoughts together and eventually,
their acts together.

The benefits of meditation

Let’s look first at the date highlighting the effectiveness of meditation outside of school.
The benefits of meditation has long been known to man. In fact, in this study, it was
found that even brief or short-term meditation can have considerable significant effects
in a person. Aspects of human cognition such as attention, memory and executive
functioning were found to be enhanced after a brief meditation practice. Other emo-
tional aspects such as fatigue and anxiety were also decreased after mindful medita-
tion.
In an interesting study done by Friese and colleagues, they investigated on the effec-
tiveness of meditation for inducing control in self-control depleted individuals. One
group was instructed to suppress all emotions while watching through videos and the
participants were not given meditation instructions thereafter. Another group was in-
structed to suppress all emotions while watching videos and the participants were given
meditation instructions thereafter. Both groups were then subjected to cognitive tasks
after video watching. The result? The group which were intervened with meditation per-
formed better, even comparable to the control group who were not asked to suppress
their emotions.

Meditation in a school setting

So how can we apply meditation in a school setting? You see, the behaviors that we
have mentioned above can also be experienced by the young ones. In school, there’s a
constant need for the use of cognition, particularly aspects of attention and memory.
Since children are under a lot of expectations, they are exposed to feelings of anxiety
and stress, whenever they don’t do well in school. Fatigue is yet another emotional state
that they can experience, especially during times of exams or big tests.

Bullying, addiction and peer pressure, these are just some of the issues our youths face
today. What do these three things have in common? They occur out of a lack of self-
control. Children and teens are prone to a lack of self-control, because of this confusing
times in their lives. If they are exposed to poor home environments, then that can add
up to the lack of self-control as well. Do you think that all these things that meditation
can help in just happily coincide with the problems of our youths today? Well, if it does,
what a lucky coincidence this is.

The cases of Ricky, Kent and Libby

This study has to be my favorite as it perfectly captured the effectiveness of mindful
meditation for behaviors considered inappropriate for school settings. We have Ricky, a
known bully and an occasional fire setter in school. Kent made it to the case study be-
cause of his aggressiveness and cruelty, not just to his peers, but also to animals. And
then Libby, a formerly abused child who is also aggressive towards peers and has is-
sues with compliance.

Each child was trained by a therapist to a form of mindfulness meditation. They were
trained 3 times a week, around 15 minutes long for each session. This training and
practice phase lasted for 25 weeks. After which, the students were followed up to as-
sess their progress in school. During the duration of the training, the results were posi-
tive, not very significant at first but as time passed by, their behaviors started to more
radically.

For example, for Ricky, his bullying tendencies were reduced greatly from a baseline of
6 to a 1.12. That’s around an 80% reduction in this behavior. For Kent, his cruelty to-
wards animals was reduced by around 18% throughout the training period. And finally,
for Libby, her non-compliance was reduced to around 4% during the training period. All
three students were able to graduate from middle school, without being expelled from
their institutions due to their depleted self-control behaviors.

Or what about one of the first schools to incorporate

meditation into their program?

The most popular example of detention replacement with meditation was done by the
Robert Coleman Elementary School in Baltimore. Their radical approach to discipline for
children went viral last year. Much like the study above, the school management tapped
on the effectiveness of mindful meditation instead of detention for correcting inappropri-
ate student behaviors. Was it helpful though? Read on to find out, it might surprise you.

With the help of the Holistic Life Foundation, the school has made their very own Mind-
ful Moment Room. It works like a Detention Room, only without the negative connota-
tions. Instead of blank white walls and dull tables/chairs, the Mindful Moment Room is
brightly lit and filled with decorations. It has useful yoga mats and pillows, the air is filled
with essential oil scents. This is where children are taught to practice mindful medita-
tion.

Since the replacement of detention with meditation, the school management has seen
less suspensions. Until now, they are one of the few schools who have managed to ac-
tually stop suspensions in an institutional setting. While mindful meditation isn’t an all-
end means to stop inappropriate school behaviors, it has been found to be a crucial first
step. With incidents of lashing out and aggression lessening here, this school is a tes-
tament to the effectiveness of meditation for controlling mischief in children.

With meditation, we’re increasing the self-control of our

youths
Lack of self-control can be the root of all behavioral school problems. Without proper
guidance on how to control one’s temper, aggression or impulses, that’s when a child
can lash out. This can then lead to problems, not just with their peers, or their instruc-
tors, but also with their loved ones at home. Meditation gives one more awareness of
what’s going on in his or her mind. When you know your thoughts, your capacities and
your limits, you have a better gauge on how you can control them.

Meditation is better than detention because

It doesn’t punish them but instead teach them how to control their thoughts and actions.
Meditation goes beyond a certain situation or the school setting. In times of stressful sit-
uations, the child can rely on meditation techniques to calm their senses. In times of
fights, the child can rely on meditation techniques to control their anger and aggression.
As compared to detention, which teaches a child to think about their negative behavior
only, meditation allows for a holistic lesson. The child can think of the various aspects of
the situation and then act on the appropriate behavior after mindful meditation.

And in the end, isn’t that what most educational institu-

tions aim for?

How many times have you heard the phrase learning goes beyond the four walls of the
classroom? If we could teach our children about mathematics or science, why not teach
them a practice that can help control their negative behaviors in the long run? Some-
thing that can be with them even after they have forgotten about Newton’s Laws of Mo-
tions or the particulars of the Spanish language. Hopefully, this is something that they
can find use for even in their adolescent years and beyond.
Meditation in school, the replacement of detention, what are your thoughts about these
issues? Have your child benefitted from meditation incorporation in school? Share your
stories and comments below, we’d be happy to hear about them!

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