I recently started tutoring at an after-school middle school program. I’ve noticed that students lash out because they have pent up anger from their day, and no way to release it. This was interesting to me because the way that schools try to prevent lashing out is by punishing them. It’s obvious that this would anger a child even more, so why have we not figured out a better way?

Well, Robert W. Coleman Elementary in Baltimore, Maryland has figured it out! They have acknowledged the fact that, at such a young age, it is hard to reflect upon what you have done. So, they have started a “Mindful Moment Room” for kids who lash out. They go to this room when they misbehave, instead of the typical “sit in a locked room and think” detention. The kids are taught how to meditate in an inclusive, supportive and peaceful space. The elementary school reported that since this was implemented a year ago, “there have been zero suspensions.”

The Upworthy Video Facebook page posted a video explaining the benefits that have followed the implementation of meditation in their school; the results have been improved test scores, information processing, and dealing better with deadline-induced stress.

There are many kids who are very easily angered, and meditation helps them learn the importance of thinking and breathing before you act. Teaching kids how to meditate will give them a life-long skill that will help to prevent acts of violence in our country and beyond.

It is linked to decreased depression, anxiety, and panic disorder. Additionally, assistant professor at the UCLA Laboratory of Neuroimaging, Eileen Luders, found that meditation improves information processing and decision-making. This is due to a fancy medical term- “gyrification”. Which is essentially the folding of the cortex (the outer part of the brain that plays a role in consciousness) that allows the brain to process information faster.

When an individual finds their way to peace through meditation, they have the ability to share it with others. The school shared that one student who had learned how to mediate at school, taught their parents how to meditate too! One day a student noticed their parents were stressed out from work and told them, “Hey mom, I need to teach you how to breathe.”

This is an awesome small-scale example of how big meditation can be. If all schools implemented a mediation system in lieu of detention, maybe we could remedy some bigger issues in the education system. Such as lowering the high school dropout rate, risk of bullying, and the amount expulsions/suspensions. Robert W. Coleman Elementary has got it all figured out!! They are a great model for how teaching meditation can be a crucial step for finding peace in the long run.