When I was in eighth grade if a kid was acting out he would be sent to the…game room! I kid you not. There was a special room filled with all kinds of games for the super-restless boy who couldn’t sit still in the classroom. So you’re wondering: Why didn’t all the boys act like maniacs in order to be sent to the game room? Well, the answer is because even while you were enjoying the games you knew that you were a failure and that you couldn’t make it in the classroom like a normal person. After a while the boy would go back to the classroom on his own and behave like a mentch (until some time passed and he got restless again). This is a brilliant form of discipline, and causes no bad feelings for anyone. I have tremendous respect for my 8th grade rebbe who thought of and implemented this idea. I was in that game room many times and I don’t know where I’d be if not for him.
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