A student had just disrupted his elementary school class after being teased by another. Historically, he would have been sent to detention or even suspended from school. But at Robert Coleman Elementary School, the misbehaving student was sent to a room with pillows and lavender fragrances rather than the principal’s office. He later said, “I did some deep breathing, had a small snack, and I got myself together.” The student then went back to the class and apologized for his behavior.
Most schools don’t handle misbehaving students by sending them to a “Mindful Moment Room.” This was a new approach implemented by an elementary school in a tough neighborhood in Baltimore, Maryland, in which the students are stressed and struggling. Nearly 25% of them live below the official poverty level, some of them are homeless and crime engulfs their daily lives.
Six months after implementing the program, suspensions dropped to zero at the school. It showed their new approach to handling unruly students was working.
I ran across a YouTube video describing the benefits of this new program and showed it during the first “Truth Principles for Modern Living Class” based on Emilie Cady’s classic book, Lessons in Truth. I used the video clip to demonstrate a point Cady makes that suffering comes about when we live and believe we are separate from our Source. She goes on to note, “The ultimate aim of every [person] should be to come into the consciousness of an indwelling God, and then, in all external matters, to affirm deliverance through and by this Divine One.”
Moreover, Cady notes that to be victorious over our external circumstances, we must start by going into the silence of our own being. This is what meditation can help us do. This is likely why throughout the ages nearly all spiritual teachers put so much emphasis on meditation. We should never be too busy to meditate. It is the bedrock to our spiritual growth and arguably the highest and best way to attain the wisdom and consciousness of the Spirit of the Living God that dwells within each of us.
By consistent practice of the presence through meditation, we can claim and maintain the infinite wisdom and power of God. The decision makers at Robert Coleman Elementary school seem to know that and are seeing proof of the benefits. Let’s follow their lead to liberate our own lives.
Peace and Blessings,
James