The lesson begins with four minutes of silence: a US school principal's life hack has taken the web by storm

An American school principal shared a life hack to help create silence in the classroom. In particular, she advises starting the class with four minutes of silence. If children violate this condition, the timer starts from the beginning.

The post with the recommendation appeared on Facebook. Users of the social network expressed their opinions on this initiative. Some said it was a good idea.

"I'm starting something called 'four minutes of silence,' where every lesson starts with 240 seconds of absolute silence. If someone talks or makes unnecessary sounds, I start the timer over. These four minutes are a game changer for all of us," the post reads.

Some social media users supported this idea and shared their own experiences.

"I do this a lot, and the kids get used to it over time, and they hold each other accountable. It helps to ground them and prepare them for the lesson. It usually ends with free writing for two or three minutes of silence. It was definitely hard for them in the beginning."

"I have been doing this for many years. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. It depends on the class."

"I start every class with 7-10 minutes of silent reading. I have been doing this for many years."

"The teacher who teaches us does this. The wisdom behind it surprises me every day."

"I'm 100% on board with it when they first come in. They're all excited wherever they came from and I need silence and they did the silence so we do it too and it's cool so I do it for 4 minutes."

At the same time, some believe that such an initiative is not needed in the classroom. After all, it takes too much time.

"4 minutes x 180 days = 720 minutes = 12 hours – too much time for these restarts. It's hard to justify. Most students who come in ready and able to learn should hate this system. Meet every student at the door: you will build relationships and notice those who are not at their best. Yes, for some, the transition period is difficult. Help them develop this skill instead of focusing on developing the rather useless skill of sitting silently and still when they come to class."

"Four minutes is too long if you ask me. Depending on the age, one or two minutes is usually enough. If a child comes to my room upset, I have a timer with soap bubbles, and I give them about five minutes. They have these five minutes to find some space and collect their thoughts. If they can't do it in 5 minutes, maybe it requires more intervention, and I might send them to a nurse or a counselor or somewhere they need to go. Even if it's just to the restroom, for a drink, or to sit in the hallway."

"I use 'focus time' at the beginning of the lesson, two to four minutes. I teach 6th grade science. I ask my students to close their eyes and sit in silence. At the beginning of the year, they feel strange, but most of them get used to it within the first month."

By the way, Ukrainian educators liked this initiative. According to an educational post by Viktor Hromovyi, this could be a good idea for improving concentration before learning.

"This is an interesting idea. I think such a quiet setting will help improve concentration."

"And I liked how Danish children read for 20 minutes every day in complete silence. Before the start of the first lesson. Concentration and + a lot of books read in a year. This is introduced in all classes and is, so to speak, a "must-have."

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