Zen Den: a calm place for restoration.
One of the things I promised myself as a librarian was to offer an alternative to "punitive punishments" so many kids endure. We have to escape the "school to prison" mentality. Sometimes that's showing a student mercy, how to ground oneself, and choose a different response to an emotional and/or environmental trigger. I think this blog post on " Revolutionary Mindfulness and Restoration " hits the nail on the head. Whether it's a contemplative practice on social justice like the wonderful leaders over at the Center for Contemplative Mind in Society and their " Tree of Contemplative Practices... " or something like what I plan to offer my students, kids need a safe, calm space to contemplate outside of academic thinking. Therefore, here's what I will DO: offer the best resource I can... presenting the ZEN DEN!!! Simply put, this is a safe place for every one. Students can reserve/request this space (scan the QR code