

### SELF-AWARENESS and SELF-DISCIPLINE

Robert Rose, Ph.D

Published by Robert Rose at Smashwords

Copyright 2001 Robert Rose

# Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION

THESE ARE MY GOALS AS A TEACHER.

GUIDED FANTASIES - EXPERIENCES and RESULTS

INDUCTION

QUICK INDUCTION and RETURNING

QUICKEST INDUCTION, RETURNING

CREATING YOUR OWN INDUCTIONS

GUIDED FANTASY EXAMPLES

INDIVIDUALIZED GUIDED FANTASY

RESONANCE and GUIDED FANTASY

MEDITATION and RESONANCE.

SENSORY REAWAKENING

DREAMS and DREAMWORK

SUMMARIES.

STRUCTURED EXPERIENCES in HUMAN RELATIONS

OTHER HUMANISTIC TECHNIQUES

# INTRODUCTION

I am an effective teacher (and modest). One reason is that I am an effective disciplinarian. All around me I see and hear teachers and parents begging for someone to help them Control-Discipline their children. This workbook is my way of providing help. This is not how to CONTROL them, but a paradigm shift, a new attitude about the teacher's and student's roles. Instead of the teacher or parent being the most responsible for the children's behaviors, the children are. These techniques and this new attitude are ways the children can learn self-discipline.

How did I become effective? By reading voluminously in many fields besides education and then analyzing why so many things that were "supposed" to work, but didn't! I found that many "experts" were people with limited visions, men who discovered part of an answer and attractively packaged it to sell to dummies like me who only wanted quick results. They became famous, rich, or both and I got egg all over my face forcing their square peg answers into multi-dimensional holes.

Sometimes it IS the teachers' fault, but many teachers blame themselves because they can't make an ill-conceived theory or technique work. Sometimes, the technique or concept was truly effective for that "expert" or group, but did not work for other teachers or children. For years the teachers who tried to emulate what I did, failed, gave up, and so I could not encourage others to try. I wasn't certain WHY I was successful. Now, I know and can share it! I finally realized that there are no simple answers and possibly there are no answers to some of the question-problems. It sounds unAmerican. but maybe some problems we just have to learn to live with.

Discipline, Integration, and Basic Education are each extremely complex problems. How can I say that l've solved them all? I haven't! I have been very successful in dealing with them and know that these TRANSPERSONAL TECHNIQUES will help many teachers and children. Some teachers will be unable to use all or even part of these concepts, which will not mean that they are poor teachers. It means that each of us is different, has different, needs, abilities, and beliefs.

What can I offer you? I can offer the distillation of a lifetime of experiences in education and psychology. I have read and tried most of the educational innovations of the past fifty years. I have struggled with and tried to analyze the daily minor and major problems that you face daily in your classroom. Our world is not the same as it was ten or thirty years ago. The solutions that were effective (or thought to be) no longer work, yet some educators keep trying to force the old ways on new technology and new "attitudes" children. I have learned to say,"No! " to many of the practices and beliefs that kill children's love of learning and turns them into cannibals feeding on each other's failures. Failures that are induced by teachers following "experts" ideas that are psychologically and educationally unsound.

I have studied scientific paradigms, testing, and statistics. I agree that they are useful in certain situations. I know about controlled experiments and how educational researchers have been deeply hurt by the utter contempt many physical "scientists" view their research - some of which deserve it. I have attempted educational research and discovered how difficult it is to be certain you have found anything significant and then "proving" it is even more complex.

However, to attack complicated problems like DISCIPLINE can be limiting if you are determined it has to be proven by only the scientific paradigm. To be "scientific" I must control my experiment, gather my data, step back and observe my subjects' reactions. However, we know now that the observer is unable to totally separate himself from the objects or persons being observed! Heisenberg has demonstrated that you can either know the speed of an "object" or where it is, but not both at the same time. Other scientists have proven that the observer in the "hard" sciences can sometimes affect that which he is observing. If this occurs with inanimate objects, how can anyone believe that teachers and others who deal with the children are not affecting them during their observations?

Children FEEL, they are not OBJECTS, they are flesh and blood FEELING INDIVIDUALS. I refuse to treat them as THINGS so I can say that I 'm a scientist that I am "objective." This does not mean I discount all the things that have been discovered using the scientific model. That would be reverse prejudice. No, I examine what scientists find and then I decide if it is true for me and my class. I try it. Sometimes it fails because I don't understand it and other times it is because it is not true for me. Many times it is very helpful and I incorporate it into my program.

With children I balance AFFECTION with logical consequences, sometimes called, FEAR! That is why I'm effective and can discipline them. I could dehumanize them into robots. It is done by repetition, pettiness, and boredom. It is also easy to be pessimistic about children and schools. I prefer to be optimistic. I learn from my failures and I let the children learn from theirs. That is how this book evolved - from my failures and from watching the anguish of my colleagues. I found that many could not establish nor maintain a consistent and effective learning climate. Their classrooms were crisis centers and they suffered from many psychological and physiological problems. These in turn continued a vicious cycle in which they attacked and degraded the children and then they were attacked by them.

Without some means to control the children, to discipline them, teachers could not (cannot) teach. Apparently it still remains a problem of national concern if I am to believe what I read happening throughout the country.

What I offer, what I have developed is a program that walks a tightrope. I try to BALANCE my belief in and encouragement of each child's UNIQUENESS and WORTH with an AWARENESS of their RESPONSIBILITY to the many GROUPS in which they live.

To get them to achieve this balance I have a highly STRUCTURED ACADEMIC program to teach the BASICS, which are mainly left-brain operations with many EXTRAS such as dramatics, physical education, art, music, and dancing, which are predominantly right-brained. These give the children many opportunities to succeed (or fail) and this builds up their beliefs in their own uniqueness.

Furthermore, many of the Transpersonal Techniques in this workbook, such as dreamwork and meditation, also enhance their uniqueness. (I wrote this passage almost thirty years ago - 1986. Now this simplistic right and left brain concept has proven to be much more complicated as the LIMBIC - emotional - portion of the brain is proving to have a major impact in ALL learning!)

Simultaneously, they are exposed to communication training, guided fantasies, group discussions, singing, and team sports in which they must allow their selfish motives to be subordinated to group needs. It is not a perfect system and I am constantly modifying the program to fit the needs of the moment while always trying to keep my goals in mind. (In January 2002 with seven boys in my SATELLIGHTS pilot program I changed the schedule and program content three times in the first five days.) It is not an easy system, but it does address itself to and successfully does cope with the problems of DISCIPLINE, INTEGRATION, and the BASICS.

You may disagree with my philosophy or practices, but they are the result of careful study of hundreds of children and thousands of critical incidents. (They were also used for ten years in highly successful at-risk program I ran for middle schoolers.) This totality of NATURALISTIC classroom OBSERVATIONS, plus my readings, has helped me become a successful teacher. (TEACHER UNDER A MICROSCOPE is about a sixth grade class I integrated and my methods were observed and documented in a U.S. Department of Education research study. www.xlibris.com.)

There is a continuity between my ideals, goals, and practices. They are me. The chapter on RESONANCE gives you a practical metaphor to connect them. The remaining chapters explain the Transpersonal Techniques to give you the how-to-do-it. There are cautions in each. Unlike many "experts" I know that some of the concepts and techniques I present, at some times, don't work for some people - even for me! Depend on your "intuition." It is liable to errors just like science is, but the more you trust it and LEARN when it does and doesn't work, the better teacher you will be. Intuition may be your ability to be in touch with what is happening in the LIMBIC areas of your brain. These are "feelings" that need to be connected with the logical, rational portions of your brain. No one can teach you this! It has to be experienced. That is why I'm such a strong proponent of teacher autonomy! You need to be able to feel comfortable as you learn FROM your experiences.

To be "scientific" I always must be rational and logical. This is important, but logic doesn't always work in human relationships. People are EMOTIONAL. They laugh, cry, hate, love, and they need to know how to deal with all these feelings at home and at work (school). You are in the human growth business. Growth means constant change. Change is frequently difficult, even painful. It is usually uneven for each person. You deal with twenty to forty children each one who is changing in different ways. It is a ridiculously difficult job, but can be the most fun and rewarding one. It has been and still is for me.

Please, don't try to do all these techniques at once. Learn one thing at a time. Go slowly, cautiously. Listen to your own mind and feelings. Listen to what the children say in feedback sessions - and what they feel! They will help you and lead you into the promised land.

You will be able to TEACH!

# THESE ARE MY GOALS AS A TEACHER.

I want each child to realize his uniqueness in as many ways as he can; to appreciate this uniqueness and take personal responsibility for its multiple growths; to understand his commonality with all mankind; to make him aware that he should encourage and nurture the uniqueness of his fellow humans; to have the courage to face and accept failures and disappointments that are inevitable in life; and to, at times, lose his sense of self, lose his ego, and become one with another, many others, and or the diverse powers that are beyond his cognitive understanding - a god, the universe, whatever.

THESE GOALS DEMONSTRATE A VALUE SYSTEM THAT ENCOMPASSES THE FOLLOWING.  
Individual uniqueness as critically important: individual responsibility for his acts; awareness and acceptance of the inherent worth of other humans; acceptance of the frailties of self and others; awareness that growth is mainly dependent upon his motivations, efforts, and ability to profit from his mistakes; awareness that although he is unique, he is also part of an interlocking web of many other systems and that he has a responsibility to each whether it be a partnership, family, school, nation, or universe.

IN ORDER TO HELP HIM REACH THESE GOALS I MUST EXPECT, DEMAND, AND GET FROM EACH CHILD THE FOLLOWING BEHAVIORS.  
I expect an honest effort to attempt any skill, idea, or concept that I expose him to; I expect him to listen to my directions and to follow them to the best of his ability; I demand that he refrain from physically hurting any other child or adult; I demand that he refrain from emotionally hurting any other child or adult by derogatory and damaging remarks and gestures; I expect, if he makes a behavioral mistake, that he accepts his punishment as long as he knew what it would entail beforehand, had a chance to express his side, and can see where he erred; I expect, if he makes an academic error, that he tries to learn from it by attempting to understand why he made it; I expect him to help his classmates in any subject or skill in which he has more ability; I expect that in some subjects, at some time, he will lose his sense of self and allow himself to be part of a group beyond his self.

IN EXCHANGE FOR DEMONSTRATING THESE BEHAVIORS HE CAN EXPECT TO RECEIVE FROM ME.  
A program that is clearly organized so that he and his parents understand who I am and what I hope and plan for him; in every subject or skill that I teach I will be prepared and know what I expect from him as well as to be able to explain the reasons why he should learn or do it; I will defend him from others who would physically or emotionally hurt him; I will defend him from his own destructive impulses; I will care for him as a person and show it in as many ways as I can; I will accept his human weaknesses and his errors and help him see them as opportunities for growth; if he attempts what I offer him, he will discover talents, skills, and interest that he did not know he possessed; if he attempts all that I teach he will show some to major growth in all of them depending on my skills, his genetic abilities, his family and other helping persons, and his intensity of purpose.

UNFORTUNATELY, THERE ARE BEHAVIORS THAT SOME CHILDREN EXHIBIT WHICH INTERFERE WITH MY GOALS FOR THEM. THEY ARE.  
Apathy; hostility towards other children, adults, or me which expresses itself in comments that hurt others or in physical attacks or threats that intimidate, frighten, or injure others; refusal to complete a task; refusal to take personal responsibility for his acts or non-acts; defiance and disrespect for others and me often supported by parents who exhibit the same negative attitudes,which interferes with classroom functioning: serious emotional, physical, or social problems that are beyond my capacity, training, or opportunity to help.

How I cope with these and achieve my goals is the substance of this book.

# GUIDED FANTASIES - EXPERIENCES and RESULTS

Often when an "expert" tells you of his successes, he neatly avoids reporting his failures. When you try his suggestions, it seems you have more failures than successes. Let me assure you right now, and you can refer to this page whenever you get discouraged, EVERY one of the techniques have, at some time, bombed out - badly! Many times I asked myself what happened. At times I not only wanted to give up on a technique, but on teaching! (Yes, this six foot, one hundred eighty pound man fought tears of frustration and anger - often.) It appeared that the distance between theory and practice was so far that I'd never close the gap. I felt like destroying myself, along with the little monsters who were not responding to my magnificent ministrations. How they disappointed me!

They still do at times (I wrote this while still teaching in 2000), but when they work I feel like a magician. I sometimes feel like Proteus because the children change so quickly. It is dynamite, but dynamite can sometimes blow up and destroy the igniter. It did, but I've always managed to survive - and learned from the experience If I stop fantasies for awhile I find the children sometimes have trouble getting into them. For this reason it's useful to have at least one a week even if you're not stressing them. Even when I have them daily. some of the children are unable (or unmotivated) to get into a specific fantasy. It may be the sensory modes used, their problems that day, or my presentation, but it is unreasonable to expect them all to perform at a peak level every day. I don't expect that for myself either.

In the historical past children's directed fantasies were always lead by adults telling them cultural myths, legends, and stories of heroes. And, even without adults, children take themselves into fantasies as they daydream about what has happened or what they wish would happen. Sometimes the fantasies are violent, even grotesque. Listening to their fantasies may make you wonder whether you or their parents should turn your backs on them. However, by allowing them to express these feelings, even leading them to recreate situations, you can defuse powerful negative feelings and have them reconstruct possible and more effective realities. When they change it is an expression of self-healing. Stay with fantasies, you will see results.

When I guide them into fantasies I have them relive them so that they can begin to understand their contributions to their problems and develop possible solutions. With children it is true that they cannot do much about things like an alcoholic parent, but in the fantasy and the discussion that follows you can explore ways they can live with the situation.

In psychosynthesis there is a technique called "fair witness" in which the person is directed to see the viewpoints of all the participants in a problem by playing all their roles. You can take children into fantasies in which they can do this or they do the same thing in the discussion. This does not work for some. With others it does plant a seed and parents report significant changes in their children in just a few months. It is not a one-shot process and I cannot stress how important the discussion following the experience is if it is to be totally effective.

Besides reliving and recreating the past, I take them into the future. Often I structure the reality towards a specific outcome. It could be athletic, aesthetic, academic, or just a hilarious experience to shake them out of their present mode of viewing reality's possibilities. Through fantasy we connect the past with the future in a more fulfilling now. (Now that might be called pure hype! )

When children first fantasize in a classroom setting they often do not have strong or clear images or pictures even though they have been fantasizing in their own ways for years. People who do not work with children assume that they are automatically great visualizers, but they all aren't. I've found that this ability takes thought and experiences. It takes training. It' s true that children under six have not absorbed the culture as deeply as older children have, but it's more difficult to get them to lie still and get as deeply into the experience. As they get older they lose some of their excitement and wonder, but it doesn't take too much to get back. What a gift for them to recapture it.

I do think that our educational emphasis on a right answer and a linear, visual mode of seeing gradually does erode their ability to see with other senses. Fantasy can bring these back and thereby give them more tools to see and think with to solve their normal academic and personal problems.

As you practice fantasies with them they may begin with a generalized feeling for what you're describing, but as they experience them on a daily basis the colors, shapes, sounds, tastes, smells,. and "inner senses" get clearer. Even though most stay stronger in one modality almost all of them notice change in all the modalities IF they are taken through many sensory experiences by careful and dramatic wording to create strong, clear, positive images.

Eric Klinger in his address to the First Annual American Association for the Study of Mental Imagery in L.A. stated that guided imagery is an efferent process. Therefore, when we imagine doing something we USE the SAME brain, nervous system, muscular-skeletal, sense organ systems that we would use if we were experiencing the activity. The difference is in the AMOUNT of real energy, effort, and physiological involvement. This why imagery can be one of your most effective teaching and learning tool!

Since it is physiologically based it obeys the same laws of conditioning, skill learning, organization, and motivation that physical activities do. When a child rehearses a physical task using imagery he is building a base for greater physiological commitment later.

I train children in the task first to give them a motor sense of it. Then, the guided fantasies tend to reinforce their learnings. Like any activity, if the initial learning is incorrect, the practice sessions, whether imaginary or physical could reinforce poor performance. This is a consideration you should be aware of - without panicking. This is one reason a fantasy session should be followed by the task itself so that you can make any necessary corrections.

The first time I took the children through a soccer fantasy my aide and I were amazed at the difference between their performance that day and the day before. Part of it was my introduction to them of some different strategies, but the difference was incredible! I must admit that it was the most dramatic change I've ever seen in a physical education lesson by using guided imagery.

Another example is art. These activities could be initiated without prior practice. Introduce the lesson by a fantasy, then, as they are later involved in the actual art assignment, you can travel around the room modifying their behaviors by clarifying the art techniques to each.

Like everything else in teaching there is no best way to teach fantasy. I have had good luck with some classes by having them begin with a simple experiment in which they lower their skin temperature. I have them visualize one hand blue, cool, or green cool, and then change it into a green plant or ice cube. The other hand is red, warm, and changed into an apple. Once they have vivid images I have them test it out by pairing off, writing on a slip of paper which hand will be hot, and letting their partner guess by feeling which hand appears warmer.

One group of thirty-six children had thirty-four correct responses! This was not chance! Their conscious efforts had changed their temperatures! Another class had less than twenty-five per cent correct in the same task. (This is true in anything. One year my fourth graders were so good in softball that they beat every other fourth, fifth, and sixth grade class in the school. Three years later I had a class that only about six could consistently hit, catch, or throw the ball accurately. This was after seven months of teaching them softball. You have to deal with the deck you're dealt.)

I have started classes out with simple color visualizations and I found that nothing is simple in this field. With others I have used emotional situations and have had them restructure them. Each works to some degree or with some children. As more teachers get into this we may find some common denominators and make it a more exact art-science.The most important thing is to believe in the value of fantasy. If you do, so will the children and they will be successful. Prove its worth by spending time developing their (and your) skills.

To get them to understand about fantasies this explanation may help. "You children often day dream, usually when I'm giving directions and you have fantastic and exciting experiences. Of course, teachers do not appreciate day dreaming while you're supposed to be working, but there are many uses and purposes for certain kinds of day dreams. I'll call these guided fantasies and I'm going to guide you into some fun, some scary, and some exciting and pleasant experiences. To do this I'll need your cooperation. Remember, everything I've taught you so far has been effective because you have understood why I felt it was necessary for you to learn it and so you have cooperated with me. The times you didn't I couldn't and didn't teach you nearly as much or as well. It's true with guided fantasies also.

"Now, for most of the things you do in school you use different parts of your brain, but usually the left side. Scientists now believe that the right side can be trained to work better. The better it gets the more easily you'll be able to learn things that take mostly the left side. As the right gets more powerful by having these guided fantasies your entire brain gets exercised and you become smarter. You also become more creative, a better artist too. Scientists believe that the right brain is the part that gets new ideas, sees new ways of doing things, while your left side organizes them to make sense to you. You will become a better athlete because your right brain seems to be involved in bodily health and coordination. You will be healthier because the relaxation portion of the fantasies teach you how to handle the stresses and tensions of life. It could add years to your life and enjoyment and understanding during those years - increasing the quality of your life. These are some of the reasons I'm going to teach you how to fantasize productively. Also, many of my children have shown great improvement in their abilities to take tests and in their daily school work."

I give them a chance to ask questions. Many of them deal with neighborhood gossip about how stupid, dumb, strange, or weird fantasizing is. Their fears have to be clearly and honestly dealt with or their experiences will be negative or useless. I am not defensive and I let them know that the people are not bad or dumb who disagree with me - rather they have not had the opportunities I've had to experience and learn from others about the usefulness of fantasies.

If you attack then you will give ammunition to your detractors. The children will carry the stories home and you'll be wasting precious time and energy fighting windmills. You're probably not going to convince those who have strong emotional opposition and misinformation about fantasies; they won't listen fairly or objectively. Work at extending your base of friends within the classroom and beyond, and encourage them to give verbal and moral support to you program .

I continue with:

"Some of you are better in reading, some better in music or art or other skills. The same differences will occur with fantasies. Don't get jealous if someone has a better time, a more exciting or vivid fantasy, because if you practice, yours will be good too. And, it will be your own! Furthermore, when someone is telling his fantasy to the class, don't put him down, tease him, or say he's lying. Whatever he says, let's believe him. After all it is something he's making up, so if it wasn't as good as he wanted it to be, let him change it as he tells it. It's still a fantasy and it's still his, no one else's!

I've given them some reasons why I want them to experience fantasies, a chance to explain and air their fears and reservations, and I've given them an out if they're not completely successful. I've shown respect for them and demanded the same in return .When I tell them to close their eyes and sit quietly, the vast majority are ready to do so.The hyperactive, the suspicious, and the frightened child may need more time and reassurance. As I'm talking them into the imagery experience I move around the room and gently close eyes, restrain movements, or, at times, scold a silly or disruptive child.

Once they've experienced a few fantasies, most children can't wait to get into the next one. They pay decreasing attention to the few disrupters. To meet their expectations I make certain that I have fantasies at least five days in a row. By the end of the week, there are only a few, if any, hardcore cases left. These too, if they don't have a fantasy, have learned to fake it. They eventually have real ones or are finally willing to share the ones they have.

During their fantasies I remind them that they will be sharing them with the class. I suggest they remember them. Once a week they tell them to the entire class. I've always been pleasantly surprised at the intense interest the other children give the speakers, but to expect them to do it every day is unreasonable. The rest of the days they share with their best friends or with their group, usually four to eight in a group.

The poise and self-confidence developed by practicing to speak in front of a group in itself makes a strong case for the educational and psychological values of the experience. Besides, these are memorable happenings in each child's life.

I don't make them all speak at first, but they know that by the fifth day it is no longer a choice; it's mandatory to speak. For the extrovert it is a legitimate outlet, a stage to express his inner needs, and a means for him to be recognized. For the shy one it is a realization that what she has to say is worthwhile, that she is worthwhile. For all of them a wonderful thing happens.

Think for a moment. It's the only time in most schools that there's no right answer, right way, no judgement or evaluation, no living up to someone else's criteria for acceptance! Each fantasy belongs to him and him alone. He can have a blank period and still tell the most outlandish and bizarre tale and no one can say a thing. Some kids at the beginning may say that a certain child didn't fantasize what he's reported. I crawl all over any detractor and remind him that whatever the other child says he's experienced we believe - period!

This means that during this time each child is unconditionally accepted as he is or however he wishes to see himself. A rather unique experience for a school child (or anyone probably) and it is a motivator for him to CHANGE to be the person in his own personal mythology.

You will be amazed and pleased at the respect and genuine interest they take in each other's fantasies. Part of it is that they are often quite interesting. They give you and the class valuable insights in how the child sees himself, his family, his peers, and you. It does almost the same thing that his dreamwork does in revealing his inner life.

However, the entire class relating their fantasies individually to the total class every day is time consuming and gets very boring. Once a week keeps the excitement high and gives them the practice needed to gain self-confidence and respect. With a large class I break it into no more than half hour sessions with the promise to finish the rest - which I do! The rest of the time they can use dyads, triads, or small groups to explain their fantasies. These are good times to emphasize the communication skills of good listening and clear speaking.

What about the non achievers, the non participators? For some I've used a blindfold until they can function without one. One girl was so uncomfortable (she was afraid of the vulnerability that closing her eyes created) that nothing worked. So, I allowed her to keep her eyes open, face the board, and stare at it - with the stipulation that she couldn't laugh, comment, or bother anyone. That worked. It also proved to me that effective fantasies can occur with a person's eyes wide open. Occasionally I have the entire class do it that way. I'll have, them stare at the chalkboard, bulletin board, or wall or at an imaginary object or scene in the middle of the room. They love it.

I don't suggest this for beginners because they tend to distract one another. However, if it is a group verbal experience they tend to build on each other's imagery so it can be a powerful event. If you're an adventurer and have good control you'll be able to lead them into an experience that has great transferability.

Example. One class told of their fears of the dark. Many of the children spoke of the images they saw in the windows or walls at home. By showing them how to conjure up their own images consciously I gave them a tool to deal with these fears. Besides creating the images while their eyes were open, I had them make the terrifying images into comical characters by adding funny hats and clothing. The frightening pictures were consciously changed by them and many were able to do it in their homes at night. (This happened first with 5th and 6th graders, but I used it effectively with first graders later.)

The day that they told me about their fears was totally unexpected. It demonstrated how useful fantasies and the discussions afterwards are to help the teacher know what's happening inside the children. You don't have to be a psychologist to understand them. The act of listening makes them closer to you and builds a trust in you. You feel closer to them because the more you understand them the better you like them. If you have some psychological training you'll discover the royal road to their minds isn't their dreams like Freud stated, it's their fantasies.

I used to be very concerned because the days they didn't tell their fantasies to the entire class, but to their friends, I didn't know what they had experienced. As time went on I realized it was my intrusive teacher thinking that made me believe I had to be in on everything that went on in their minds. Nonsense! The children form their own support groups. Now, I consciously create these groups for their use. When they need me they know I'm available to help them. It is one of the most satisfying parts of my program to watch them give academic and emotional support to one another. They even solve serious problems without adult help. I do teach them the skills to do so and hope they take and use them in their marital and vocational lives - which many have returned to say happened!

# INDUCTION

Why bother with a prescribed patter of induction and returning procedures? Because they develop a conditioning process so that each time you begin a guided fantasy it is easier for them to get into it. This does not mean that you cannot deviate from it to avoid boredom or to modify it for your own purpose. The induction becomes as natural as a lay-up in basketball. You don't have to think through each step. It becomes a part of you. The same sort of body - mind reaction will occur with the children and make it easier for them to adapt to fantasizing. It is such a pleasant and fun process that they teach their families and friends as well as practicing them on their own.

DANGER! IMPORTANT! I want you to become critically aware that the words you say and the emotions you unleash during the induction and fantasy could make an enormous difference in a child's life. In a conscious state what you say can be damaging or helpful, but in a an Altered State of Consciousness (ASC) the good or bad are multiplied.

However, the negative effects can be prevented. Begin each session with, "YOU are in total control of what you experience. If you become frightened or upset at ANY time, you merely open your eyes and end the experience." This not only helps them avoid situations they cannot handle, but it is part of the training to make them realize how much of their lives are in their control. It is how I help them take increasing responsibility for their behavior.

My years of success with troubled children or ones with learning problems were the result of my Positive Attitude and verbal expressions of it. I treated the children with respect and my words helped them see themselves differently. I found that some of their former teachers and their parents had repeatedly said things to them that the children had incorporated into themselves and which they believed as reality, as true. I emphasize this repeatedly because I do not believe that one incident causes the child his Problem. It is the constant repetition over time so that he believes and unconsciously sets up the reinforcing situations that verify to him and to others that he has this bad image. Most problem children are convinced of it and say - "I'm bad." (Some use this expression as manipulation; they don't believe it.)

There are exceptions and cases where one serious trauma could cause a long-term Problem, but these are rare. In role playing, dream recall, and fantasies I see and hear them call themselves stupid, moronic, bad, dumb, evil, and a host of other degrading, insulting, and ego-deflating terms.

A major problem that you will face is that you may give them insight, build them up, but when they return to their other environments their negative self-image is reinforced. Parent meetings, staff development, and the intense use of these techniques all help, but you must face the fact that you will be discouraged as they go one step forward and then seem to slip two backwards. If you persist you will reach and change more of them for longer periods of time. Be careful that you do not become part of the problem by your poor planning and thoughtless remarks and actions.

If you are not familiar with the impact of words, then you might wish to read two of the early, but still important, works on semantics by Stuart Chase and S.I. Hayakawa. The ASC guided fantasy places the children in a very susceptible frame of mind. You should search your soul carefully before you blurt out ANY instructions. I realize that this may intimidate or frighten you, but I cannot overemphasize the influence you can and usually do have on your class. Time and again I hear and see the results of thoughtless and angry remarks made by adults to children (I am guilty too, but I quickly apologize and make it up to the child or class) and I find the children believing and ACTING out these powerful negative thoughts and statements.

I know that there are cases where one person or one incident has caused serious emotional damage to a child. It is rare. Most children have their negative self-images constructed by many people over a long time. At the risk of being repetitious, it must be stated because it is often one teacher or parent who is the main conveyor of this negativism and that person may not be aware of what he is doing! I cannot overemphasize this. The child propagates a self-fulfilling process of negativism that is self-perpetuating. The teacher says he's a moron, the child believes it; he blocks out learning and he acts moronic. The teacher sees the moronic behavior and it further convinces him that he's right and the vicious label becomes correct - a pernicious self-fulfilling prophecy.

Does this mean that you should be cautious of every word you say? YES! A Heavy Trip to lay on you? You may legitimately ask whether I make every word I say positive, healthy, ego building? No, I make many, stupid, illogical, and at times, even cruelly damaging remarks. The difference is I usually realize when I've done something wrong. I correct it by the following!

I publicly apologize to the child, thereby making him and the others realize that I am aware of the impact of negative statements and why I don't allow them to make them. I explain (when I understand it) why I made the remark. An adult admitting he has been wrong may also open the child's eyes. This helps him see how has actions have affected me and other adults as well. I examine why I said it so I can be more aware of what I can do to alter his behavior - and mine.

If I'm in the throes of a bad day or days, have an emotional problem arising from my family or professional life, I may take time off to get myself together so I don't take my problems out on the children. If it's a brief episode I tell them not to bother me and I work at my desk. They respect my right to have problems too, so they leave me alone until I get back to normal. I give them the same respect and rights. I do not expect every child to perform his best during every period every day. They have a certain leeway too, as long as it's an occasional thing, not a habit.

This was not a digression. I want you to realize that the atmosphere, the emotional climate that you create can overcome the normal human errors that are unavoidable. They don't have to be disastrous!

The psychiatrist who researched and used LSD to treat his patients found this to be true. Those people who had good and bad drug trips, they almost all had their bad ones in strange, threatening, and unfamiliar surroundings. The good ones occurred with good friends who cared and were supportive. The same holds true for the

GF 's, but no further analogy is implied here.

In a healthy, growth-producing environment, the child's ego can be assaulted occasionally without any serious damage - if he has developed ego-strengths in such a milieu and has rapport with you. This allows you to be human, to express anger, resentment, and the normal frustrations as well as kindness and thoughtfulness; but still remain aware of the effects of your statements. Then you can make statements, they won't be irreparable. You can even criticize the children, because evaluation is useful to them. Realizing you are human (error-prone) can provide great relief for them - and for YOU! Everything I've said applies to ordinary reality and is multiplied during the ASC of GF 's.

I suggest that you write out, read, correct, and rewrite each fantasy that you create until they become automatic. You will discover that your teaching will improve, you will help each child improve his basic skills, and you will be happier and more fulfilled and able to reach out and create new ideas and direction of your own. (Of course, I never did and lived on the edge of disaster.)

This is ONE induction procedure.

"Get yourself comfortable. Begin to still your body and your mind . Concentrate on the sound of my voice and ignore any outside noises. Allow yourself to enjoy the pleasant feeling of your quiet breathing. Breathe naturally and notice how your breath, on its own, gradually slows down. As it does you will begin to relax more and more. As you are getting deeper and deeper inside your mind and imagination you are getting more and more relaxed. I am going to take you on a trip. However, YOU are ALWAYS in CONTROL of what happens to you, so if you, for whatever reason need to get out of your fantasy, then open your eyes and sit quietly. It is easier if you breath in through your nostrils and out of your mouth. Notice how relaxed you feel as the air moves slowly in and out of your body."

By this time they should be settled. If some aren't, repeat from the Breathe Naturally section "Your body and mind are now calm and comfortable and you are ready for your fantasy trip. Listen carefully to my directions and flow with them."

At this point you begin to lead them with very explicit directions into the planned fantasy. Remember, the more adjectives, the more descriptive and vivid, the more sense modalities activated the better the results.When the fantasy is completed and you want to bring them back to a normal state of consciousness you use the Returning.

RETURNING

"You have completed your journey or, if you haven't, I still want you to begin your return. Each time that you take these fantasy trips it will be easier for you to get into them and your experience will be more vivid and clear. In a moment I will count to three. You will take a deep breath in through your nostrils and out your mouth. With each breath you will feel increasingly refreshed and your muscles will return to a healthy tone. You will be able to clearly recall and tell what you experienced. At the count of three you will open your eyes and feel alert and refreshed. One (pause), Two (pause), Three (pause). Open your eyes and feel refreshed."

Often some do not feel refreshed, but they feel like they want to stay in the pleasant state they were in. They may even feel tired and want to go to sleep. Some may have fallen asleep - which has confused some observers. Accept all these responses and remind them that THEY were in control so this places part of the responsibility of their successes on them, not just you. This cannot be overemphasized, because some of their parents or your colleagues will think you've been hypnotizing them. (Major differences between GF as I am proposing it and hypnosis is the child's personal control and his responsibilities in the experience.)

In the beginning you should give them plenty of time to explain their feelings and difficulties regarding getting into and experiencing the Guided Fantasy. This feedback will help you restructure your Induction, Experience, and Returning procedures. Each time let them share the experience orally or in writing to the class, small groups, dyads, or with you personally.

# QUICK INDUCTION and RETURNING

Not all fantasies need such involved procedures. In most case the Quick Induction and Returning procedures are adequate. Furthermore, if GF's are done daily or often, the total effect definitely creates a conditioned response pattern. If not abused, you will find that your voice and bodily attitude will command greater respect and they will respond with much less effort on your part in all your relations with them as well as in your daily academic directions to them!

Quick Induction. "Close your eyes. (pause) Get your body comfortable.(pause) Still your body. (pause) Relax. (pause) Listen carefully to the sound of my voice and follow my directions."

Quick Returning. "Take three deep breathes as I count to three. When you open your eyes you will be alert and refreshed. One (pause). Two ( pause), Three ( pause).Open your eyes."

With both Induction and Returning processes, make certain that you pause at the end of each direction. They need time to form the images. Some formulate them immediately, others MUCH more slowly. It's better to pause too long than too short because the stronger imagers are deeply involved and need little direction, whereas the slow or weak imagers need time to picture what you're creating for them. This is form of reassurance for them.

Watch them closely by moving around the room because if you take too long, they begin to get restless and spontaneously return to ordinary reality. The same is true for all the quoted directions. Pause and observe their reactions from each statement or series of statements. You'll learn to read the children better as you get more experiences using these techniques.

DANGER! Children respond to your anxiety. If a child falls asleep or doesn't immediately return to ordinary reality, don't PANIC! With one particular girl who was under psychiatric treatment, it took me almost ten minutes to help her become completely awake and alert. This is the EXCEPTION - by far! Even under strong hypnosis there is not one case I could substantiate where any person took longer than two hours to return to normal.

Under hypnosis the hypnotist is usually consciously trying to control the person so that he can get him to do something he may not believe he can do normally like to quit smoking, relax, stop eating so much, etc. During the GF's, as I have described them, my purpose is to relax the child so that he can unleash his own powers. He realizes that HE does it, that HE is in control, and that HE can come in and out of ASC's without me!

By stressing, "YOU ARE IN CONTROL AT ALL TIMES! YOU CAN STOP THE PROCESS AT ANY TIME!" - you are protecting the child from entering something he (or you) cannot handle. You also protect yourself from people who might accuse you of mind control. (It has happened to me.) If the Induction and Returning sound too much like hypnosis to you then don't use them, just say, "Close your eyes (induction) and open your eyes (returning)."

I've often just used the latter and it works too, but not as well.

# QUICKEST INDUCTION, RETURNING

(Repetitious, sorry.) Nowadays, for most GF's, I tell the children to close their eyes, I wait for several seconds and begin the fantasy. For most of them, this is all that is necessary. To bring them back I say, "Open your eyes!" However, the longer you take, the more involved and productive their fantasies become. Children, like their adult counterparts, love mystique and ritual. The Induction and Returning have the advantage of providing that and it helps them get into deeper moods and fantasies, but they may have the disadvantage of scaring parents, other teachers, and administrators.

Use your own judgement. If you get fired or get harassed you won't be helping any children. Any of the methods work as long as you believe in them and get the children to share your belief. I know. I've tried them all with many different types of groups and ages in many different situations. At times the most complex failed, but the simplest ones succeeded.

Teachers have asked children to close their eyes and imagine things and events since the cave men told stories to frighten, entertain, or educate children. GF's are no different, they are just much more efficient.

# CREATING YOUR OWN INDUCTIONS

It's easy! The idea is to get them to follow your lead and get them OUT of their mindset. Anything that you say that will get them to picture something and have them actively involved will do it, Examples. Said without a pause.

"Close your eyes and picture yourself getting up from your desk and walking out the door. As you leave the room you enter a long path that leads to a sandy beach."

"Close your eyes, relax your muscles and imagining your mother or father massaging your neck. You can feel the fingers gently rubbing your neck and shoulders."

"Close your eyes and there you are at Disneyland with two of your best friends. You're waiting in line for the _"

You get the idea. If you don't think fast on your feet, then write your induction or all of your script. I created most of my own spontaneously as I closely observed the class and modified each GF as I went along.

I even had students create their own and lead the class. I did have them write it and show it to me first. This avoids the embarrassment of mixed signals.

# GUIDED FANTASY EXAMPLES

Fantasy: Reconstruction of family conflict.

Children are often unable to accept insights from others regarding their emotional or growth problems. Many have no acceptable method of coping with their feelings. This fantasy will help them relive painful experiences in a supportive group setting. By reliving the experience they can relieve the intensity of it and then can rehearse, in a succeeding fantasy, a better way of handling the situations and emotions involved. Remember, THEY are in CONTROL so the outcome is not psychotherapy, but is a TEACHING method.

Begin the Induction monolog. Continue with: "Your body and mind are relaxed. You are going back in time. Remember, although I am your guide, you are in control. You can begin to see yourself with your mother (father). The two of you are flying through a long tunnel. You are, as you travel through this long, friendly tunnel, gradually remembering and feeling the way you did during your last fight or argument with your mother. It could have been yesterday, last week, last month, or even today.

"Now you are getting into the opening of the tunnel. You are stepping out of the tunnel into the place, the scene where you had the conflict. Relive the conflict. Listen to what you are saying. Listen to what she is saying. You are hearing exactly what she said, what you said. Look at the expressions on your faces. (pause) What do they tell you about how each of you is feeling? Allow yourself to feel your emotions, your feelings. Now step inside of your mother's body. Feel her feelings. (pause) What went wrong? What does she want from you? What could she do differently? What could she say differently? (pause)

"Return to your body. What do you want from her? What could you do differently? What could you say differently? (pause) You've seen, heard, and experienced the situation from both sides.(pause) "Relive it again, but this time change what you both say and do so that you are both satisfied that the other understands. Come to a better solution. A solution that both of you find fair and just."

Begin the Returning

Processing. At first let one child at a time discuss what he experienced and learned so that you can help him understand and reinforce it. Later. once they've gotten the idea and are comfortable with the process, they can discuss their fantasies and reconstructions in small groups or dyads.

Note: Some children are too frightened or inhibited to allow themselves to get into this fantasy. Some have abusive parents whom they cannot control and this can be a very upsetting experience. With child abuse reporting rising, I think it behooves you to know what is happening to your children. Give them the option of not participating or not sharing if it seems to bother them, but don't automatically assume they are being abused because they don't want to participate. Talk to them privately later.

Once the majority of the timid discover that they can get into it and share the experience with others, they will get deeper into them. They should not be forced to participate, but they cannot be allowed to bother the others. Some children, for a variety of reasons, personal, psychological, or physical are unable to visualize these types of scenarios.

Let them relate whatever they saw or if they say, "Nothing!" Let them alone. They will learn a lot from the fantasies of others. Some will quietly share privately with others who have expressed their stories, their own experiences. It's like with fairy tales, children share the symbolism, the unconscious messages, the emotional catharsis without experiencing the same events.Some will need more specific instructions or more time between each step of the directions.

Another alternative, or way to begin is using the next fantasy first. Since the family conflict may be too frightening, I use animal families as substitutes. They bring out, in symbolic form, the same conflicts.

Fantasy: Reconstruction of family conflicts using animals as symbols.

Begin the Induction monolog. Continue with. "Your body and mind are relaxed. If you could be any animal in the world what would you become? (long pause) Get a clear picture of that animal. Bring it in clearer and clearer. See its shape. See its colors. Watch it move. As it is moving let yourself slip alongside of it and very gradually allow yourself to change into that animal. Your body is changing into his. (pause) You are now that animal, but you're not full grown.

You are with your mother. She is angry, upset with you. You are FEELING upset too. Why are you both upset? You wish you could undo what you said and did. (pause) A sudden gust of wind picks you both up, twirls you around and you are the mother animal and your mother is the young animal. You can make it turn out the way you want it. You are now saying and doing what you wished she would have said or done. She is saying and doing what you should have said and done. (pause) You are both feeling satisfied.. You feel good and your mother is pleased with you.You now know the things you should say and do to avoid this from happening again

Begin the Returning.

Processing. With some children the EXPERIENCE itself will be the beginning of a change. With others the discussion about the experience will be necessary for a beginning to change their relationship with their parents. For all of them it is helpful if they have a specific goal in mind in their next real encounters with their mothers. This can be handled in more depth through the group discussion, role-playing, or another fantasy.

Fantasy: Friendly dyadic encounter with mother(father).

Many children cannot conceptualize or visualize a healthy way to express the affection, appreciation, and love they feel towards their parents. This fantasy follows after the children have had the experience of dyadic encounters. This gives them a technique to be applied in reality and fantasy.

Begin the induction monolog.

Continue with: "Picture you and your mother in her favorite room. She is smiling and happy. You are feeling good towards her too. You want to tell her how much you love and appreciate all that she does for you. You explain to her about the dyadic encounters you've been doing in class. You tell her that one person listens very carefully to the speaker and, in his own words, repeats it back to the speaker. If she's misunderstood something the speaker has said, the speaker repeats it more clearly. Then, the listener takes her turn and becomes the speaker and she gets to talk about something that is important to her.

You know that by using this technique you will be heard correctly and so will your mother. You will understand each other better. You can use this technique when you have something to say that you are afraid might upset her.

Anyway, she agrees to try this and she waits for you to begin. Now, see yourself telling her some of the reasons you love her SO much. (pause) She is smiling and pleased. She's surprised. Listen to her repeat back what she's heard you say, but in her own words. If she misses anything, then very courteously explain what you said and MEANT. If she got it right, then let her tell you her feelings about you. She is now telling you why she loves you so much. Listen. (pause) Repeat what she said to you in your own words. Continue the fantasy on your own. When you complete it, put your head down."

Begin the Returning.

Processing. After the feedback discussion make certain that each child makes a contract or a commitment to follow through that day or evening with his mother to practice and change the fantasy into reality. This fantasy can be repeated using father, guardian, aunt, etc. and the children should be encouraged to practice the technique on their own.

Problem. Some parents, when children try this believe they are being conned, manipulated - which could be true with certain children. A note home explaining what you're trying to do helps, but the children should be forewarned that their parents may not respond exactly as they did in their fantasies and they should not get discouraged. If you are open with them they will come to you and explain what happened so that you can be supportive and give them encouragement, reinforcement, and retraining. At times a call to the parent may be in order.

With some emotionally castrating and destructive parents, every reasonable effort by the child and even you will be used destructively. I tell these children that it is not their fault and teach them survival techniques. If I can convince them it's not their fault, I have helped them survive and given them tools to deal with more healthy people - as well as with toxic ones.

Fantasy: Sensory Awareness exercises through fantasy.

Children (and many adults) are not aware that they have the ability to control what they "see." Therefore, you will have them fantasize an object,then "see' it in their common shared reality.

Begin the Induction monolog.

Continue with: "Keep your eyes closed until I tell you to open them. Release your right hand so your fingers are spread out and make a tight fist with your left hand with your thumb pointing out. With your right hand begin to explore your left hand. Notice its length, its width. and its colors without opening your eyes. See your left hand in your mind. See the knuckles. See the fingernails. See the colors. Cover your left hand loosely with your right. Notice its warmth. Notice its red-warmth. See its redness. The redness is getting stronger. See the bright red color. Notice the shape changing. It's getting more round like a red apple. See the red apple. Notice the thumb changing into a stem. The apple is getting clearer and clearer, redder and redder, rounder and rounder. (pause) It is an apple! OPEN your eyes. SEE the red apple and its stem. Close your eyes again. See the red, round apple in your mind. Smell its odors. Notice the luscious flavor in your mouth. See it's taste. Enjoy its taste. Enjoy its flavor. As you're ready allow the apple return to a hand."

Begin the Returning.

Process the experience. Some of the children will not have seen anything. Others will have such a vivid fantasy that when they see the apple after opening their eyes they maybe so overwhelmed they will be unable to complete the exercise. It proves it was a success.

Children are as different in their abilities to fantasize as they are in running or reading. A superb fantasizer on one day or in one modality may be unable to see in that modality or get "into" it on another day. Given time structure, and reassurance they all get increasingly more adept.

You must feel the mood of the group. There are times when I wanted them to fantasize some specific thing or event, but they were somewhere else. So much goes on under our noses that we miss that can affect the responses of the group that you shouldn't be disappointed if they're unresponsive. Don't force it or you set up too much negative feedback. There's always later or tomorrow. Remember, an entire class failing is a gigantic setback of your skill in having them follow further (or any) suggestions.

Be sensitive to them. Eventually they will follow you and develop enhanced imaginations.

Fantasies: Free Association.

It is almost impossible to help a child understand a concept when he cannot communicate what it is that he doesn't understand. He doesn't know how to pose the questions. A method to get him to find the proper words and through them aide you in getting him to pose the question so you can answer it is through free association. In dreamwork it is a helpful technique when you are training him to use the symbols and metaphors of dreams. In this GF you will give children practice in free associating so they can develop, strong, clear images to verbalize.

Begin with the Quick Induction.

Continue with: "Listen carefully to my voice and you will see these words. One will flow out of the other. Snow. Cold. White. Rolling. Skiing. Sledding. Fun. Laughing. Snow was the symbol word I used for the associations. You may have selected words that would have been as good. Try again. This time the word to picture is shoe. Socks. Toes. Heels. Run. Football. Touchdown.

"Now I will say a word. Allow your mind to be free so that whatever words come you will see them clearly. Words and pictures may come flowing out of each word that I say. The word is... Ocean. (pause) Keep your eyes closed and let the words flow like waves in the ocean. (pause) Open your eyes and share the words with your partner. (Give them a minute) Any questions? Close your eyes. Next word is...Mountain. (pause) Now share. Next word is..Face. (pause) Now share. Next word is... Division. (pause) Now share

Quick Returning.

Processing. You could have them share each word each time or wait until the end of the experience. Let several children share their experiences with the class after they have shared with their partners.

This exercise can then be used with the class to give you feedback on concepts you've taught. As they free associate they give you clues on what they've understood and what they haven't grasped. It works easiest in individual sessions in which the feedback and questioning is rapid and easily clarified.

Fantasy: Rehearsal for basketball skills.

Children need time to practice, to rehearse their physical skills, but they seldom get enough time during physical education. This particular technique is better AFTER they have attempted the skill and have some awareness of the muscular feelings associated with the successful enactment of the skill.

Quick Induction.

"You are on the basketball court. You are there by yourself in the middle of the court. Dribble the ball towards the basket. Push the ball with your fingertips. Feel the pushing sensation throughout your arm, shoulder, and fingers. Keep your eyes on the ball and keep it low, slightly below the level of your waist. Dribble back towards mid-court pushing the ball with your fingertips. Feel the sensations in your shoulder as you push from the shoulder. Eyes on the ball, keep it low. When you get to the basket, dribble back again.

"Repeat one more time. Hold the ball. This time you will dribble and shoot. You will shoot when you get to the right hand line leading to the basket, past the free throw line. When you shoot you will push off with your left leg and let the ball gently roll off the fingertips of your right hand. Be sure to get as high as you can as you release the ball.

"Ready! Dribble at your own pace to the basket. You are dribbling properly pushing it with your fingertips. You are approaching the white line. Push off with your left foot. Let the ball roll off your right hand. Notice the ball floating easily into the basket. Good shot! Now, catch it as it bounces away from the basket. Even the pros miss, so when you don't make it, repeat the steps again. You will remember them and you will make the basket.

"Practice the steps by yourself a few more times. Feel how your body feels during each step. Concentrate so that your muscles will remember exactly what to do next time. Your muscles are connected to your brain and the memory cells in your brain will make certain that your muscles do it better each time."

Begin the Returning.

Processing. Some children, usually those with little confidence in their athletic abilities, will have trouble with parts or all of this fantasy. When you are saying that they will feel something in their muscles or they will make the basket, they DON'T! Talk about it afterwards. Explain that they are individuals and they will see and feel things at different times. This is a good reason for adding to your patter, your monologue, the words, "as you are ready you will" to whenever they are to accomplish something very specific.

This places the burden on them as well as gets them off the hook. Otherwise, as they experience failure when they don't see or feel what you say they should be seeing or feeling, they blame you and it weakens your rapport and effectiveness. Naturally, the more skillful they are in the particular task you are teaching, the more they will benefit from the fantasy as they mentally refine the physical skill. Proper coaching before and after an athletic fantasy will reinforce the fantasy process.

The advantage of the fantasy is that they can practice as they are drifting off to sleep, standing in the lunch line, or during a commercial while watching TV - or in class when you are boring or they are overwhelmed.

In a basketball fantasy experiment one student, instead of watching the ball go into the hoop, kept visualizing it going flat each time he was about to shoot. He did the poorest of any of the students in a pre and post shoot out after one month of fantasy practice. This seems to be some evidence of the powers of negative practice.

Many people who attempt physical or personality changes through hypnosis, suggestology, or self-help programs fail because they are unaware of the powerful negative scripts that they have internalized to assure FAILURE! If a person unconsciously thinks he will or should fail, he often tends to program himself into continuing to fail.

Many times, when a child does not follow the instructions and has bad, negative, or unpleasant experience, I found that he was giving himself these strong, negative suggestions, seldom with his conscious awareness.The best way to handle this is through feedback. Listen to him. He will usually give you the clues that explain why he is failing. You could even lead him into a fantasy in which you ask him to find the reason he's failing by having him look into a book, a mirror, or watch a movie about himself. This is technique that is very successful with adults. It may not work with some of your children. One reason is they may not see the problem as a problem. Second, they may not have the experience, the specific information to create a solution.

This method is based on the idea that we know what our problems are as well as the possible solutions. During the fantasy we allow the guide to help us find the answers that our inside of us, but for various reasons we have built defenses against admitting. Children do not know what their problems are, they don't know the solutions, nor do they understand their defense mechanisms. Through discussions and giving them information, they develop the means to profit from this type of fantasy.

Fantasy: Blending colors for art.

You want the children to learn what colors to blend to make the secondary colors. It is a useful fantasy before they mix them or it could be used afterwards to reinforce the learning. Before starting have samples of the three primary and secondary colors in front of you. Have them examine them before you begin.

Quick induction.

"You are an artist. You are in your studio and ready to paint. You find that you are out of all your colors except the three primary colors of red, yellow, and blue. They are in liquid form in bottles. You need the secondary colors of orange, green, and violet.

Ready? Take a tablespoon of red and drop it into a cup. Now, add a tablespoon of yellow. Mix them. Notice how the yellow first streaks into the red. Mix it more and watch as the yellow and blue change into - orange!

Mix another blend. Ready? Start with a tablespoon of blue in a second cup. Add a tablespoon of red. Mix. Watch as a beautiful violet emerges.

Another mixture. Ready? This time start with a tablespoon of yellow in a third cup. Add a tablespoon of blue. Mix them. The yellow and blue are blending and forming - green!"

Quick returning.

Processing. Those who have poor color imagery (many people) will have trouble. They need additional help. After experimenting with the colors in an actual art lesson they could repeat the fantasy by being led through it by a parent, an aide, another child, or you. Discuss the imagery with them. Don't be surprised if your best artists don't have clear or strong imagery. Each activity involves different neural pathways.

Fantasy: Preparation for sketching in art.

You want them to "see" their hands and other body parts clearly enough to sketch them realistically. Begin by having them carefully, microscopically examine their little, ring, middle, index fingers, and thumbs as well as their palms and backs of their hands.

Induction. Continue with:

"At all times keep your eyes closed. Your 'seeing' will occur as you use your fingertips. Don't try to remember what you've seen with your eyes, because now you're going to see with your fingertips. Lay your left hand on the desk with your palms down, fingers outstretched. With the tips of the fingers of your right hand, gently and slowly travel from the wrist bone to the end of your little finger. Feel all the hairs, the bumps, and wrinkles.

Return, beginning from the tip of your ring finger, travel to your wrist. (pause) Move back towards your middle finger, especially noticing the difference in the cuticle and fingernail. Return to the wrist and begin with the index finger. (pause) From the wrist explore your thumb. (pause) Now explore the back of your hand again, but this time bend your fingers as you do so you can feel the movements of and positions of the muscles. As you explore press much harder and pinch to feel each muscle, bone, and joint. (long pause) Turn your hand over and go through the same processes.

Notice the differences in the lines, the fatty tissues, and the muscles. Follow each line or crease. Bend and straighten each finger and see the differences. Press hard, press lightly, and get to know each muscles. (long pause) When you open your eyes they will work with your fingers and you will go over the same territories and imprint them in your memory.

Open your eyes and repeat the process for one minute, then close your eyes and the memories will be imprinted in your mind. OPEN. (wait and say) One minute, eyes closed. Repeat the processes in your mind. (thirty seconds) After the Returning you will open your eyes and sketch what you've seen. You may look at your hands while sketching.

Quick Returning.

Processing. You may need to repeat it for some. My experience is almost all of the children produce sketches that amazes them (and me). The same basic GF can be used for any other parts of their bodies (common sense prevailing). It can be used when you want them to become aware of various muscle groups when you get them into body massage. It can be used having one child examine his partner's face while his eyes remain closed.

The results in their sketching ability is seen immediately and not lost to them. Most children believe they cannot draw because they cannot duplicate reality. They cannot duplicate reality because they have not "seen" it.

This exercise helps them "see" and then they are able to copy what they are seeing more clearly. (Naturally, muscular coordination and physical maturity are factors.) It may not be great art, but it definitely changes their idea about themselves as artists. It develops better self-images.

Fantasy: Reinforcing science learnings, the digestive system.

You want to reinforce, make vivid the learning of how the digestive system works. This should be done after they have seen a diagram, heard a lecture, or researched the process. I have done it first as an introduction to the digestive system, but I think it works better as a reinforcer.

Induction.

Continue with:

"Let your body sit there, but a wisp of your breath is changing into a piece of steak, a forkful of potatoes and a spoonful of peas. This combination is entering your mouth and your tongue is moving the mixture around as your salivary glands secrete saliva. Your teeth, especially your grinders, are beginning to crush and break up the food into smaller and smaller particles and, mixed with saliva, it is turning into a semi-liquid substance called a bolus.

"The bolus is being pushed by your tongue and throat muscles down the tube called the esophagus which transport it to a tissue, the pyloric valve. This valve is a fleshy cap that keeps the food from leaving the container, your stomach. Your stomach secretes a fluid, hydrochloric acid, that mixes with the bolus. The stomach, pancreas, liver, and gall bladder all secrete other fluids called enzymes. They produce these enzymes and each organ breaks down different kinds of foods or stimulates other enzymes to do the task. Your stomach, like a powerful balloon inside a washing machine is beginning to push and shove the bolus around so the fluids can mix better.

"It is now a liquid and leaves the stomach. It is entering the twenty-three or more feet of your small intestines. In the small intestines are thousands of tiny fingerlike hairs that each absorb part of the liquid. They are now allowing the liquid to pass into their bodies, pass into the tiny blood-filled capillaries that surround them. The nutrition and energy your body needs to feed each cell in your body is now entering your blood stream. This food has been changed and is now traveling through your capillaries into ever larger blood vessels to your heart where it will be pumped throughout your body.

"Most of the liquid keeps moving along through intestines until almost all of it is absorbed. The part that is not digested, not used, is passed into your large intestine and stored as solid waste." You may continue with the excretory system or stop at this point.

Quick returning.

Processing. Pair them off and have each child tell the other the process. They could use a diagram to aide their memories.

Repeat this general scheme for each body system and process.

Fantasy: Training their visual sense for reading.

Many children, because of TV and movies have lost or have never developed their abilities to use their imaginations while reading or being read to.

The choice of the selection is, of course, up to you. It makes no difference as long as their eyes are closed and noises minimized.

Quick Induction.

"As I read this story I want you to see it happening. To 'see' it you will use your imagination and 'see' it with your eyes, ears, and feel the movements of the characters. Taste and smell the things that have tastes and smells. The clearer you 'see' with ALL your senses the stronger the pictures will be and the more enjoyable will be the story." Read the story dramatically.

Quick returning.

Processing. After reading the story discuss the images they saw. It is an experience they will enjoy because children have done this since man began to tell stories. It is as natural as it is valuable. It is a good way to introduce and teach new reading skills.

Fantasy: Creating your own fantasy experiences.

Almost any concept, subject, or topic that you want them to learn or be reinforced can be developed into a fantasy. As I mentioned, the easiest way is to first write a script. This won't eliminate all errors, but it will minimize them. There is NO way you can eliminate them all, because you cannot be certain what the effects will be for each child. Furthermore, if you take the time to process the fantasy by LISTENING carefully and analyzing what they have experienced, you can undo most of the problems.

The Induction procedure, thoughtful preparation, and the Returning will insure the results and protect the children and you .

I have stressed the negative possibilities because I know how easy it is for teachers to get discouraged when things don't work out the way they do for the "experts" who we all know LIE like crazy. I believe that fantasy is a tool of enormous potential in education and I do not want anyone turned off because her first few tries aren't as exciting and productive as I've said mine were. (Honestly, they were!)

Creating fantasies is an art, not yet a science, and the creation of a good fantasy is similar to any work of art. You must recognize the possibilities of failure, but the creative process is worth it.

I believe if you persevere for a few weeks that you will be hooked on fantasies and I know your class will be. I've never had a group that did not enjoy them. As you see the children's eagerness and the acceleration of their learning, you will realize what I mean.

Dyadic Guided Fantasies.

This is a modification of fantasizing with a class.

I met Dr. Win Wenger at the Creative Problem-Solving Institute at SUNY at Buffalo in 1974 and found that he had developed the idea that I had only been fumbling with. He created a booklet for adults titled, VOYAGES, that is an excellent device for one person to lead another into various fantasy experiences. I highly recommend it.

Instead of the teacher leading the group, each child leads his own partner through his own personal fantasy. What Win and I both conceived was the enormous waste of imagery lost because a person forgets much of what he experienced.

Recalling the fantasy depends on memory, which is notoriously inefficient and more importantly, loses much of the vividness of the sensory experience. During the dyad, the adult or child tells his partner what he's experiencing WHILE IT IS HAPPENING. In this manner you are tapping into a reservoir of experience and each child can live it at his own pace.

It is Individualized Fantasy in a group setting!

There are problems. The first is noise. I separate the dyads as far from each other as possible, but there is a lot of contamination as one child's guide or another's story spills over into another's territory. The noise can be a serious problem for the most distractible children, but for most they are so involved that they manage despite the noise. For some the blindfolds are a help to eliminate at least the visual distractions.

The poor readers have trouble leading their partners through the directions. Having them memorize the key ideas helps as well as letting them try by being led first. If they cannot do it, then they can either be observers or be guided.

The information they receive is personal and, at times, dynamite. By pairing them with their best friends, people they can trust, they say things that are confidential. I emphasize that any child who divulges anything about another without his express permission faces serious consequences (in 1972 he got paddled or suspended).

I have emphasized the worst. So far, I have not had any problems (and I've done this for 30 years). Most of the children are so involved that they are oblivious to everything around. They treat the information more as a fictional story than as a personal revelation. When I hear what they've experienced it does give me additional insights into their behaviors. The fact that I do not hear EVERYTHING was a problem to me - at first. Later, I realized that I don't have to know everything and that, if I'm doing a good job teaching them trust and proper communication skills, then they are developing more skills and responsibility.

This following are the written guides I give to children.

# INDIVIDUALIZED GUIDED FANTASY

Fantasy A.

Say and read to your partner all the things that begin with SAY and are enclosed in quotation marks "I."

(Read silently to yourself the directions to you that are enclosed in parenthesis ( ).)

SAY. "Close your eyes and let yourself get comfortable."

(Sit quietly and wait a minute while your partner gets settled.)

SAY. "You are hearing other sounds, but gradually let them pass and listen only to the sounds of my voice.

(Wait quietly while he gets himself more settled.)

SAY. "The fantasy that you will soon take in your mind will be guided by me, but YOU ARE IN CONTROL. (pause) YOU ARE IN CONTROL and if you need to stop the fantasy at any time, then merely open your eyes and sit quietly. At all times I will protect you from any bad experiences. If you understand say - "yes." (Wait for him to answer).

SAY. "Allow yourself to relax and drift comfortably. As I count from ten to one you will allow yourself to relax. Gradually you will get more and more relaxed with each count. It's something you can do on your own whenever you're tired, upset, or need to get to sleep."

(Wait, then. count very slowly stopping between each number.)

SAY. "Ten. Nine. Eight. Seven. Six. Five. Four. Three. Two. One. (pause) You are relaxed and comfortable and will be able to do this easier and easier each time you are instructed to or need to fantasize."

(After the last statement wait about ten seconds to let him get even more settled. If your partner tries to open his eyes, very GENTLY remind him to keep them closed.) ,

SAY. "See yourself in a movie theater. Watch carefully as the movie is about to begin. It's a nature movie and you are the star! It takes place in the spring. It's very beautiful. Please describe the scene."

(Listen to his description. You may ask questions to help you understand and see better the scene he's describing.) .

SAY. "Describe the valley, the trees, plants, flowers, and animals."

(Listen and encourage him to see, hear, taste, smell, and touch by asking him to make the pictures clearer and more vivd to you.)

SAY. "In any movie there has to be a problem and then a solution. Watch closely as some problem occurs and you come up with a solution." (

Give him a few seconds and then ask him to tell you what he's seeing. If nothing is happening or he's not speaking, ask him to tell you whatever he's feeling or seeing. Ask him to try again. When he's seen a problem and a solution has occurred, then, after he's explained them...)

SAY. "Bring yourself out of the movie and come back here." (pause)

(You begin the Returning by saying...)

"Take three deep breaths. You will feel refreshed after these slow deep breaths. You will feel alert and want to stretch and slowly open your eyes."

There's three more endings you can use beginning with the same introductory patter, but after Fantasy A substitute this fantasy.

Fantasy B

SAY. "There is a white chalkboard. See it. Watch as pictures begin to form on it...

(Give him a moment to see it.)

SAY. "Picture yourself as you are. Describe what you are seeing as it appears."

(Help him make the picture clear by asking questions. )

SAY. "Picture yourself as you THINK people see you. Describe what they would see and what you're seeing now."

(Wait, listen, ask clarifying questions.)

SAY. "Now, picture yourself as you would LIKE to be. See yourself changing from the way you are into the kind of person you'd like to be."

(Wait, listen, be patient and encouraging.)

Returning.

Fantasy C

SAY. "Now that you are relaxed and comfortable, you are going to take trip into the past."

(Wait, listen, encourage her to talk.)

SAY. "You are traveling back into the time in history that you would most like to have lived in. You can be yourself or ANYBODY that ever lived, but is not living now."

(Wait. Listen.)

SAY. "Tell me what you're seeing as it happens."

(Listen. Let her tell her story. Then. ..)

Returning.

Fantasy D

SAY. "Today 'We're going to float into the future. We're going to travel forward in time. Climb into your spaceship. Blast off to the future."

(Wait. If she doesn't see anything keep encouraging her that she will see something soon. Whatever she starts to see have her share it with you.)

Returning.

# RESONANCE and GUIDED FANTASY

Children seem to enjoy most of the guided fantasies that are the most structured. In these I present many sensory modalities and am very specific about what I expect them to experience.

I enjoy a GF in which the guide leads me and then leaves me to explore on my own The open-ended fantasies have the advantage of giving more information about the state of mind of the individual. I further tap into it by having them give oral or written reports of their experiences.

Each type has its specific purposes and advantages. These should be carefully considered in your planning. The dyads should not be tried until they have had considerable experience in fantasizing.

In the beginning of any GF you want all the children to leave ordinary reality and get into an ASC. The Purpose of the Induction process is to get them to RESONATE in a similar harmonic. There is no way to prove that they are resonating together although watching their breathing rhythms and eyelid movements will give you some indication of the depth of their relaxation. It is not necessary that they all Resonate together since each will see and experience something different.

The concept of RESONANCE is helpful in getting them to understand how the Induction works. It gives them a common basis for beginning their GF.

Your rhythm, pacing, enthusiasm, and voice tone are important and will make a great difference in the ease and depth they will get into the GF. Music, poetry, and any kind of repetitious activity to get them out of their left and into their right brain functioning or non ordinary reality will help them Resonate together.

The GF itself becomes more intense and deeper the more they are in tune, Resonating with you. However, the vividness of the GF also depends on each student's abilities in whatever sensory mode you're inducing or emphasizing. The more training the better they get. Many times the effectiveness of the GF depends more on the feeling tone created than on sensory vividness. The vividness does make it more fun, but a person can "feel" rather than "see" and still have a marvelous experience.

In a step-by-step GF, RESONANCE is easier to attain because the energies and harmonics of the majority creates a huge energy field that vibrates and pulls them into an irresistible ASC. Sometimes, if it doesn't do this and the child goes off on his own in his own ASC, it's what his body and mind needs.

Children who have the opportunity to experience fantasies several times a month, to work through some of their inhibitions and personal problems, and can express and share them with other students and you, do not need to be hostile. They are not serious discipline problems, or they are not as difficult to control as they were before they learned to use fantasies.

MEDITATION

Why bother to have meditation for children when their emotional development is still at a primitive level and their spiritual quest and questioning is almost absent?

Since we don't mix church and state, the meditative experience for children is secular and not directed towards the higher goals of spiritual mediation. What is offered is practical meditation geared for Western children the way Transcendental Meditation (TM) was geared for adults, that is for better health, concentration, and greater self-control. This is NOT TM. TM has been specifically forbidden to be taught in public schools by the United States Supreme Court!

I believe that if children are taught various meditative techniques, not just in isolated classes, but throughout their schooling, many could later achieve spiritual insights. It could be a useful counterbalance to the "me first, me only" mentality of too many students. It is known that many children have psychic (not yet explainable through science) abilities. These disappear as they learn to "see" consensual reality and disbelieve their own experiences. They are not yet strong enough to disagree with adults and other children who have not had their experiences and thus discount them so they literally and physically turn off those talents.

My youngest daughter, Arrianne, saw colored "auras" around people, which correctly analyzed their general "character" and fit what the Hindus stated about the meaning of each color.

Possibly, by encouraging their spirituality through meditation, many children would be happier, better balanced, and more spiritual as adults. Their spirituality, like their psychic abilities is probably more highly developed than is realized, but the intrusions of "reality" makes spirituality a useless commodity or skill. It is even, at times, negatively extinguished through ridicule and other means, and thus is often painful. It may disappear like a useless appendage, yet it could be encouraged to resurface into the arena of useful tools.

I offer meditation because it is another tool in the growth of a total child. There is a growing body of research that indicates that meditators have a more solid emotional base than non-meditators. Whether those who elect to meditate were more stable before and therefore were able to persist in the discipline necessary for meditation or whether the meditation contributed to their greater.stability needs to be studied more. In any case meditators do seem to develop into healthier, more mature adults.

My experience with adults and children taught to meditate is that, as in most self-help programs, those that need it most tend to be the first ones to give it up. Of course, not all of those who persist reach a high level of spirituality. Some become quite smug about their alleged progress and sneer at the non-meditators in an unspiritual manner. However real the negative aspects, they should not deter you from considering the educational and psychological benefits that meditation could bring.

As in fantasies, some children respond better to different sense modalities. Thus, I teach a wide variety of methods and positions. For some a mantra, others a chant or poem, some a mandala or visualization method, or some combination of these for others is what is necessary to get them into an ASC. Eventually, they can select the one or ones best suited for them.

A certain time each day should be set aside for meditation. It does several things. The children know that the amount of time you spend on a subject or skill is a good indication of how valuable it is to you. If it isn't of value to you, they are, on some level, aware of its importance to you. I value meditation and prove it by teaching it either on a daily basis or some other closely allied ASC like fantasy. Maureen Murdock, a teacher in Santa Monica, had her third graders meditate the first twenty-five minutes of every day. Obviously she was sold on its values and she had the children's good behaviors and academic achievement scores as proof.

The time you spend on meditation helps them regain their physical-emotional equilibrium or sets the stage for a day of reason and sanity rather than the crazies. Without drugs, it does what alcohol and other tranquilizers does for adults, but without the negative effects.

The children, buffeted from within and outside, and bringing many problems from home, assaulted by other children and the daily frustrations of learning and the noises of urban life, quickly come to appreciate the calm time you bring to them. Their faces and bodies lose the strains and tensions as they have time for inner repair. For some it is the only time their nervous systems are not bombarded - it's nice for you too. They often look forward to that particular time of the day and find it to be a ( childish version of) "peak" experience, and develop an important habitual rhythm in their lives which helps them to cope better with anxiety and frustration in and out of the classroom.

They learn to relax.

More importantly it teaches them that their inner lives are worthwhile, are a viable part of them, and it can be reached through meditation. Instead of frenetic activity, the search for constant external stimulation, the need to be always doing, they discover the joys of inner activity - and it's controlled by them!As an aide to discipline you could say it is strong preventative medicine. Even when they are not meditating they are calmer and more accessible to reason.

Many studies have indicated that their powers of concentration increase. Their attention has been trained to focus on and hold a mantra, a chant, a picture, a concept and this skill transfers to other tasks such as academic ones.

It becomes easier to get and hold their attention when you are giving directions and they become better able to understand and follow them.

It gives a pattern of rest-recovery that enables them to be more alert and productive all day.

It promotes emotional stability so that students show greater flexibility in handling stress and react more reasonably to frustration, disappointments, and problems than do non-meditators.

It doesn't just happen. You need to make a time commitment. You need to believe it will work. YOU should practice meditating so you can experience what you're going to put them through. You need to keep at it long enough to get them accustomed to its strangeness and so you can begin to see its benefits.

I would not begin meditation until I had tried the GF's and had them habituated to closing their eyes, sitting still, and experiencing the wonders of their inner lives. In any group there are several who have difficulty in taking fantasy or meditation seriously. This is especially true if the parents think ASC's are a stupid waste of time.

A parent information meeting is critical. I explain that for some people meditation is an excellent compromise to school prayer. Those who believe and practice praying have been found to get many of the same mental and physical health benefits that meditators get! Prayer is illegal in schools, but meditation or as I was forced to rename it, Relaxation Training, is not.

Each year I have a few children who fight the experience. I demand that they at least sit quietly and not bother anyone. Usually I request they keep their eyes closed so they do not upset the others.

Children deserve the right to know why they are being asked to do or learn anything, but especially if it is a radical departure from the norm. By explaining the "why" to them you show your respect for them. Most return this respect by attending to and doing what you request. It is a way of clarifying your goals. It makes it easier for them to understand their part in the process.

Here is a statement you might use.

"Today we are going to begin a new experience \- meditation. What do you know about it? (Questions from them, your answers.)

"Why do I want you to learn to meditate? Here are a few reasons. Longer life. Heart disease and hypertension are major killers. These are aggravated or brought on by constant tension. By learning to relax through meditation you will slow down your breathing, pulse and heart rates, and many other bodily processes. If you continue to set aside a few minutes twice a day you could extend your life from ten to fifteen years and make it much more enjoyable. You will have greater use of your abilities. Many of you could be doing much better in sports, reading, art, many things, but you do not seem to be able to give them your best because you cannot keep your mind on the task. Meditation will train you to focus your attention on something and keep it focused until you learn it. It will make learning easier, more fun.

Finally, it will help you handle problems that you have with your family, friends, and strangers. It won't solve all your problems, but it releases energies and trains skills that make your life more worthwhile."

Meditative Techniques.

You want the children to succeed so begin with a very simple method.

Herbert Benson is a cardiologist who, with a graduate student, R.Wallace, a TM (Transcendental Meditation) student, studied the EEG, EKG, GSR, and a host of other psychological variables on TM meditators and control groups. They published articles about the effectiveness of TM on health, concentration, attentional abilities, and the emotional flexibility of those who had learned and practiced these TM techniques. This research is quoted in TM publicity.Benson was not as convinced as Wallace and resented the abuse of his research to ostensibly prove the worth of TM. He continued to be more cautious.

He did find that by thinking and saying the word, "ONE" or any other pleasant soft vowel sound on each exhaled breath, that the person would get the same physiological results as the TM students did using a TM mantra. Unfortunately, the students trained to use ONE do not have the social sanction, the charm, the esoteric ceremonial trappings that TM does and most of them discontinued meditating after the experiment. More of the TM people kept on meditating, because of their intense belief in it and the support from other group members. It is similar to the group dynamics and RESONANCE developed in most of the 12 step groups like AA.

This is important. It demonstrates the need for a sense of the dramatic in order for children (adults?) to persist in an activity that really doesn't seem to be doing anything. After all, to them, the entire process may seem absurd. This is why my health and human body unit is so useful. I have a scientific basis to explain the physiological reasons for meditation's effectiveness, but I don't have the emotional components that makes TM appealing to some.

Of course, cynics, some parents and children, will continue to believe the meditative process is a waste of time. For them it may be true. Even for them it will be a quiet time, maybe a relaxing, healing one. That makes it worthwhile.

Say to the children.

"Close your eyes, get as comfortable as you can, keep your back straight, place your hands on your lap, each time you breathe out say the word ONE. Only say it as you breathe out. (pause a few seconds) Now, so you won't disturb your neighbors, say ONE in your mind."

You need to feel the rhythm and watch the degree of individual involvement of the children. If they're doing well let them continue without interruption until they get fidgety. If they need further explanation or time, stop and talk to them. Repeat the process, but only let them meditate for a few minutes. Five minutes is a reasonable goal with ten minutes a day a worthwhile accomplishment. A few minutes twice a day is not as beneficial. A longer session probably brings deeper relaxation and has a greater effect on slowing down their metabolism and their daily mental, physical, and emotional rhythms.

Another easy and effective technique is counting. It is similar to ONE except they count up to twenty instead of repeating ONE. They begin with one, count to twenty, and then repeat the process. It seems to keep their minds more occupied to the task and they are less liable to drift from an ASC to an awake state. The concentration necessary enables them to avoid the ceaseless noises of their minds. Turning off or away from these noises is one of the major purposes of many types of meditations.

Saying "OM, UM," or any other humming type sound acts as a catalyst to alter their consciousness. This is a good one for the group or class to use together in a soft voice. They will begin to RESONATE and feel the energy growing until they lose their self consciousness and merge into a total group consciousness. We are all apart from but a part of humanity. This experience allows the child to feel both apart from and a part of in a simultaneous manner - enabling him to experience a unity-in-diversity.

You could, using various numerological systems, give each child a personal mantra. It has its advantages, because it personalizes the process, but since the TM court decision, you should be cautious, make certain that you are NOT teaching TM, but only using mantras as a technique.

When they have their own mantras, they may practice more at home. I had Christian children use Je-sus, Jewish use Mo-ses, Muslim use Al-lah for that practice. Any two syllable word or name will do such as Bil-ly, Nan-cy or even in-to or tig-er. They breath in on the first syllable, breath out on the second. Whatever word they use is only more useful for whatever else it means to them. For the process, its importance is how well it serves in taking their mind away from present reality.

Many children may benefit from having a small light placed in the center of the room. I had one that changed color depending upon the amount and kind of noise. They had fun getting it to stabilize to a blue. You could hear the proverbial pin drop. A candle is great, but it poses a fire hazard. With the lights off they can stare at the small light and either repeat a mantra or allow themselves to be drawn into the light and then drift.

After this you could have them visualize the light or a burning candle. As they breathe in they should see the flame moving towards them and as they exhale watch it move away. End the session by having them blow it out.

Many people use music to accompany their meditations. As an athlete and dancer I am movement oriented and have found that while I'm meditating with music I see visual images of my wife, dancers, and me moving. The focusing of attention, the effort to keep the images and make them come in clearer is a concentrative meditation practice.

One of the major pluses for meditation is to learn to focus attention and keep it for increasingly longer periods. This has been proven to transfer to other activities such as academics and sports.

Therefore, whatever helps the child to visualize more clearly and longer will give him practice that can be transferred to other subjects, skills, and sensory modalities. As the year progresses find what a child can concentrate upon most easily. In his mind one may build a motorcycle, another fly a glider, float in a pool, pile dominoes, or any repetitious activity that will keep his mind occupied without it flowing into other thoughts. Any of these that are effective for him will do.

This is not like the other main type of meditation where he watches the flow of his mental activity and lets it pass through. He is an observer of his kind of mentation. Concentrative meditation is a learned skill, but so is the other. He is aware of intrusions, but he must keep bringing himself back to the task at hand. The "back to basics" people should understand that meditation is a highly disciplined activity; it doesn't just happen.

The following very beautiful meditation has been used by me when no other one method seemed to work, especially with jaded adults. It is a Seneca Indian Meditation and was taken from a booklet published by the Human Dimensions Institute of Buffalo, New York. Incidentally, I am an atheist, but I have no trouble in leading anyone into the calm beauty of this experience.

Meditation -The Seneca Indian Way, Going Into Silence.

The American Indian discovered that wherever he went he could find a stone, He would select one of his choice, place it in the palm of his left hand with the right clasped on top. Holding the stone in this fashion created a union of forces within his hand. When this pulsating was felt the Indian believed he had raised himself into the vibral current of a higher spiritual level. The stone acted as a reminder that everything was of the same source: the spiritual brotherhood of all and everything.

The following procedure was also helpful in entering the SILENCE. It helped the Indian locate a place in his mind where peace and contentment lived.

Say, "You are walking in the woods. Your feet are plotting a path on the soft, spongy ground. The path is narrow and winds around the trees and bushes, so that, at times, you need to duck under the underlying branches. Through the clearing ahead lies a shimmering lake. The sun spreads a rainbow of colors across the rippling surface. Upon reaching the water's edge you stand quietly and listen to the lapping surf as it pushes the pebbles back and forth on the clean, warm sand. To the left is a log inviting you to sit upon its blanket of moss. You accept the invitation and settle down upon its cushioned softness, feeling it brush across your body. A breeze carrying the woodland aromas wafts across your hair and caresses your face. The trees are singing the songs of nature in harmony. The SILENCE majestically waves its magic spell as it gathers all nature within its fold. At last, the serenity of spiritual SILENCE flows into the fiber, drenching it with divine purity.

You listen and hear the SILENCE.

You listen and see the SILENCE.

You listen and smell the SILENCE.

You listen and taste the SILENCE.

You listen and feel the embrace of the SILENCE.

Peering through spiritual eyes you find the real you dwelling therein. While drifting along with the ebbing tide of spirituality you and nature become one - together plucking those tender moments of intimate reunion with the Supreme Power, the Great Spirit.The Great Spirit, Divine Supreme,Maker of all and everything,The Great Spirit, The Eternal Mind Whose thoughts flow everlasting,The Great Spirit, The Master Designer. Arranger of patterns of all and everything."

It should be read quietly with emotion. Copies can be given to those who wish to memorize it, or parts of it to get them into a deeply moving experience.You may wonder whether children get anything from such a meditation.

I have taught and discussed facets of Kahlil Gibran's, "The Prophet" with young children and have been pleased by their sensitivity and understanding. Of course, their depth is not an adult's, but I believe the training is useful for developing greater depth within themselves. After all, religious training begins when their spirituality and sensitivity are unformed, so why shouldn't teachers try to teach them universal values and beauty? In our society, these are secular; thus you are not indoctrinating nor advocating one religion or another.

As an atheist no one can accuse me of trying to promote any religion or religion in general. Meditation is a process based on centuries of both religious and secular experiences and validated by recent scientific investigations. As a teacher I have seen its value, especially in a high stress culture like ours. After the children have had some practice in meditation you may wish to copy and give them the following.

How to Meditate

Plan to meditate either one hour after meals or two hours before.

Choose a quiet room and insure NO interruptions.

Meditate seated in front of a green plant, flowers, or a natural object that is pleasing to you.

Face away from any direct light. Preferably meditate in a darkened room in a soft light.

Sit on a chair or on the floor in an easy, comfortable position. If Yogi positions are comfortable, use one. If not, just get as comfortable as you can.

If you begin to get uncomfortable, shift position, scratch, or yawn. It is important that you are COMFORTABLE or you will easily get distracted.

Follow the instructions given for the specific type of meditation you are using. If interrupted, move slowly, yawn, stretch, then try to return to the meditation as soon as possible.

Time yourself by occasionally squinting at a clock. Don't open your eyes wide as that tends to bring you out of your concentration.

After finishing your meditation, remain seated for a few minutes with your eyes closed. Let your mind return to everyday thoughts. Open your eyes very slowly.

If you use a MANTRA select one that you like. Don't use one that is upsetting to you in any way. It should give you a peaceful feeling while you are repeating it. Say it out loud when you begin your meditation as it is easier to concentrate that way. Keep saying it more softly until you are repeating it only in your mind. .

Don't force the meditation, let it carry you along. Whatever thoughts come, let them pass through your mind like a melody. Make room for the next melody. Use the mantra, flower, candle, or whatever to get you started, but then let the streams of thoughts and ideas pass like a gently flowing brook. Appreciate each part of the brook, but remember you cannot hang on to it.

All of the above are helpful, but any of them can be altered to help you to get into and experience meaningful meditations.

Teacher. If you are instructing adults, then remind them that in concentrative meditation they may WANT to hang onto a thought, idea, or mantra because they are training for higher spiritual goals. The same holds true if you want to try it with children. Whenever they are attempting to hold any kind of image they are involved in a form of this self-discipline.

Remind your students that these are GUIDES and they can modify the directions in whatever form works for them. Some of the instructions such as the specific time to meditate or the total isolation may be impossible for them in their situations. Encourage them to do their best - period.

*DANGERS of Meditation*

Even the best things have negative possibilities, meditation is no exception.

For the seriously mentally ill, the retreat from formal external reality may be a strong seducer. It may tempt him to try to escape totally. If you are uncertain about a child, it would be advisable to ask for help or watch him closely and monitor his experiences.

For all the children it would be well for each to have a guardian angel. (I know this does not sound like an atheist, but I am aware of how most humans need help in strange or frightening settings.) A saint, a talisman, a mandala, some being, person, God, or object that is a protector against a bad experience. I know the Western mind finds this difficult to believe, but thousands of years of Eastern practices should make us cautious and respectful of their knowledge. I will play it their way!

I protect myself with white spears of light (shut up Sigmund Freud) and I house the children under a visualization of a golden pyramid. It may sound silly, but I've known adult meditators to have experiences that scared them witless \- I've had a few.

However, since I've begun to stress the PROTECTOR no one has had a bad experience. Often people see or hear things that they have trouble handling, but their "protectors" step in and get them out of the situation. I believe it comes from them, but I don't care what the real cause is as long as the person feels protected.

Serious meditators may wish to seek a human spiritual guide or teacher to help them in their personal spiritual quest. It's better to respect these powers that we Westerners don't understand rather than be hurt or let others be hurt by our ignorance or arrogance. So, if I sound foolish and unscientific, so be it. Somehow, people feel safer and function better with a "protector." We humans are weak, dependent, and vulnerable. We need all the help we can get. "Take it, it's free!"

Although no child that I taught ever had a "bad" experience during meditations, I must admit that many of them have not had very significant ones. Most children do seem to have derived some of the following: reduced anxiety; improved academic learning; improved accuracy of percepts; increased energy and reduced need for sleep; increased mental health; reduced blood pressure; reduced dependence on drugs; and decreased hostility. My statistics and parents comments are my "proofs."

My own experiences and intuition tell me that I have only begun to probe the useful possibilities that meditation can bring to children.

Personal Experience.

During the 1978 school year I had a confrontation with my school district concerning some of these transpersonal processes. There were several people in positions of power who viewed the meditative experiences as potentially dangerous to children. Although I was never given the reasons for their fears or concerns, legal repercussions and fear of "possible" parent complaints seemed to be the critical ones.

Therefore, to appease them, to compromise, I called my meditation "Relaxation Training" and have emphasized that aspect of it. The parents have been and are thrilled and pleased with what my program has done and does for their children. And, as long as they have the right to easily remove their children from my class without any penalties to their children, then I believe that those who leave their children with me deserve the best I can give, especially since I'm not violating any law or teaching any religion.

Spiritual Meditation

I've discussed reality, now I'd like to think in terms of "possibilities."

Meditation, done properly over a period of months should take the children beyond mere relaxation. If they were informed of the possibilities and values of spiritual meditation they would probably begin to have spiritual experiences. Of course it might be your suggestions and influence that would make them believe they were having spiritual experiences when all they were doing was "fantasizing" what you asked them to do or told them what COULD happen. However, if their behavior, ethics, and morals improved from it, then wouldn't you say it was worthwhile?

I realize that children are unformed and developing entities, especially spiritually, but it has been my experience and observation that children's abilities in general have been persistently underestimated by the majority of professional psychologists and educators.

There are many meditative experiences like that of the Seneca Indian that can be found in books, pamphlets, and tracts from religions or books on meditation. If you need to justify their use, I think the goals of multicultural education are a reasonable umbrella. It fits into our Constitutional guarantee of cultural or religious pluralism.

We are a pluralistic society and need to be conscious of both differences and similarities. Through meditation we are encouraging this useful pluralism which tallies with the nature of our social reality. In the process the children realize that all religions use some type of practice, often meditation, to help the believers reach an ASC. In this state they reach towards HIGHER states of awareness to contact their version of God.

Why not teach the common denominators, the basic approaches that lead to these experiences? These would be in classes like Mureen Murdock's and mine in which the parents of the children have the opportunity to participate or to say no to their children's involvement. Like with ours the results would speak for themselves and quiet those who are afraid of negative repercussions.

In one experiment in which many college students meditated over a period of several months it was noted that in that community there was a noticeable decrease in crime. Not a "proof" because of so many other variable that were not considered, but it is thought-provoking.

If my basic premise about RESONANCE is correct, then people who are communicating or Resonating on a higher spiritual plane would cause others to Resonate towards more of the same positive human traits. There should be enough open-minded parents in any school who would be willing to allow you to encourage and develop their children reaching towards higher ethical-moral lives.

*WARNING* There will be some who will object. Begin with relaxation training and build your own support group, then venture into meditation if you have a sufficient following. The opposition will always be vocal and TENACIOUS. If you have any dogma, it should be that you are not teaching a religion, but about religions. This will undermine your detractors, but not silence or eliminate them. You certainly need the support of your on-site administrator. If he is against meditation, he can harass you out of your mind.

# MEDITATION and RESONANCE.

These are my basic assumptions. There are powers that go far beyond our wildest imaginations. These powers like gravity are invisible, but like gravity, their effects are manifested in ways that can be apprehended by our senses. It is impossible for finite entities like us, to grasp the Infinite, no matter how well we seem to elucidate cognitively.

Since our Western Scientific tradition has enthroned Nature because we believe it can be measured and seen and it has dethroned God because he (she, it) cannot, we have excluded from our paradigm the enormous powers and mysteries such a concept like God stands for.

This has brought us to the point where, using Abraham Maslow's hierarchy, we are able to satisfy all our basic human needs, but when it comes to real love, unselfish self-actualization, and transcendence, we are lost! We are lost because the scientific paradigm cannot deal with these insubstantial, but real phenomena, so we act as if the things we cannot explain do not exist. At this point we need something that goes far beyond our puny selves, we need God, Allah, the Over-Soul, the Great One, Great Spirit, Unity-in-Diversity, or whatever we call it or conceptualized that allows us to admit our frailties and lose our SELVES in ITS powers - merging with it while still maintaining our own unassailable uniqueness.

This is not a position I have arrived at or accepted easily. I have maintained a scientific attitude and have tried to be a scientific researcher in the classroom and in my personal life. But authoritarianism in science or religion IS unscientific, as is the refusal to examine new evidence despite its poor "fit" with what is "known." Two crises in my life seven years apart, both happenings in which I lost almost all control over my life, were the catalysts that brought me to my inner core. They helped me overcome my refusal to "look stupid" to other social scientists and to myself.

I was already acting incredibly stupid. I can see that I have many choices and have powers over much of my life, but there are MANY areas in which my own powers are limited or completely absent, whereas before I thought I was in total control. Many scientists and unsophisticated people have also deluded themselves about their actual powers. They will not change until something drastic or dramatic occurs in their lives to force them to reexamine their values and the paradigm that guides their lives.

So, I am addressing this to those of you, for whatever reasons, are ready to expand your consciousness - both as a teacher and as a total person. You are frail, weak, you are human, but through meditation you can link up to connect yourself with, be energized by, powers greater than yours.

It is similar to finding the right channel on your radio. You have to turn it on to know what's available. Just an imperceptible difference in touch makes an enormous difference in the quality of the sound you receive. Just a slight difference in your breathing,your harmonics, your rhythms will make a great difference in how you Resonate to these higher powers and energies.

Your attitude is, I believe, more important than your physical position. The positions, like the mantras,come from traditional practices. They came from the successful experiences of the earliest experimenters. They believed that they had found THE way. Any one of them, if you apply yourself, will help you to Resonate at some harmonic to reach these higher powers within yourself.

You need to read more about the various types of meditations until you find the one or ones best suited for you. And reading alone is not the answer, it is the experiences that count. What works for me may not for you and vice-versa.

And, there are the real dangers I mentioned. There are those from the process itself. There are dangers from those students who are afraid, but misinformed and from the parents and administrators who are ignorant of the uses and abuses of meditation. There are legal dangers that could even threaten your job.If you're not prepared, stick to the safer relaxation training. It will help the children and give them a firm basis for spiritual meditation later in their lives.

Humans have a rich heritage of ways to communicate with, to RESONATE with, Nature. They ALL work. Once you have connected yourself with them you will increase your own powers until you will have the strength and courage to help children become kinder, more ethical, even more spiritual beings.

# SENSORY REAWAKENING

In preschool, kindergarten, in some first and second grades, children are given the opportunities to express the maturing of their senses by touching, tasting, smelling, hearing, and seeing experiences. However, for most children, the accountability thrust has meant an increasingly earlier focus on the use of the eyes and linear learning at the neglect of the other senses. This emphasis has made educators and the general public believe that the other senses and modes of learning are NOT as important, are inferior, are frills - that they are not part of education.

The Humanistic psychologists and educators have seen that the visual approach alone does not allow the children to realize many of their potentials. Many teachers spend a minimum of one and a half hours daily in reading. They believe it is important so they allot this time for it. They assume that it is time spent in reading, but the children know otherwise. The children are subverting the process by secretly spending much of the time in verbal and nonverbal social communication.

I have found that by spending three-quarters of an hour on reading and allowing them to have "earned time" when they complete their assignments that they work more efficiently, socialize with my blessing, and can then experiment with right-brained activities usually considered frills.

I approach all the basics this way. It gives me more time to spend on art, music, physical ed, drama, and the transpersonal processes. The child who learns to hit a ball, draw a picture, or sing in public gains in his total abilities and increases his self-confidence. He is more willing to try and does better in the basics. He is easier to control and is less of a discipline problem. The child who can keep time with a rhythm instrument feels part of the group and is less apt to disrupt it. All these activities necessitate an awakening, an awareness of the senses that are sadly neglected.

The desperate search for knowledge, mostly for self-knowledge, pursued by millions of Americans is not towards greater literacy, but in the neglected areas of the senses. Possibly our sexual hedonism is a natural reaction of a body and brain towards some sort of equilibrium to balance our visual linear obesity.

We have enough information from psychologists and neurophysiologists such as Robert Ornstein and Karl Pribram to prove that if educators focused on sensory activities the visual-linear would also develop. Therefore, the natural development of the sensory functions needs to be continued throughout school.

The fantasies are not meant to be substitutes for sensory activities. They are one method of awakening the senses jaded by movies and TV. During a guided fantasy, when my son opened his eyes and first saw a rose instead of his hand he couldn't believe it. When the children warm their hands and their partners FEEL the difference they are impressed. When a girl went to the dentist and completely controlled all her pain without anesthetic her mother and the dentist were impressed (so was I). When one of my students, in a batting slump, saw the ball much larger like he had in his fantasy, he hit it.

The fantasies with complementary real experiences increases the child's ability to utilize his dormant senses. He could learn to see the way that the shaman, Don Juan, taught Carlos Castenada. It enables him to see beyond the common reality that he usually perceives. It would enable him to break through the bounds of his "functional fixedness," his culturally imposed ways, and create many other worlds and ways to solve problems.

The information that our brains are constantly receiving, storing, analyzing, and synthesizing are initially perceived by one or more sense cells or organs. If these input receptors are unused or underdeveloped they are in a virtual state of atrophy. Children are steadily and insidiously taught to neglect or ignore as unreliable the messages they get from their bodies. Eventually the messages get dimmer as repression gets stronger and then the messages become truly unreliable.

It begins in infancy. From observations from many hospital studies it appears that infants probably hear and see more than they have been given credit. However, their main learning modes are tactual and kinesthetic. It doesn't take children or infants long to learn that the two most useful modalities are vision and hearing. It must be cultural, not genetic, because more of the cortex is devoted to touch than to vision or hearing. As most teachers lament, hearing goes next, leaving learners largely visual.

It's logical, one way of organizing reality, to assume that since the brain connections increase only by stimulation that our narrowing of sensory focus does not allow for maximum growth. Children are trained to be sensory idiots. Maybe that's why they seek excitement in drugs and sex. It may explain why the longer they are in school the less intelligent they appear. They're really not less intelligent, but if you believe in standardized tests, their scores get lower as they progress through school.

Teachers' energies are counter-productive. To be able to read the children need to be total reacting, interacting, and synthesizing beings. They need to have access to all of their senses not a small portion of their visual apparatus. The more they have experienced the easier it is to process the abstractions and symbols of learning. The better readers usually have been exposed to more experiences and more vivid ones.

Teachers often stress one approach that utilizes one sensory mode (phonics or sight methods) rather than training other senses. A child who is more auditory dominant with a visual-sight teacher, will fail, unless he's given phonics or psycholinguistics as a support system.

If the teacher is wedded to one approach he is teaching to the nonexistent average child. The real children are not properly stimulated and get lost, confused, and discouraged. Roger Williams, a biochemist, waged a one man war to gain recognition of the enormous differences between each of us. He tried to get the medical and psychological professions to realize these differences because he feels they are the cause of so much misdiagnosis and consequent erroneous prescriptions and treatments. The same holds true for education.

Teachers are woefully unaware of individual physiological differences. Those who are aware often feel helpless in meeting their needs because of the pressures of standardized testing and curriculum.

If this idea, of his uniqueness, was truly understood by each child he wouldn't need to prove it through neurotic means. Teachers could work on making him aware that he is also part of a larger group and must compromise, at times even subjugate, his needs for the group (and him) to survive.

I titled this section Sensory Reawakening because each child's senses were awakening and developing in utero. From birth on parents, social, and cultural customs, habits, and prejudices more often dull than stimulate sensory growth. Therefore. they need to be re-awakened!

Dr. Roger Williams would say that the nutrition the mother puts into her body affects the child's individuality. Each child is, at the moment of conception. a unique genetic bundle of possibilities. As he develops. these possibilities are either enhanced or diminished. If he has a tendency towards poor digestion of certain kinds of proteins because of an enzyme deficiency and these proteins are the mainstay of his diet he may gradually become malnourished even though he is eating the same food his siblings are flourishing on. I'm not talking about obvious malformations or malfunctions, but those unobservable differences that are laughingly called normal limits.

These limits between people are unbelievable. In Williams' books he gives many examples of the gross differences between NORMALS. Livers may vary fourfold in size. Large intestines may look like the textbook models or may be almost S-shaped or look like a poorly tied knot. In blood samples not one of the subjects had blood chemistry exactly like any other normal person nor were each one's samples the same from time to time .

I'm explaining this because teachers need to realize how truly unique each child is. Teaching to meet these differences is so mind-boggling that they focus on the mythical average child and end up reaching no one.

Sensory awakening activities stimulate their total growth and make the differences even greater. However, I do not worry about fitting the children into a mold. That is based on the deficit model. In this model it is necessary to teach them everything so that they can catch up with each other. Rather I start with the idea that they are all very different and in no way can I make them equal. I want to bring activities and experiences to them so they can grow in myriad ways. This way I don't feel like a constant failure if they don't live up to some unwarranted expectancies and I can be pleased, as they are, as they grow from their learning.

So, whatever the physiological reasons for a child's inability to sit still, when I found things that interested him and I started from there, I managed to increase the amount of time he could concentrate until he was able to do most of his work and without the crutch of Ritalin.

By talking about individual differences the children could more easily understand why I swatted Tom, but not Bill, for fighting. They knew I didn't expect them all to run their laps as fast as Joe, but that I expected to see IMPROVEMENT and EFFORT from their first attempt on. All children want to do well. I merely help them realistically appraise their abilities and find some they didn't know they possessed as well as find ways to improve the ones they recognize.

They knock themselves out. Consequently, despite their real differences, they generally come up to or go beyond the mythical grade level averages.

By accepting the concept of GREAT individual differences I can take them through an experience, teach an academic concept or fact to them as a GROUP and during the feedback of correcting papers or talking to them I can discover the things I did or said that prevented proper communication to that INDIVIDUAL. This is the IDEAL and I NEVER reach this level. It saves the time I used to spend trying to reach EACH individual and use it to better understand where either I or the child went wrong.

The practice of teaching large groups originated from the economic and political necessity of teaching many. Individualization came from our national ideal of individual worth and growth. I feel that I've made a meaningful compromise. I don't reach each child every time, but then I didn't even when I had individualized EVERYTHING and nearly drove myself into a padded cell.

The sensory activities that follow are group activities, but each child will respond differently and will not get the same results from each presentation. No matter what level he's on he will derive some benefit from the experiences. I have emphasized touch because it's the most neglected and possibly the most important for a growing child, especially emotionally. I have given you only a taste because there are many books written by experts in these areas that are easily accessible. I hope to convince you of the importance and validity of these ideas, but if I haven't then please research them on your own because your class deserves your very best. If you are not giving them any of these, they'll suffer later in life as well as now.

After each exercise take time for feedback. This is when you will learn about their differences and be able to modify the next exercise in the most appropriate ways for your class.

Many of the exercises seem almost too simple. They are. Maybe you think children don't need them or they will be bored to death. In my experience their age, sex, race, religion, etc. have not made any difference, they all enjoyed them. You are awakening sleeping senses. These appear to stimulate the total brain and the total improvement, not just the targeted sense.

Sight.

The easiest way to get them to appreciate their sight is to deprive them of it. The famous trust walk in which one child is blindfolded and another child leads him around the school is an excellent experience. It is difficult to make a proper blindfold. If he can see through it or under it, it defeats the purpose which is to create a sense of helplessness. Ping pong balls, cut in half, then taped at the edges and a blindfold added are the best. I've used black paper and added a blindfold. Make certain the blindfold is long enough so it doesn't slip off. You must watch who's leading whom or some smart-aleck will lead a friend into a pole (it happened) or neglect to tell him about a step (it happened). Your purpose is to make them aware of their dependency on their sight. It is fun, but be serious too.

I start them off in the classroom and have them practice giving and receiving directions. It's useful for them to practice giving clear directions without touching their partners. The different textures on the bottom of their feet are emphasized as they move outside. The sense of isolation, their difficulty in maintaining balance, and the confusion of their sense of direction are brought to their attention. Leave the blindfolds on until they begin to feel uncomfortable and the funny aspects dissipates. It is at this point that their vision becomes acutely meaningful. When the appreciation of their sight has been forcefully brought to their attention you can begin to give them exercises in " seeing."

Rocks, sticks, leaves, anything that can be brought into the room in large numbers, but with each item different will do. Group the children in sixes or sevens. Each child picks out one of the items, or brings one in, and tells the others what makes his unique. To do this he must take the time to examine it in many ways. They find that even things that seem to look alike exactly have many unique identifying characteristics.

Take them anywhere for a walk and as they are walking ask them how many different kinds of things they can see. After the exercise and feedback discussion, do it again and see how perceptive they are. Ask them what they see on the way to school, while riding in a car, etc. Ask them to organize things by color, size, shape, and use.

All these activities are to make them more aware and train their visual sense. While you are involved in these will be a good time to discuss vision and proper eye care.

These transfer to academics nicely.

Hearing.

It is much more difficult to set up a deprivation experience for hearing in an inexpensive, but meaningful way. Cotton in their ears, tape, hats and such eliminate many sounds, but in no way do they compare with being deaf. It is easier to train them to use their ears more efficiently.

Start with simple exercises such as dropping various objects and having them guess what they are. Graduate to having them discriminate various tones, melodies, and rhythms while their eyes are closed. Encourage them to listen to sounds in the classroom, the school, in different rooms in their homes, in their neighborhoods, and while walking, running, or riding. They can even focus on the sounds in their heads and bodies while they're daydreaming, in a guided fantasy, or meditation.

It's important while you're encouraging this experimentation to make certain that they have plenty of time to share their experiences.

One purpose of sensory reawakening is to make them aware of how much information is always around them and how their brain functions as a selector that reacts only to a small band of it. It selects ordinary reality.

You are giving them techniques to develop awareness of their sensory potentials. When they become aware of how and what they select they will be able to solve more kinds of problems.

Smell-Taste.

Since these two work together they will be treated as one.

One of the reasons for malnutrition and poor dietary habits is the finicky taste of many children. They are used to junk food, sweets, and hamburgers. Vegetables, various breads, herbs, and spices are foreign and distasteful to them.

*Note* Some tastes are not socially or culturally trained, but based on subtle differences in brain or body chemistry. Therefore, although I am encouraging you to expose children to a wide variety of tastes and odors to widen their choices, don't assume a child's dislike of a food or taste is always an example of ignorance or cultural bias. He may truly find it chemically unpleasant or may be allergic to it.

This does not mean that you throw out a tasting program, rather you gently insist on them tasting small portions, but don't force things on them after they've tried and responded negatively. Let the parents know what you're trying to do because they often know what foods are potentially harmful to their children. Remember about biochemical individuality and allergic reactions!

Getting the parents and other teachers involved will get you more resources of things to taste or smell. These should not be attempts to trick or test them, but rather an exposure to a wide range of tastes and smells as an adventure in exploring the sensations and images each brings. Repeating some periodically will surprise the children as they appreciate them more.

In one lab experiment I was given a kiwi. We had our eyes closed because several of us had never seen one. (This was 1974.) The leader took us through a slow exploration of the texture, smell, and feel and it was a delightful experience. At the same conference another leader led us through a dinner in which we were fed and later fed another person. (With your lover this can be a delightfully sensual experience.) It was surprising how different the food tasted when our eyes were closed. We were much more aware of the texture, flavor, consistency, warmth, and various combinations. Eyes closed or open tasting can be exciting. Food has tasted better since.

Touch.

The group of exercises to encourage touching are all good and useful and include the following which are good starters. The class or groups of any size can do these. These can easily disintegrate into massive silliness and even dangerous behavior.

I say in the beginning.

"You're going to have a lot of fun with these activities, but there's always someone who gets carried away and uses these as an excuse to hurt others. The MOMENT any one of you hurt another, you will be IMMEDIATELY removed from the activity!" I give no second chances (until the next session) and I do not accept the, "It was an accident" or "I'm sorry" or "I won't do it again" excuses. If you cannot control your class during regular activities, don't try these.

Have them sit on the floor with their arms linked. At your direction they slowly rock to the left, the right, back and forth. They should have their eyes closed and you can have them chanting some nonsense or meaningful sounds to add vitality to the rhythmic patterns.

Have them stand. Again moving to the left, right, etc. Various simple dance steps can be added and even musical accompaniment. It can be done silently, with chants, singing, dancing, or any combinations. Let them come up with their own ideas by each taking a turn as the director.

Everyone on the floor on their stomach. Let them crawl over each other without using their legs. Break up into small groups of five or more. One member lies on the floor, the others slapping gently, stroking, or tapping on his body.

Lifting.

Group around one person symmetrically with the same number on each side. Depending on his size and weight they lift him up and over their heads. More people for larger persons. Once he is up, very gently move him forward and backward or side to side. It is a wondrous feeling of trust and affection. However, do one group at a time to supervise it. One woman told about being dropped as they walked with her. It turned an exciting experience into a trauma.

With young children you can modify it by not lifting them over their heads, but merely lifting him up to their waists while they are on their knees and then do the rocking. Everyone loves being held.

You need to be next to them to avoid any problems.

Flying.

This is another experience children love. It must also be CAREFULLY supervised. Four or five rows of children, four abreast sit on the floor, mat, or grass with their arms bent at the elbows and their palms up. They wait as a child takes a short run and leaps into the group using a swan dive. He must keep his knees straight and legs together. The catchers must stay close together and keep their hands up like pistons. I've had a few children dodge the flyer and he plunged to ground. Fortunately, I used tumbling mats and no one was hurt. This is a popular activity and as long as you take proper safety precautions you will enjoy it too. A modification is the child taking two steps and flopping on outstretched arms.

*I tell them "NONE of these are to be done without me!"

There are many more activities, but these will get you started. They will prepare you for the one activity that I believe is best to break down many kinds of personality barriers - massage.

Massage.

In my first adult class dealing with touching techniques I used massage as an afterthought. The students,age twenty-two to seventy-three, men and women, stated it was physiologically and psychologically the most helpful part of the mini-course. Since then others have said the same thing.

Children as well as adults are fearful and reticent about touching. Hitting is the children's compromise with this basic human need. In school they are constantly told to keep their hands to themselves. Adults in a crowd or walking are careful not to impose upon the small spaces around their bodies that they consider their own. (Some adults and children extend their spaces to intrude upon others' spaces and this is the cause of many problems.) The normal timidity and fear of touching is harmful to the full development of the individual.

Babies in orphanage hospitals that were not handled developed many illnesses, some leading to death. Neglect of skin stimulation causes the development of physical and psychological problems that could last a lifetime. Some of the most difficult to reach mental patients are those who were not touched affectionately or often enough as children. They are cold, distant, and unresponsive.

Our sexual revolution has seemed like a sexual revulsion because of the excesses as the pendulum moved from rigidity to anything goes. By training the children during infancy and their elementary years that their bodies are beautiful (or at least acceptable to touch) they will be less apt to explore one another in confusion, hostility, and fear when the chemical and psychological explosions of puberty assaults them.

I realize that some children trained to be unafraid of touching and being touched MAY become sexually precocious. They may be more responsive sexually throughout their lives, which I consider a positive effect. This does not mean that their experimentations would result in pregnancy, STD, or even casual kissing. It would depend on many more factors than the massage experiences. In conjunction with the total sensory approach I have found the opposite. Children who are unafraid of their bodies and minds and can say what they want and expect from others are more considerate and thoughtful people.

They do not USE one another (we talk about that). If or when they do, they can more easily see and admit it. Therefore, being healthier emotionally, they do not have the need to try to prove themselves through sexual acts that are premature. They are more satisfied being good friends with the opposite sex, because they are more interested in their social than sexual needs.

It is appropriate to have concern about early sexual experimentation, because the children could be emotionally and physically hurt. This is why I have such an extensive human body and health course. Part of it is directed in teaching them about the possible misuses of theirs and others' bodies.

I reiterate, my experience with hundreds of children is that the more knowledge they possess the less they seem to need to experiment sexually. However, there is no way I can relieve your fears if your own sexual fears and fears of touching cause you to see sex, massage, and pleasure as evil. (So, if this is true, then do not even begin massage.)

With my adult classes I request that they attend in couples. After massaging or being massaged most people want sleep, sex, or both.

Just as dyadic encounters lead people into ASC's and self awareness very quickly, massage brings people to a state of affection and mutual appreciation rapidly. They FEEL closer. They ARE closer. They want to be closer, more INTIMATE. If they are adults, consenting adults, what they do after they leave the class is their business. For most of the couples I hope they have increased feelings for one another and that this intensity is consummated in pleasurable and gratifying sexual relations.

Obviously I do not want the same result for my elementary children. They do not have the maturity to handle sexual relations (likewise for many adults), but then they also do not have the body CHEMISTRY to prompt them on. What provokes them into acts that they don't understand or feel is curiosity, peer pressure, parental sex behaviors, lack of parental affection, sexual abuse, and a poor moral-ethical base. Massage is not one of them.

If they do have sex it is seldom the result of the onset of puberty. It is a sad attempt at imitating role models that they know, maybe admire, and feel that they must emulate to achieve status in their group. If they are taught that they do not have to engage in sex, but that warmth and affection can be expressed by talking to and caring about a person of the opposite sex, then they will do that. Through massage they learn that touching, hugging, and being held is all that is necessary at their age and they are very satisfied with that.

I emphasize the importance of friendship and caring about others. I discuss with them how much pleasure they derive when their parents or relatives hug or touch them. Much love, affection, or friendship can be expressed without sexual intercourse. (Anyone who has been married very long can attest to that.) I explain that they may get many wonderful bits of information about one another through their skin and that it is not an evil thing, but an expression of caring. I point out how many of them enjoy holding hands or having their arms around their friends \- mostly with members of their own sex.

There is a lot of giggling and embarrassment, but it subsides. They even admit, reluctantly at first, that they enjoy being touched and touching others and do see it as a way to express friendship. When everyone, especially me as one role model touches them, they see it in a nonthreatening manner and are able to do it too. (There may be some who cannot handle this and they need to be doing something else. I have never had to do so, but I always have a parent meeting to explain exactly what I'm planning to do. Any parent who does not want his child involved can opt out of this - or any activity - or get a transfer to another class. I deal with the potential problem BEFORE it occurs.)

I encourage them to touch and massage their parents. Many do. (In many cases it has resulted in increased expressions of affection and nonsexual love between parents and children.) So far, the touching and massaging of their parents, the touching by me, and the massaging in the classroom seems to have satisfied most of their exploratory needs. You may think I'm naive, but in their personal journals they write their dreams, fantasies, and experiences. They are quite frank and graphic and tell many intimate details of their lives. They've mentioned some sexuality in their dreams, but none in real life.

Yet, some of the children may have had sex. Those that did probably would have done so whether they'd been exposed to massage. People who are against massage will use the possibility of sex as evidence of its dangers. These people don't need proper evidence; such innuendos are usually all that are necessary to frighten off a timid administrator.

In January 1980 massage was ordered out of my program. I was not told why. The parents from my class asked to reinstate it, because they were thrilled with it. I had a stack of letters explaining how massage had helped their child and their family relationships. I filed through the teachers' organization on the basis of infringement of academic freedom. I lost. By summer I had tried to get an answer from the Superintendent. I tried to speak to the School Board, but no one would discuss the issue with me. I did not used massage because if I had I could have been fired for insubordination! A few years later I again used it in a middle school at-risk program.

Why go through the hassle? If I can get the children to view the opposite sex as caring, friendly persons rather than bodies and minds to be exploited I could be giving them a basis for marriage that could change our present exploitive, manipulative system. Massage is a start.

I get permission from the parents to teach massage. For those children who are not allowed to do so, be certain you're not punitive. Give them something enjoyable to do during massage periods. Don't make them choose between their parents and you .

When the children engage in supervised massage they are in a positive frame of mind. It prepares them for academics. It eliminates many discipline problems before they occur. It's difficult to be mad at a person who has just given you pleasure and whose hands have said. "I like you." (Watch YOUR thoughts.)

When I begin massage, the idea of it causes giggling, embarrassment; sometimes outright defiance. "I'm not touching any girl!" or "I'm ticklish and nobody's gonna touch me!'

I say.

"I know many of you think this a stupid idea and I know you're afraid of being touched, but you are going to massage and be massaged. Here is why.

"First, it feels good and I do not want you to be afraid of the pleasures your body can give you (This statement freaks them out, but I mean it and they quickly calm down.) Also, it is not bad, but is healthy for you to be able to give another person physical and emotional pleasure.

"Second, someday you will love someone besides your family. You will be able to express your love more fully and completely. Equally important, you will be able to allow this person to express his/her love for you the same way. In the meantime, you can practice these techniques on your parents and family. (Their parents deeply appreciate the pleasant massages. It is excellent for public relations.)

"Third, the nerve endings for touch are throughout the skin in your body and are connected to a large portion of your brain. This area is important in much of your learning and interconnects with other senses and areas of your brain. Therefore, it makes you smarter.

"Fourth, many of your body aches and pains from playing will be relieved and your body will feel and function better. It is also a form of prevention, a way of maintaining your body in a state of good health.

"Fifth, when you give other children massages or they give you one, you are more friendly, more close to one another.

"Sixth, by massaging children of the opposite sex you will overcome your fears of each other and you will be able to be good friends without hitting or worrying about sex. Many adults cannot handle this. Hopefully your spouse will be your best friend as well as your lover."

This monolog with its subsequent honest and frank questions and answers would be impossible if I didn't have great rapport with the children AND their parents! I feel comfortable with these topics and am able to handle all of their questions. At the parents meeting that is so necessary you should have a clear idea of your goals and values or you will not defend your position well.

Self-Massage.

Hand and feet reflexology are based on the belief that your hands and feet nerve endings interconnect with all the muscles and organs of the body. Massaging specific areas, like in acupressure, are said to relieve pain, allow natural healing to occur, and to prevent many physical problems. This is not an issue. For my purposes self-massage is a way to encourage them to touch themselves without guilt. They find they can give themselves pleasure (if you're afraid this leads to masturbation, you're in the wrong century).

It is relaxing which decreases their ever present anxieties. It helps them appreciate their uniqueness. It gives them basic practice in the massage strokes. Knowing how it feels makes it easier to massage others.

Basic Massage Strokes.

Each child practices these on his right arm.

Stroking. Hold hands down cupping them to fit the contours of the body. Movements are directed towards the center to bring the blood to the heart. Keep pressure uniform and rhythmic or it continually brings the person out of his relaxed state. To help him relax do light stroking away from the heart. The blood is a helped through the veins and the lymph is pushed through the lymph system. The return stroke should be light and not painful. Done very lightly the person feels like he's leaving his body floating in space.

Compression. The purpose is to break up the pathological deposits. Kneading is one form of compression. Grasp the loose flesh or muscle between the thumb and fingers and allow it to slip between your fingers. Use slow, rhythmic movements and avoid pinching. For Rolling you move the muscles in a circular or linear manner. For Shrinking you compress the muscles into folds. Moving the muscles vigorously back and forth is called Shaking. Friction helps absorb fluids around the joints. Move the superficial tissues over the underlying tissues in circular, small movements. Sawing. Move your hands alternately as if you were sawing the person with two saws.

Percussion. It helps increase the circulation in the capillaries. For Hacking you use the side of your hands or relaxed fingers in a whipping motion. In Clapping the hands are placed in a concave fashion and moved rhythmically. When the fists are closed or half-closed it is called Beating. For Tapping only the fingertips are used. (These last techniques can lead to mayhem, so remind them about the difference between pleasure and pain. One pain is their removal from the activity.)

Specific physiological benefits reviewed.

Massage ALLEGEDLY does the following. It speeds up or enhances the circulation of blood. It causes changes in the blood as more oxygen increases the red blood cell and hemoglobin content. It helps lymph circulation because the lymph often stays or stagnates outside of vessels or nodes. It affects the muscles throughout the body by promoting recovery from fatigue ,helps heal injured muscles, and keeps muscles pliant and vitalized. It increases the body secretions and excretions such as increased efficiency of urination, rids the body of toxins and the waste products of fatigue, and may even break down and reduce fat tissues. It affects the nervous system by having a sedative effect often resulting in sleep or the elimination of pain.

The attention of the masseur, the pleasant sensations, the release of anxiety because something is being done to relax the body all have a positive psychological and physiological effects. Finally, the expansion of the capillaries, the increased nourishment of the glands and tissues enhances skin luster and beauty.

When you read different books you will find some disagreements about the alleged benefits, dangers, names of strokes, and other methodological questions. My rule of thumb is, no matter what system you use or whether ALL these benefits are true, massage is beneficial in many ways that promote better physical, mental, and emotional health.

Hand massage. The hand is used in greeting for touching in formal and informal circumstances so it is the least threatening aspect of the body to be touched. I usually start with this.

A facial is more intimate, but not to offensive to most people. Care must be taken around the eyes. A hostile, angry child might use this as an excuse to unconsciously hurt another by excessive pressure.

The head, neck, and shoulders are next with the upper back included by having them lean across their desks. This is not an ideal situation, but it works.

The feet are last. They tend to be the most ticklish area plus there are the problems of cleanliness and odors. If you have a sink and soap,then you might want to try it. Without a sink, forget it!

All the above can be done without carpets or mats while they are sitting. To get to deeper body massage which includes the legs and lower back, you need carpeting or mats. If you have either then deeper massages with one or more children massaging one child is a logical extension and much more relaxing.

Massaging the abdomen, chest, and pelvic areas are, I think, asking too much from most public schools. If children asked me why we don 't massage these areas (and they haven't yet) I would tell them that these areas have powerful sexual meaning and scare many people.

Not touching these areas is a compromise so you can derive most of the benefits from massage without having to fight every year with the anti-massage people. I've taught massage in three public schools with four different principals.

Some of the massage books that I've used I've modified to fit my needs and purposes and the available settings. I suggest that you read one or more of them to give you more specific directions on how to do the various strokes. I did not include them because they take up too much space. Anyway, you will learn best by getting massages and massaging some other lucky person rather than by book learning alone.

I like the exploratory approach. I think you and your children need to know the purposes, the basic strokes, some of the dangers or limitations, and the taboos. From there you should allow them to explore their feelings and thoughts. They need to find out what strokes are pleasant and which ones aren't for them. They will find that different people massage them differently and that people they massage will also feel differently. Not one child that I've taught has been hurt nor have I had ANY parental complaints from parents of children in my class!

I emphasize that they must respect their partners's wishes and to stay away from any cuts, bruises, or tender areas.

Ticklishness is a major problem. Strong suggestions before they start has helped. A few start giggling long before they are touched. For them additional suggestions helped.

Keep in mind what YOUR purposes are, communicate them to the children, parents, and administrators. Listen carefully to their concerns, fears, and desires and you will soon have a terrific program. I don't use massage daily, but alternate it with the other activities in this book.

Try massage on your spouse and friends. They will follow you anywhere and it'll motivate you to learn and experience more.

Resonance and Massage.

The most effective, pleasant, and rewarding massage occurs when the masseur(s) and the person being massaged are in RESONANCE. The rhythm of the massage is set by the masseur. The massaged gives him feedback by his sounds of pleasure, directions of harder, softer, slower, and/or peaceful quietness. The masseur can tell by his responses just how deeply the massaged is into the process. Almost like meditation, the massaged can leave ordinary reality and go into an ASC. One difference is that it is another person(s) that is taking him there. Therefore, the calmer, the happier, the more he wants to please, the easier it is for him to take the massaged into an ASC.

A brief meditation session before beginning will help a massage. I tell the student masseurs to watch the breathing patterns of the massaged and get in rhythm with them. This forces them to concentrate on the massaged and be sensitive and aware of his breathing. It is teaching them to be aware of feelings of others. The massage is a cybernetic loop. The masseur responds to the massaged who responds to the masseur and so on. It is done with verbal and nonverbal communication until the massaged enters an ASC.

Of course with children this process is MUCH more difficult to create. It doesn't just happen. It takes a great deal of effort on your part, especially in the beginning, much less as they learn the strokes and their discomfort and silliness subsides.

The most effective way is to direct all the masseurs simultaneously so that they are doing the same stroke in the same rhythm. You are like a coxswain leading a large crew.

For example. "We will do a gentle sawing. Starting from the shoulders down the back and up again. Ready? One-two. One-two. One-two."

This centers their attention on you, gives them a specific direction to follow and MULTIPLIES the RESONANCE. As the breathing patterns of the class form sympathetic harmonies of your pace, the massaged will more easily enter into ASC.

I must admit this is not commonplace with children, but I have managed to get an entire class RESONATING quietly and the children claimed to have "floated off." It happens easily with adults. The more your class has practice sessions the greater possibility of it happening.

When I have them do a two, four, or six on one person,then one of the masseurs is the leader. He sets the rhythm and decides the strokes, although I may still lead the group in this activity. The others watch him and follow his lead. Done properly the massaged gets into an ASC.

It also multiplies the possibility of one of the masseurs destroying the massaged one's concentration by his foolishness. Still, it's worth the risk. The vibrational patterns, the bodily rhythms that can get into synchronization makes this an exciting way to get them to lose their selves into a total gestalt. Children losing themselves this way are less likely to cause problems to others in their group. They all learn how to relax and they feel good towards and about their classmates.

# DREAMS and DREAMWORK

Everyone dreams many times every night, but not everyone can remember his dreams. In my adult classes there are always several people with strong defenses against remembering, but with children most will begin remembering within a week of intensive training.

The average person passes through five separate stages from the moment he gets into bed until he leaves it. As he gets comfortable he is in ordinary consciousness and is in good contact with reality (that is, if he is usually). He begins to daydream during which his thoughts lose their logic and cohesiveness, the thoughts seem to slip away. Before he drifts off to sleep he enters the hypnagogic state. A collage of people and events flash by and his brain wave patterns change.

His first stage of sleep is non-REM. He has muscle tone, regular heartbeat and breathing rates, and slow brain wave patterns. If he were awakened he'd recall simple, concrete thoughts.

The REM (rapid-eye-movement) sleep, usually occurring from three-quarters to an hour and a half after falling asleep, is characterized by loss of muscle tone, signs of sexual excitement, irregular respiration and heartbeat, desynchronized brain waves, and a flow of pictures called dreaming.

After the initial dream, usually five to ten minutes long, the REM states get longer each time with the last one, just before awakening lasting as long as forty-five minutes. These are just averages and there are wide ranges. (Almost nightly during the hypnagogic state I see colorful and interesting scenarios with great clarity and I enjoy them immensely.)

Some research indicates that the symbolic content, the problem being worked on usually is prompted by something(s) that happened that day and continues throughout the various dream stages in one form or another.

The final state, the hypnopompic, occurs as he returns to ordinary reality and is similar to the hypnagogic; there is no story, only images.

The physiological research on dreams has made a convincing case that the brain is never still, but is constantly making images and some of them are tied together in loosely coherent scenarios. I feel that the person tries to make sense from these loose formats because when he is awakened he is in ordinary reality. Making sense out of things is the method used in ordinary reality to deal with our sensory images and thoughts. He NEEDS to make his dream experiences understandable in a logical framework which he IMPOSES upon the memory fragments. Whatever he creates is a projection of his inner self so it is useful in understanding his fears, joys, wishes, and frustrations.

During REM sleep when the brain is in alpha it tends to create dream stories, whereas in the other states there are images, thoughts, feelings only - usually.

In most cases the theme that goes on throughout the night is fairly consistent although the symbols, metaphors and stories change. We owe a debt of gratitude to the hardy souls who have awakened night after night, year after year to record every dream. This is no longer a necessary step. The last dream before wakening is usually the longest of the night and the easiest to recall. Whatever problems surface at other times during the night will arise here. Calvin Hall suggests that a problem is not a problem unless it rears up in a series of dreams. Therefore, even if one or more dreams of the week are forgotten, the pattern can be seen.

Since it's more convenient for the average person to use the last dream, that's the one I focus my attention upon. I tell the children to remember that one. The remembering, once they're convinced that they do dream, is a separate problem.

I give them strong suggestions that they will fully remember their dreams. I do this after explaining something about the physiology and psychology of dreaming. I assure them that they will remember them more easily and completely as they practice the skill. And, like everything else some of them get faster and better results than others do.

If they're having trouble remembering their dreams place them in a fantasy. Have them see themselves in bed, having a dream. then waking and remembering it. You could have them lying in bed repeating that they will remember their dreams when they waken.

It's important that when they wake up that they lie still with their eyes closed and replay the dream in their minds. This is when the confusion of dreaming is forced into logical, ordinary reality. They go from dreaming, right-brained, to ordinary reality, left-brained. This is overly simplistic, but mostly true. It's been discovered that for many people any quick movement or opening of the eyes lets ordinary reality flood in with such force with such an onrush of stimulation that they completely forget their dreams. The pressures and thoughts of the day's responsibilities overwhelm their tenuous hold on the realities of the dream.

It's important that they have a pencil and paper by their beds so that right after they've rehearsed the dreams in their minds (with eyes closed) they can record the main characters, the scenes, and/or the actions in their dreams. If they can't or hate to write, then instead of, or in addition to writing they can tell their dreams to someone; this helps them retain them.

Remembering and recording dreams.

The Senoi, a people of Malaysia, have the children and wives share their dreams each morning with the men of the family. They do not interpret, but use the dream experiences to change their waking lives.

Of course, the transfer of a cultural custom from one society to another is usually unsuccessful because the conditions that caused it to develop are not the same in the second culture. There are many differences between our industrial nation and the Senoi's mountain village living conditions.

By anthropological reports they are an unusually mature people who deeply care for their children. Using dreamwork appears to be the major method they use to attain this maturity. The same applies to you and your classes. Dreamwork could decrease discipline problems noticeably as they grow more mature. As their teacher, the training you give in remembering, recording, and sharing their dreams will help their families become closer and more loving.

This will result in the children acting less hostile and more cooperatively, which makes your job easier. It helps eliminate or make less intense many of their personal problems which could have caused discipline problems. Of course, you are still going to have to deal with the negative effects of the neighborhoods, society, even other classes have on your children. Dreams will give you another tool to help them cope.

Create two dream communities, one at home, one at school.

Begin with a parents' meeting or send home specific instructions about dream work. Involve the parents by encouraging them to listen to their children's dreams each morning. (Recent research indicates that the BEST homework is having the parents listen to their children's "stories." These can be their dreams or about any facet of their day or retelling of TV, movies, or other stories they've heard.) If the parents shared theirs it would be better, but if they're defensive don't force the issue.

Tell the parents that they don't have to read Freud, Jung, or Perls to interpret the dreams, because it is NOT a process of dream interpretation, but rather one of changing dreams and the dreamers by the process of LISTENING to the dreamer.

The daily sharing literally forces the parents to listen intently to their children. (Children bitterly complain to me about their parents lack of interest in their lives.) Those that tell their dreams to their children help train them to become better listeners.

To the children the fact that their parents listen to them indicates that they do CARE about them. Naturally, if no one, cares, then they'll do anything, or nothing which is equally hostile, to get attention. When their parents, other children, and I listen to them regularly, much of their hostilities disappear. The more the parents listen to them, the quicker their behavior is modified. They are friendlier and more cooperative. Unfortunately, there is a transition period in which their behavior may become more impossible. If you and their parents weather it by understanding, though not accepting it, they usually move into more cooperative behavior. (Your colleagues may not be very supportive during this phase!)

Once you have the parents' support the children seem to remember their dreams more easily and completely. It shows in their Dream Diaries.

Simultaneously, since it's unrealistic to depend just on the parents, you form dream partnerships and small dream communities in class.

The large dream community is the class. Sharing their dreams with everyone gives you the stage to explain the various dynamics of dreams or recording formats that will teach them how to use their dreams. It brings them all closer through sharing. The practice of sharing with a friend increases the depth of that friendship and reinforces whichever format you are using to record dreams. The small dream community can be of any size (I usually create groups of four to eight children) that allows them time to fully explain and explore their dreams with others who care about them - without taking so much class time. This small community develops leadership and gives the children connecting links with the dream ideas you're trying to teach.

When I have other communication exercises during the week I speed up the dream recall process by having the class close their eyes and remember the dream in the style or format they will use that day. After a few minutes of writing it mentally, then they write it in their dream diaries. These diaries are visible evidence of what's going on their lives. These recordings give you a constant link to their hopes, ideals, frustrations, and changing self-concepts. They can also be used to prove the accuracy of your claims that they are making significant psychological changes.

There are several recording formats you can follow, I use them all at different times.

Ann Faraday.

She advocates uslng dream characters, sequence, location, feeling, theme, previous day's activities, symbols, and meaning. The following is from an eleven year old, sixth grade girl. I used her "original" spelling and grammar taken from her dream diary.

Characters -me, witches

Location -my room

Feeling- strange

Theme -the witches night

Symbols -magic, misterious, magical, strange, wonderful

Meaning- I wish I were magic .

I dreamed that once every ten years it was witches night. And all the witches that didn't know they were so that night while I was asleep three witches flew in my wIndow and stood by my bed. There names were Broomhilda, Broohilda, and Tela. There were sapossed to be my gardions. They woke me up and told me I was a witch . I didn't believe them and they told me to try it out .So I did I lifted up a lamp. Then I woke up.

Same child, different dream.

Characters -me, Pat L.

Feeling- weird

Theme -strange things

Symbols -strange, weird, wonderful

Meaning- I like Pat L.

I dreamed that I had a little sister and so did Pat. They were both on the same team . Me and Pat always sat besides each other and whenever we did our team would always win.

Another child, same class, ten years old.

Characters -team

Sequence -innings in the game

Location -East Baseline

Feeling -happy

Theme -game

Previous day's activities -hurt my thumb

Symbols -

Meaning -play the game

One day, July 7, 1976 I had a game at 5:30. But my thumb hurt I didn't know if I was going to play or not but I did. So I pitched and did well. I did well in bating to. WE won and Mr. J toke us to dairy Queen. Score l0-0.

Hart and Corrierre.

In their book they emphasize Role (how you act and move), Feeling (what you experience in the dream) , Expression (how you talk and let your feelings out), and Clarity ( how clear, vivid, and easy it is to follow the dream story and how aware you are in the dream).

This is a good format in bringing out these facets of dreaming. However, these are arbitrary boundaries that have confused my adult students, the children, and me. I have trouble making clear delineations between the four groupings. I don't belabor the points, but explain that they are ways to report and record what was seen and felt in the dreams. In fairness to the authors I only read their book and didn't attend their workshop, so I may have misunderstood their meanings.

Child was an eleven year old boy.

Role -standing. walking, talking

Expression -mad, surprised. happy.

Feeling- mad. unhappy, then happy

Clarity -clear

I dreamed I was at school. It was lunch time. Our class was super late. We knew were wen' tgoing to get chocolate milk. Finally, it was our turn. And we DID get chocolate milk. Then we found out that the whole school go it.

I have not done justice to this method, but my point is that there are many ways to deal with dreams. The more you try, you will find one or more that captures your imagination and you can use. The same holds true for the children. They find the one best suited for them.

# SUMMARIES.

Summaries should be easy for teachers. It reinforces valuable reading and writing skills most teachers use. It encourages children to see their dreams as exciting adventure stories which they imaginatively create each night like writers create their stories. It gives them a sense of their creative powers and so they look forward to their dreams.

This is a typical boy's dream during football season. (unedited)

Bobby's team and my team went to the Rose Bowl. We had been playing for half an hour. The score was 24 to 24 we were on our own 20 yard line. we were going for it on the last down. The play was two end in the end zone.There was just two seconds left to threw a bullet to Shane. Shane went for it and so did Frank. They both fumbled it went high in the air I ran over and caught the ball. We won.

Burke's Pentad.

I have developed a technique that borrows from the others mentioned plus Burke's Pentad Model. Kenneth Burke was a literary critic and philosopher. The dream is divided into three main acts.

Act I relates the events of the previous day that lead naturally into Act II.

Act II is the dream. This is subdivided into the Pentad's five parts. Agents are the WHO of the dream, the characters, actors. Scene is the WHERE and WHEN, the location and time. Agencies are the instruments, the tools, the HOW that the Agents used in achieving their ends. The Acts are the actual happenings, the WHAT of the dream. The Acts are further broken down into two or three scenarios so they can recognize the sequence and follow the flow.

The children and I have the most trouble with Agencies. The fifth part of the Pentad, the Purpose, the WHY, is not used as often because it gets us into interpretations. I believe there is a time and place for interpretation, but not until they have shown some facility for handling their dreams.

'm more concerned with their abilities to deal with the immediacy of their dreams. Incidentally, I use the Pentad to clarify and improve their general reading and writing abilities. Burke's books are difficult, but fascinating. He uses various combinations of the facets of the Pentad such as agent-agencies, act-agent, etc. to develop the many relationships that help in better understanding different authors' ideas.

Act III is now! They write what they wish could have happened next in the dream, but write it as if it were occurring. This is to help them realize that they are in control of their dreams (and life) events. What happened the previous day shows them the connection between what happened and how it affected their dreams. (It's surprising how many children - and adults - don't get the relation between cause and effect.) Act III tries to show them how they can relate to past events and change present attudes and future events.

This is a twelve year old girl who read at a twelfth grade level and was highly creative and outspoken. I have them title each dream because that forces them to generalize and conceptualize the main idea of the dream.

Washing Lunch Trays .

Act I -previous day. I was talking to the cafeteria lady, Ann, while she was washing dishes.

Act II

Agents -Janelle, Ann, me .

Agencies -trays

Scenes -school cafeteria, morning

Acts.- Ann washing trays. Janelle and I came along and started talking to Ann. Then she asked us to come in and we did.

Act III  
She is giving us ice cream.

Not all children organize their dreams as well or as quickly and easily as she did, but the form gives them plenty to think about. Once they realize that they have a say in their future, if only in make-believe, I inform them that now they will begin dreams. After all, if what happened in the previous day often effects or is the cause of their dreams why not program the event's dream and determine its outcome?

I have them write what they want to dream and then, as they are drifting off to sleep they fantasize it. Some do not write it down, but attempt the fantasy because they are adept at it. To their amazement they find that they can dream pretty much what they want. Naturally, some of the characters, and dialogues are not exactly the same, but they're enough to feel a sense of awe at their personal powers.

My daughter, Arrianne, after many years of work with dreams can dream what she wants. At twelve, she dreamed mostly about Barbra Streisand and her.

After these experiences when they come and tell me. "It wasn't my fault!" or "He started it!" or "He made me do it!" or "I was just..." I stop them and reply, "Why is it you can control your dreams and then you tell me you have no control over your life? Don't tell me that you are NOT responsible for your waking life!" (Sneaky?)

It doesn't eliminate those statements or the associated problems, but it does place the responsibilities for their actions on them. This does not mean that I expect them to automatically handle all their interpersonal problems, but it puts the problems into proper perspective and makes my interventions more meaningful. I admit that I don't always remember to use these concepts. Too often I explode in utter frustration, not behaving like the "expert" I'm supposed to be.

Lucid Dreaming.

You are now ready to take them into the most difficult phase, lucid dreaming. In a lucid dream, the dreamer is aware he is dreaming. With most people it is merely an informative experience and they are observers of their dreams while they're IN PROGRESS. It is active involvement. It extends their control and conscious awareness into their dreams. Life is complicated. Possibly it can be described as a series of problems with each solution only creating an entire new set of problems. People can never be problem free. The important thing is how they face them. Their characters are shaped and expressed under the constant stresses and demands of normal living.

Lucid dreaming will not solve all their problems, then or forever. However, each problem that arises in dreams has many alternative solutions. One is acceptance of those problems as insoluble and there are those. For the rest they all try various alternatives like they did in their fantasy experiences. They can then use the most satisfactory one.

Arrianne's twin brother, Eric, created his Sword of Fear. This is available to him at any time when he is dreaming. If his dream is nightmarish, like a shark or monster pursuing him, he can use his Sword to help him.

Once, when he was physically ill for two weeks, his Sword went limp during a dream and he woke up crying. (When he told me the dream we both cried.) I assured him that his impotence was the result of his physical exhaustion and emotional discouragement because he was getting to believe that he'd never get well. I reassured him that he would soon be well and strong again and to give his Sword a second chance. He went back to sleep and re dreamed the incident and this time his Sword was powerful. The next morning he was well.

Don Juan allegedly trained Carlos Castenada to be aware of his hand as an entry into lucid dreaming. He gave him what seemed like strong hypnotic suggestions that whenever he wanted to be aware of himself in his dreams all he had to do was notice his hand. This may be considered a conditioned response to evoke the desired effect. I've successfully used this with several adults and children who were suffering from recurring nightmares. A hand, talisman, ring, anything that is meaningful to them can be used. Once the connection is made their dreams take on new and interesting dimensions.

I ask them to think about what they could wear to bed, like a ring, bracelet, or favorite pajamas and keep trying to picture it in their mind while they drift off to sleep. Also, they keep telling themselves that when they see it in their dream, they will know they are dreaming. At that point they can change the dream any way they want. It does take practice.

You have another lever to bring them closer to personal responsibility. I must digress slightly because I do not want you to think that I believe children OR adults are COMPLETELY responsible for their dreams or their waking lives. Only the therapists wedded to or stuck with concepts of total responsibility will refuse to face the fact that part of their theories don't reflect reality. They say that everything that happens to you is SOLELY your own creation. This is a heavy trip to lay on people - and it's wrong!

That's a child's egocentric view of the universe. I am important! So are You! So is everyone else! So are plants, animals, other planets, stars, etc. WE are part of an interlocking matrix called the Universe. What we do does affect others and vice-versa. However, these effects may be large or almost insignificant. Massive climate changes and natural disasters, as well as fortunate world events, are not my fault, yours, or the children's. We have LIMITED control of LIMITED portions of our lives. We can extend the AMOUNT and QUALITY of this control by our conscious awareness and actions, which is why education is helpful, but we can never be in TOTAL control no matter how intelligent, rich, psychic, or whatever we are or think we are.

Dreamwork is dedicated towards increasing the AMOUNT of control they have, not to tell that they are are in total control. After all, am I not controlling them with these theories and practices of dream control? Therefore, when I transfer the idea of control from dreams to their waking lives, I expect an increase, an improvement in their abilities to handle their personal responsibilities. This usually results in fewer discipline problems.

I have a few children each year, who, despite my intensive training, almost never remember their dreams. In most cases I know why they cannot or won't and I ask them to at least try to remember. If they still can't then I have them make up a fantasy in place of the dream. They do almost as good as the dreamer remembers, maybe better, and I'm not making them feel like failures.

Dream Interpretation.

Although my main purposes are self-awareness, catharsis, and increased waking life control and responsibility, there is room for interpretation.

In a letter from Ann Faraday's husband, John Wren-Lewis, he answered a question I had asked about Calvin Hall's interpretation methods. He stated that theirs was different. They are very dubious about drawing conclusions about a person's character by studying his dreams. They are also much more cautious about strict interpretations of symbolism. They believe that every dream is specific to the dreamer's individual CURRENT life situation. ONLY the DREAMER knows what the dream is about and they include children in this.

Your job is to help the child find the meaning himself. Metaphors often help. He may not recognize them, but they should be easy for you to spot.

My son, Eric, during summer school, started going with a girl who was two grades higher, one foot taller, and much more sophisticated. His dream contained the following information. "I was at the beach and this shark started chasing me. It bit off my head." He was shaking and tearful and I asked him to continue talking about it. "Dad, I lost my head!" He looked at me, I smiled; he laughed. "Is that it? I lost my head over Kim?" (She was gorgeous! ) I didn't need to answer. He went back to sleep and re dreamed it. This time he demanded his head back. The frightened shark screwed his head on straight and Eric decided to make friends with rather than kill him. (I was sorry, they would have made beautiful children together.)

In 2002 the twins were thirty-seven and appeared reasonably well-adjusted and happy. They still share their dreams with me when it's necessary. We only discuss the ones that are funny, frightening, or puzzling.

Twelve year old girl, attractive, talented, very hostile, lonely.

Her dream. I dreamed that I was in my room listening to my radio and I heard an engin reving up and someone honking, so I looked out my window and saw a dessle truck. Greg (her brother) was driving it. He started moving towards my room and I fell back in my bed and crashed through my room and killed me.

Meaning . Greg doesn't like me any more.

She learned something from her dream. It didn't make her immediately closer to her brother, but she was aware of some strong feelings that he had or it could have been a projection of her own hostility towards him. If I had her now I would have her plan dreams of mutual understanding and reconciliation. I would have her talk to him, possibly go through a dyadic encounter.

The Senoi would have her use the dream as an excuse for the two of them to communicate. Since he was the was the attacker and she was the victim, he would be expected to give her some evidence of his concern so he could rectify his damage. They would also ask the dreamer to demand that the dream entities give the dreamer gifts such as a song, poem, dance, new idea

Since my background was Freudian, I started in dream work by having them interpret each other's dreams. Their dream communities were usually groups of four or six and I was amazed at how insightful they soon became in interpreting their dreams and tying them into their waking lives. This is excellent, but it can also be dangerous as it gives the hostile children information to use against others. Unless you have good control of your class I would use this aspect of dreams very sparingly and judiciously.

Many people are worried about inappropriate interpretations, especially between children. In my experience, the things they tell each other that seem to the dreamer to be true, he usually can handle. They discard most of the garbage that doesn't apply. If only adults were as wise.

Some children can 't take any criticisms or interpretations. Let them pass and you work with them personally,

The first step is to experiment and experience your own dream life. There are many excellent books, articles, and theories that will fill in from the start I've given you. You need to appreciate the problems the children have in remembering, recording, and sharing their dreams. You may fail too! I know I did. It was frustrating. If you persevere, you will discover yourself anew. Some of the things I found out about myself were unflattering, but helpful. The more honest, without being stupidly self-critical, the more valuable the experience.

For months I couldn't wait until night to see what new adventure would appear. Now, I wake, process the dream, and go on with my day. (At 70 just the pleasure of going to bed is great; dreams are an added pleasure.) Occasionally, in times of stress, I use my dreams to ascertain my true state or to answer specific questions. This technique is excellent. You ask yourself a question and during the night the answer often comes in the form of a metaphor. You are giving yourself the answer because you knew what needed to be done, but for whatever reason couldn't accept it. Usually, though, I merely enjoy my dreams and dream experiences. This is an example of one of my uses.

"I am playing basketball. I got away from the other team and I am clear under the basket. My teammate passes it to me, but as I catch I notice it is soft and it is a volleyball. When I looked disgustedly at the basket I was surprised to see it high up, towards the ceiling. I stopped, almost gave up. I shot anyway, but it didn't reach. I got the rebound, faked, and saw a guy down court. I threw it hard and as he caught it he stepped out-of-bounds."

Possible meaning. I was writing this book, a novel, several articles, teaching full time, had an extra job, reading, and trying to keep my family happy too. I was going more than a little nutty. My goals were too high!

In many dreams a pun is often the interpretation. Another one is that I was out-of-bounds in the methods that I planned to gather some research data. I learned from dream and started to live more sensibly and sent home the proper letters of parental permission for my experiment..

Dreamwork is valuable and important. It is a skill that can be taught and they can utilize it all their lives. It could be reinforced every year and most teachers could use it some time with their children to get insight and keep them in practice. Once they've got the techniques mastered they can apply them without your help.

To learn it properly you must devote class time to it. It is something to be used, like math or reading, not as an end in itself. So, you and your children have pleasant dreams. If, they're not, CHANGE them!

Resonance and dreamwork

The use of RESONANCE is my idea so I have a vested interest in promoting it. I have the uncomfortable feeling that to make my point with it I am indulging in overkill. It something that almost everyone who is propagandizing his approach or theory does. It irritates me when others do it. If you find this, or any section, a FORCED FIT, to make this metaphor work, then forget it. I'm a victim of my own conceptual framework, you don't need to be. Having warned you, I will make the following possible connections.

The children, when they communicate their dreams at home or in their school dream communities are getting others to RESONATE to and with them. This effort increases their comfort levels and makes them more compatible with their listeners.

Equally as important, they develop the ability to RESONATE and even to modify their own RESONANCE within their selves. They learn to listen and RESONATE to others' feelings and thoughts.

As they increase their dream control and understand their dreams and their selves, they are happier, more total human beings. They tend to be less involved in discipline situations.

# STRUCTURED EXPERIENCES in HUMAN RELATIONS

The University Associates of La Jolla, Calif. had a consulting and publishing organization. They offered seminars in organizational growth and problem-solving as well as personal growth clinics. I have never attended their seminars, but have all of their Handbooks. These publications have exercises on almost every facet of helping to improve human relations.

They contain lectures that succinctly and clearly encompass the main psychological and sociological theories being used as the basis for the exercises. They provide psychological measurements to assess these growths.

My initial contact with their work was in 1972 during the Annual Creative Problem-Solving Institute at SUNY at Buffalo. I was presenting my work using Guilford's Structure-of-the-Intellect model to increase children's thinking and creativity. (If you can attend an Institute, go, they're worth you're time and money. The one in 1972 totally changed my life!) I experienced my first dyadic encounter there. A Canadian psychologist, a marriage and family specialist was my partner. In an hour and a half we knew and understood more about one another than we would have in days or weeks of normal communications. The encounter, with its open-ended statements, probed into our conscious and subconscious thoughts and feelings rapidly and deeply.

Since then I have used the dyads in two ways. I have a couple go through a booklet as I sit with them. During the dyad each person is a listener and a speaker. Person A may begin by completing a statement. Person B paraphrases what he's heard. If he has understood what A said to A's satisfaction, then it is B's turn to complete the same statement, but with his own ending. In this way they both get practice in clearly explaining what they think and feel about a variety of topics. They also learn to listen carefully to another human being.

While they are encountering I intervene whenever I feel that one hasn't adequately understood the other or when one needs help in understanding or clarifying what the speaker is trying to say. I respond to many nonverbal clues that are often the cause of conflicts, but are not verbalized. The offender states, "But that's not what I said! I help him see that IS what he said, but with his body or facial expressions. It is what he REALLY MEANT!

The other way is when my client and I go through the booklet together. It gives me information about his feelings and thoughts that would have taken me weeks to discover with more conventional methods. It speeds up transference and makes it easier to handle its effects.

Either of these can be used in a classroom. Over the years I've greatly modified them. For high school and adults my "GETTING TO KNOW YOU" booklet will help any two people quickly get to know each other. It is designed to be used without any professional help. One of my major modifications was adding comments to help them learn these communication skills. For middle school and elementary I have created several individual booklets to be used in class under the direction of the teacher.

You need only copy them from COMMUNICATION TRAINING booklets that follow!

Your task is to roam around the room making certain that they are using the booklets correctly. You may have to discuss with them the various meanings of some of the statements. You may need to reassure the students who find some of the statements unanswerable explaining that they may pass, that is, not verbally respond to those they find puzzling, frightening or too revealing and disturbing. Some children feel that their parents would be very upset with them if they revealed certain things about their families. To protect them they may pass. In the discussion feedback I explain to them that I do not expect them to be disloyal to their parents.

However, I do want them to listen to the first thought that comes into their minds. Some almost completely repress various statements and cannot remember ANY thoughts. I do not push them. By listening to their thoughts they can learn much about themselves even if they don't share it.

I say to the class.

"The purpose of the dyadic dialogues is this.

"First, I want you to learn how to become more effective listeners and speakers. Much of the anger and confusion between people is caused by not understanding the other's points of view, his side of the story. By listening carefully and then repeating, in your own words, what your partner said, you learn how to understand him better. While he's talking to you, you may interrupt if it is to help you get his message clearer. It forces you to concentrate and attend to what he's saying. He, in turn, is responsible for getting his ideas, his thoughts across clearly to you. Both of you get practice in becoming more effective listeners and speakers.

"Second, I want you to be aware of what and how you think and feel about yourself, your friends, teachers, parents, adults in general, and other ethnic groups. The more honest you are, the more you will learn. You may be surprised at some of the things that come into your mind. I know I was not happy with some of the terrible things that went through my mind. Still, knowing about them helped me change my thoughts and my actions.

"There are some statements that you may not know how to finish or else you may not want to tell your partner those thoughts, because you do not trust him. When that happens don't feel badly, just pass on it. For your own personal growth I want you to listen to whatever comes into your mind even though you're not saying it.

"Psychologists have discovered that when you share your thoughts with another person you feel closer and more comfortable with him. This does not work when you do not trust this person because he tells your secrets to others without your permission. Therefore, the things you are told by him are not to be shared with anyone, except after he gives you his permission.

"I will personally see to it that anyone who uses what one student tells him to embarrass that person that the teaser will be severly punished! I cannot emphasize strongly enough how damaging it can be. Most of you want very much to express your feelings, but are afraid they'll be used against you. That's why the punishment for abuse of this information must be severe. This relates to what I've told you about the damage put-downs are to your personal growth.

"Third, these booklets make it easier for those of you have trouble expressing yourselves, who cannot discuss strong or deep feelings and thoughts, and to be able to do so with my protection."

The above lecture itself helps them became aware of the need to communicate in a healthier, clearer, more meaningful manner.The format of the booklet relates to family, school, self, other ethnic groups.

In the booklets I mixed the statements so that they were not all distressing nor all positive and fun. Some of the children have found this going back and forth from highs to lows difficult and distracting, but the majority liked them this way.

The children who were locked within themselves came out somewhat, but there was intense resistance by several. With some classes, just a few, but in others, more were resistant. In a public school this is to be expected and they were not pressed.

Most of the children found that they had more in common than they realized and they were pleasantly surprised. Most of them found that they could be honest and still retain their own private selves. They discovered partners who seemed to care and even understand them. Almost all of them discovered parts of themselves that they didn't know existed.

None of them were too upset by the booklets, although a few felt the statements were "too personal." They passed on those. The children that passed the most were the most disturbed and were generally from homes where the parents were overwhelming, dogmatic people. They were, generally, the least honest children.

By respecting their right to pass when they were uncomfortable or believed they were protecting their parents, they were all able to benefit from the experience and improved their communication abilities. Some classes did not enjoy these dyads. They didn't fight me, but they remained uncomfortable with them. This was my fault for not listening more carefully to them during the dyadic process and not being sensitive enough during the feedback process. Part of it was their personal defensiveness, but that could have been better handled by me.

# OTHER HUMANISTIC TECHNIQUES

Triads.

A triad gives you the same advantages a dyad does, but it adds an observer. You do not use the dyadic dialogue forms, although you could, but rather select a subject for the class.

Example.

"Tell about a half hour TV program. You will have three minutes to explain it. Decide who is A, who is B, and who is C. A is the speaker and he tells about his program first. He tells it to B. B is the listener and he repeats what he's heard in his own words. B is given one minute to explain what he has heard. C is the observer and he is there to help you get the story clear. After A tells B and B paraphrases him, then all three switch roles so that you all get the chance to be speaker, listener, and observer.

The observer is an important role because it gives you the chance to be a mediator, a sensitive observer of verbal and nonverbal behavior. You can learn that there are many things that people say and do in a conversation that either improves or ruins it.

The speaker is getting practice sending his messages clearly and he often finds that he is misunderstood, no matter how clearly, to him that is, he is communicating. He sees too that communication is a complicated process. He also gets angry because the listener doesn't hear what he's saying. When it's his turn to be a listener he finds that the speaker is irritating, hazy, and confused in his speaking. The awareness of the difficulties involved in clear communication is an important idea. It's up to you to help him become aware of what he's doing wrong. When he gets the idea then he is on his way to becoming a clearer communicator.

The speaker and listener should face one another. Constant eye contact is not necessary, but the speaker needs some evidence the listener is paying attention to him. The observer needs to remind the listener whenever he is mentally drifting and the speaker should be told by him if he's getting boring, confused, tedious, or in any way unclear. You can point things out to either of them as you see these things happening in the conversation." (You will have to answer questions clarifying this, depending on their levels of understanding.)

The awareness developed during the triads will hold them in good stead when they begin the dyads. The technique of being a good speaker and listener should be worked on in the triads. The observer is a teacher-helper and can get away with some kinds of criticisms a teacher can't.

The teacher's role is to be certain that the children understand all three parts. After explaining these, you should move around and see that each group is following these directions.

Time element. I gave three minutes to the speaker, and one to the observer, but this can be modified depending on the subject and the class and the communication abilities of the children.

If I were asking them to relate about a movie I might give five to seven minutes and two or three for the listener. If the topic dries up quickly I'd shorten the time. This is something you have to feel your way through by being sensitive and observant - by Resonating with your group.

Another variation is to have the observer be more active in the assessment process. The observer could evaluate how well the speaker spoke and the how well the listener attended to and understood the message. The method of evaluation could be placed on the board and examples of effective behavior tallied.

Example.

The Speaker. Did he look at his listener often to maintain eye contact? Did he speak loud enough? Did he speak clearly, without mumbling? Did he seem to know what he was talking about? Was he interesting7 Did he change his voice to express emotions and excitement? Did he use his hands and body to get his ideas across?

The Listener. Did he look at the speaker or did his gaze keep wandering? Did his body positions and movements seem like he was interested? When he paraphrased the message did he interpret what the speaker said, did he add things that weren't said, did he omit points that you think were important? Did he keep interrupting in ways that didn't help the communication process or were the interruptions helpful? What things, verbally or nonverbally did he do that improved the communication process?

The Observer. Both the observer and listener can interrupt the speaker for clarification. Did he interrupt whenever the speaker became confused or the message unclear? Did he help the listener to listen better? What did he do to make communications better? What could he have done?

The triad is excellent to use when they relate their dreams on a daily basis. It is useful when they want to rehearse or reinforce information and when they are going to present any type of oral report or review any learning.

The time they spend in a triad depends on their interests and knowledge of the subject. Each speaker could talk on a different topic from a list that you or the class creates. If it is a topic that you wish them all to write about then each could voice his opinion or view in turn. The problem is contamination of information. Often the stronger member's ideas dominates. This is fine if you use it as a vehicle to demonstrate how they dominate or can be dominated.

Another problem is competition. If the same three are in a triad all the time, there often develops a competition between subordinate two and three to dominate number one's interest and affection. Therefore, these combinations should be shifted regularly or discussions of the problem should be held. This doesn't happen in a dyad, but the dyad partners should be regularly changed so they learn how to relate to others besides the one or two children with whom they feel most comfortable.

Fair Witness.

The child takes all three parts. He is the listener, speaker, and observer. However, it takes place in a dyad. His partner is there to give him a stage and acts as a conduit to get his feelings and thoughts out more clearly. The partner can ask any clarifying questions or comment on his emotions or anything he is seeing that he thinks the fair witness is missing.

Suppose he is reliving a conflict between his father and himself. First, he plays himself.

"Hi, Dad! Did you have a good day at work? Do you want to play catch like you promised or would you like to lie down and have a beer? Ya, sure, I understand, you're tired! I think you were born tired! You never want to do nothing with me. Just drink yer old beer, that's all."

Plays his father. "Hi, Son. Yep, I had a good day at work, but it was busy and tiring. I know I promised you I'd play catch, but I've been bustin' my butt all day, I'm really bushed. Let me lay down and have a beer and relax and maybe I'll feel like playin' in a little while. There you go grumbling to yourself again. I think you enjoy makin' me feel guilty. What am I supposed to do? I'm tired! Is that a crime? Is it my fault I gotta work hard for a livin'?"

Plays the fair witness. In this role he has to formulate a plan that both father and son can live with. "I think the father would like to play catch with his son,but he really is too tired. Maybe they could sit and talk. The son could tell the father the interesting things that happened during the day and the father could tell him about his day. They could play a game like chess or checkers or cards that wouldn't tire the father. The son could give his dad a massage and help him relax. After the massage he might be recovered enough to play catch for awhile."

The children write their fair witness dialogues or only the solutions. There should be a follow-up discussion to see whether or not the solutions were helpful. The more children that report good results the more effective the next session will be. If it isn't effective the child should tell you why he thinks it failed. Listen to what he says and help him figure out what went wrong. If you wish or can, you may intervene to help the child and parent. You may find that nothing seems wrong in his approach and ask him to try again.

The technique is only as good as the participant's abilities to get into and understand both roles. Sometimes the child cannot do it. Often the parent can't either. If you have the time and experience you may bring them in to see if you can function as a mediator to reach a workable solution. This is also a very effective tool in conflicts with two children in your class or school.

Hot Seat.

This can be a totally devastating experience and you need to supervise it very carefully. The Hot Seat is a chair and the child needs to be seated because the things the other children say to him are sometimes quite painful. I've been questioned about the possible damage done during these sessions. Some feel this should be left to a therapist. I disagree. This is a teaching tool. Children need to know how other children perceive their actions and EXACTLY what the others want them to change. Although it may be temporarily painful most children are relieved to know that what others don't like about them can be changed by modifying their behavior. The child has the information and tools to make changes; what he does with it is up to him!

This is CONFRONTATION and it's purpose is to break through the barriers the child has placed around himself. These barriers prevent him from accepting responsibility for his behavior and he will not change. Hearing from his parents or you has not done him any good. Hearing from his peers DOES. I do not protect him. Often a child will cry, but they have penetrated his armor and he will change. It's like one swat on the behind used to do. It has to be painful sometimes to be effective. He knows exactly what he has to do to be liked and if he is willing to do it, he reaps his rewards.

The rules.

"You may say anything you wish to the person in the Hot Seat as long as it is not vulgar and dirty; is not about something he cannot change such as his ears or his braces; is not about some member of his family; and is not about something a member of his family has done. Furthermore, it must be YOUR feelings or opinion and is the result of YOUR experiences with him, not hearsay, that is ,what someone else has said about him. You may tell him all the things you LIKE about him. You can tell All the nice things he's done for you or with you. The reason for your good or bad feelings must be clearly stated and the person must understand EXACTLY what he has to do to change.

Jack is sitting in the Hot Seat. Bill is first in line. He says, "I like you because you always pick me first when you're the captain. You always share any gum or candy with me."

Susan says. "I don't like it when you pass by my desk and muss up my hair. I don't think it's funny."

Sam. "You always pick Bill, even when it's in soccer and you know I'm better than him. And, I don't like you always acting like you're the only one who's smart in spelling just because you get most of them right."

Some children have only five or six people that want to make comments to them. The very popular and the least popular have most of the class involved. Despite the number of comments, I have the person in the Hot Seat give us a summary of what he's heard and plans to do about it.

Jack. "I guess I'll leave Sue's hair alone. I was just playin', I didn't mean to upset her." (I might say to him later, privately or publicly if I think he can handle it. "I think you did want Sue to respond to you, but if you like her you'll have to find a better way to show it. I think Sue's cute too, but if I wanted her to like me, I wouldn't tease her, I'd do things for her, find out what pleases her, talk to her.")

Jack. "I guess Sam's right about my bragging and I'll try to stop, but the reason I don't pick him is that he always bosses the team. Bill shares things with me too and he listens when I give my team orders. Sam argues about every decision I make."

Sam, Sue, and Bill may have the opportunity to reply if they're under attack or have something pertinent to say. I usually interject my values or challenge them to think about theirs.

For example.

Jack is not a braggart. He is a talented boy and tells it like it is, but Sam is trying to turn off Jack's light because he's jealous. I'll disagree with Sam and ask the other children whether a person is bragging if he's explaining what he's done, even if he does it proudly. I will try to get them to think through boy-girl relationships and ask if the way things are make sense to them. We get into many controversial things during these encounters.

Jack's simplistic example is not how it always happens. It usually is a beautiful experience for most children. They hear many, many positive statements about the good things they do and have done and it is an excellent reinforcer of good, socially acceptable behavior. The negative children realize what they have to do to receive the same kind of strokes, but sometimes it only happens if I point it out to them. Otherwise all they see is more evidence of everyone being liked except them. The unpopular and hostile children find it upsetting. However, it is a good way for them to see the number and intensity of feeling that their behavior elicits from their classmates.

The first time through no one is forced to be in the Hot Seat, although even the most unpopular eagerly volunteer. I don't think it's masochism on their parts; they really do not see themselves as others do. The comments are carefully monitored by me to insure that they say things that a child can understand and are useful for his change.

One child who "plays" by hitting others had over twenty very SPECIFIC complaints. He sat in the chair with a silly grin on his face trying to mask his pain. When it was all over I asked him what he had learned. He choked out. '"Nobody likes me!"

I said that seemed to be true. but why, what was HE doing?

"I guess because I hit kids. But, I'm just playing!"

"Don't say guess, You KNOW you HIT kids! " He slumped over. "Say it, I know I hit kids!"

He whined, then shouted angrily. "I KNOW I HIT KIDS!"

"If you want the children to like you what do you have to do?"

His face to the ground, he said, "Stop hitting them."

He did improve immediately and immediately he had more friends. It wasn't only this exercise, but it was a big break through for him. You don't have to be a psychologist to do this, but you must be sensitive AND make certain you're supportive. (I could do and say these things to him, because I had proven to him in many ways how much I liked and cared about him - which I did. If I didn't have rapport with him, he would have seen this as cruelty, not an act of concern.) You have to help the wounded with their wounds. Being politically correct and not saying things because he would allegedly have lifelong scars is wrong! Not saying anything leaves him in the dark and he creates the wrong reasons about why he's disliked.

In one class a child was very bright, but he used his father's position on the staff as a club. He would tattle on kids, cheat in games, and lie about his behavior. When he was in the Hot Seat the kids stated all these things. He got NOTHING out of it because his mother rushed in and accused me of traumatizing her child. She was part of the problem as she always took his side and held him to her bosom.

As the above case shows it doesn't work for all children and there are those who undergo pain and don't change. It sounds cold, but they were given a chance and I pressure them, but if they don't want to join in, I don't force them. If they don't profit from it, it's their problem and responsibility. However, I do not give up on them, I've got plenty more things in store for them.

Encounter Bats.

All the above experiences help children to be more reasonable and understanding. However, they leave the protective environment I create and return to homes and neighborhoods that are less than ideal. They are teased, embarrassed, even humiliated and brutalized and they bring all these angry feelings back to school. Although I want them to understand and rationally deal with their feelings, I know that some people in our culture need to release their aggressions. Assertiveness training is big business. Aggression release is big business and takes many forms, many of which are not constructive. It is the result of our competitive society's pressures creating the need to release steam.

I give the children the chance to PHYSICALLY express this aggression in sports every day, but sports are competitive and often build up more aggression. ( I have observed many classes in which my program worked perfectly when they were all in class. Yet, the same cooperative, friendly children became monsters of aggression and irrationality during competitive sports.) They need activities that are RELEASERS of aggression.

Wrestling is an activity that is fun, not too dangerous, and very tiring, We use it often. Boxing I used when I had written permission from the parents,but it is too risky for the average teacher. Even with my experience as a boxer, I cannot always prevent a child from getting hurt. I match them carefully by size, weight, strength, and speed, but still things have happened. It was never more serious than a bloody nose, but only because I knew when to stop them.

Encounter bats or jousters are the best and safest way for children to hit each other as hard as they want and no one can get hurt. I'm a hundred pounds heavier than my youngest son, but he and I can lambast away with all our might and all that occurs is fatigue and laughter. Therefore, children who are angry at one another, no matter what the differences in size, can unload their aggressive feelings and not hurt each other. The bats look ominous and sound terrible in use, but their clumsiness makes them very tiring to use. Those who are at the point of a real fight I give them the bats and tell they MUST fight for three minutes. Usually after a minute and a half they are gasping for breath or laughing. I let them stop.

Some children have low pain thresholds. For those children I add the rule that they cannot hit each other in the face. If they do, then the injured party gets one free blow, but not in the face.

I've also used rolled up newspapers. I take two pages, roll them up tightly, and secure them at the ends with a strip of masking tape. Don't use any more thickness or they become LETHAL weapons. The two pages kind makes red marks on them, makes terribly loud painful sounds, and they do sting! Usually, they quickly shred into pieces and it ends in laughter, no matter how angry they were.

No matter what type of aggression release you use, you should use it first during a FUN time. This allows the connection to be made between the release of aggressive feelings and these activities instead of just the expression of anger towards a specific person. I want them to understand that aggression is normal in our society and that it can be released in a healthy way before the feeling builds up towards a specific person.

I used to have a large wrestling mat and had the room arranged so there was adequate space for movement. Even in a friendly bout one can slip and hit his head against a table or chair. I had the children form a large perimeter around the gladiators so there was a protective human barrier between the fighters and the furniture. It's much easier and safer to do outside, if it's feasible.

In fourteen years of wrestling, boxing, newspaper fights, and encounter bats, I had one accident. This was a minor back sprain during a wresting match, but I called her mother, the Paramedics, and played it safe. It didn't end the program because it was a freaky accident - and she was child with a very low pain threshold, a Sarah Bernhardt actress type.

Like many of these techniques it is not for the timid or unprepared. For many teachers it is not worth the risk and they should NOT get involved. To me the risks are minimal and the results are impressive.

Even in the Seventies and Eighties when I was doing these, I always sent permission slips home, had the blessing of the principal, and was in close reach of the combatants to prevent anything serious. With sue crazy people these days, I would probably not do these activities - or I would get the community backing first. They do work!

Nonverbal Communication

A training group called Synectics has a novel approach for helping people understand how they respond in a group setting. The trainers videotape a group session, eight maximum to a group, and then play it back so they can see what they REALLY do and say after they are posed a problem. It's an unbelievable and, at times, a devastating experience. There's no way to escape that relentless camera and yourself on TV. They see themselves saying and doing things they never realized, or could admit, that they do.

The libraries and bookshops are filled with books on body language and other types of nonverbal communication activities. I will give you a few and the rest you can find on your own.

The Synectics people found that only SEVEN percent of communication is VERBAL. Ninety-three percent is either gutteral or nonverbal. In school the emphasis is on the verbal, the written forms and teachers tend to ignore the richness of the nonverbal even though they use it constantly.

Children, in pretend innocence, state that they are getting a bad rap for something that they did not mean. Everyone, especially the intended or real victim of the communication, knows very well that what he said he REALLY MEANT. He may not have said it in words, but he got his point across nonverbally. A short course in nonverbal communication, review exercises, plus constantly bringing it to the forefront of the problems will help him face the truth.

How they dress, wear their clothes, move, the positions of their bodies while speaking, the looks on their faces, and all the subtle and covert indices need to be pointed out so they can be aware of their meanings. If you teach these kinds of awareness, then they are much less apt to play games on you. Also, whatever minorities are part of your class can help you understand the different gestures interculturally.

Photographing.

You or various class members can imitate gestures or facial expressions of the children. The class is to guess who it is and its possible meaning such as anger, sadness, etc. (Any child who does not want to participate should be excused.) Do not be dogmatic and certain that it means what you think just because you read a book or went to an inservice.

Discuss the possible meanings with the children and LISTEN carefully to what they think that each gesture or action means. They may be correct! If you have the resources, a loaded camera is useful to capture them off -guard and record the things they say they don't do. A videotape is better and is more convincing than being told or shown by you or others.

Silent film.

This is essentially a role-playing or psychodrama technique. Either you or the children set up the situation. The more common and generalizable, the easier it will be to act without words. They tend to exaggerate movements, but as they get more proficient, they develop the more subtle movements that are loaded with meaning. This is an improvisation without words so any real life or comical setting will do.

I first did this in the library with my special education class. One girl pretended to be her grandmother and she selected others for her cast as the play went from nonverbal to a spontaneous psychodrama that included almost the entire class playing roles in her family, relatives, and friends. They all knew the family well. I let it go and it was one of the most revealing panoramas of family in conflict I've ever seen. It lasted 45 minutes and I had to stop it because another class was coming in. It was thrilling!

Note. Instead of relying on a particular theorist's idea of what a gesture or movement means, it is more fun and relevant if you discover them together with the children. Telling relies on memory whereas improvisation taps yours and their creativity, is more reinforcing, and more apt to cause changes.

Dumb teaching.

They love this title. This will be fun. Each child has something, a skill or hobby, that he could teach. In this activity he has one constraint, the teacher is dumb, he cannot talk; everything is nonverbal.

Communicating feelings nonverbally

Place the words for the emotions such as love, hate, anger, despair, joy, etc. on cards. On another series of cards write the names of body parts such as left foot, right hand, index finger, etc. They pick one card from each pile and act out the emotion through that body part. If i t is too difficult they can get more body cards. Many other activities are in New Age books.

Groups

In the Structured Group Experiences the child learns what he needs to do or does to help a group operate most efficiently yet offer the most good to him. Compromise is in order. He needs to learn how his behavior affects others in his group and how their behavior affects him.

A simple way is through spelling groups. They can be grouped in many ways, one of which is by skill. I have four to six groups. Each day a different child is the teacher. He is in charge and gives out their papers and gives them twenty-five words. He must pronounce, syllabicate, give the meaning, and use the word in a sentence, If a child misbehaves in his group he has the power to make him rewrite the day's list. How he handles the group and the resulting problems are grist for our discussions. Much occurs that they never talk about, but handle themselves - which is a major plus for this technique. When they complete their list they have earned time so there is an impetus to get done.

Some groups learn to cooperate and they finish quickly. Others fight and struggle, often getting revenge for past wrongs and manage to waste the entire period. I don't get upset, because the spelling is not my main goal (during this time), teaching them leadership and cooperation is.

Children who do a poor job as leaders catch Hell from their group and they do better the next time. It's a built-in servomechanism. The group members who waste time are punished by the children and the pressures usually makes most of them shape up.

Those leaders who don't learn from their group I help out during the discussions or while they're teaching. (I move around among the groups and make comments, suggestions, or intervene if a serious problem or potential fight seems to be occurring. Or if I've placed a child in a level that is too difficult or too easy and that's the reason he's acting up, I move him immediately. But, not before asking him if he wants to move - most do.)

By the end of the year they usually stop blaming me or each other for most of their problems and have learned to work efficiently in many groups. They have to admit that it was their behaviors that caused them their problems. They see that their groups didn't respond to them except by what they did to others.

In this example I used spelling, but I use many academic groupings. In this way they learn some of their basic skills better while increasing their human relations abilities.

I force them into various groups. This is important! Especially when I'm in the process of integrating ethnically different children. They often will not mix voluntarily! Yet, after a few months they play, talk, and comfortably associate with each other.

Let me repeat, these are not groupings JUST to mix children. These groupings are educationally sound and are grouped for various athletic, artistic, athletic, or some reason to do with school, but while they are in these groups (which I'm constantly mixing for many purposes) I focus on human relations skills.

When I'm lecturing or giving directions for their usual academic tasks and they don't attend to my directions I remind them how they feel when they are teachers. It is a sobering thought and works. (I give them REAL power in their roles as teacher and leader and so they do FEEL and UNDERSTAND what a teacher goes through.)

Many teachers are afraid to relinquish any power, so the real classroom leaders take power in antisocial ways. I quickly identify who the real leaders are, often they are the ones who other teachers have identified as "troublemakers" and I place them into leadership positions. It's easier for me to teach the others the leadership skills, because the natural leaders already possess them. It's a case of monkey see, monkey do. When these natural leaders know that I respect them they are willing to work with me in doing the tasks and learning the skills I'm trying to teach the class. They change from problems to my right-hand men and women. When a new student comes in they let him know what is expected of him without me saying anything.

In their normal academic activities they generally help each other in pairs or groups. We do so many different things that almost every child can be a worthwhile teacher to someone. (If he academically so low that it would be an embarrassment for him, I arrange for him to be a teacher in a lower grade room. The process of teaching others in his poorest skill, helps him improve that skill.) During their on-task time they do not just have me, but an army of potential helpers. It helps the child who is slow in that activity. It helps the tutors to reinforce their learning and skills. It gives me more hands and minds.

These cooperative behaviors don't automatically HAPPEN.

I take time to discuss the most effective behaviors in groups and partnerships. The listening and speaking exercises build up their communication skills. They learn from me as a model to respect other's opinions. They learn not to put down the person they're helping, because he may be their teacher in some other activity.

We discuss appropriate behaviors for groups and partnerships. There are also several competitive group activities. Good competitive exercises tend to make individual groups more cohesive.

A caution is that losing groups sometimes tend to cannibalize members rather than try to understand what each did to prevent them from winning. It's my job to help them pick up the pieces and learn from defeat. A repeat of the same activity, after a reminder of what kinds of cooperation it takes to win, sometimes demonstrates your teaching took hold and they win or do better. If you can teach them the difference between blaming and constructive criticism you have earned your year's pay.

If they are cooperative in the classroom and during baseball season act like the Bad News Bears, don't blame yourself. It is called state-specific behavior. What is learned in one situation is not transferred to another. You can control your classroom world, but you must cope with the larger world of competition. Baseball brings out the worst in them. I find I have to be very strict about name-calling, insulting, and belittling because if I'm not their behaviors ape what they do during Little League.games. (I was a coach so I'm speaking from MY experience.) I used to swat them for bad behavior! (That was in Seventies early Eighties.)

You can transfer the learning from one state to another, but it takes much more control and training than normal. I have them run or walk a lap each time they curse, insult another child, or demonstrate poor sportsmanship. Most want to play and this is an effective lever.

Example of a structured group experience. Towers.

I use paste, construction paper, and paper clips. Each group gets the same kind and amount of material, but with each getting different colored paper. They are given twenty minutes to build the highest tower and it must stand unattended for one minute. When the time is up we discuss group behaviors. They can explain what helped or hindered their group. This is an example of a nonacademic, but fun use of the kinds of activities found in the books to build group rapport developed by the University Associates.

However, the more you can develop your own cooperative and competitive exercises and activities that are natural outcomes of your classroom academic goals, the more useful and transferrable they are.

Resonance - Communication Training.

Whether the communication is verbal or nonverbal there remains the problem of understanding and feeling what the communicator intends. Even the communicator himself doesn't always know what he is saying or feeling. Every communication must filter through many socio-psychological-cultural barriers, which confuses the communicator and his receiver(s). Furthermore, even when he does know exactly what he wants to say he has the problem of selecting the right words so his receiver(s) will understand.

This is where RESONANCE and feedback are so important. If the metaphor of RESONANCE was taught consciously then the parties involved would know that each one has to try to get into the other's wavelengths. They'd be aware that each has a responsibility to help the communication process by clear speaking, good listening, and use of proper feedback.

By explaining to the children that each has to modify his behavior, has to compromise, has to get into each other's wavelengths, they have a visible, a graphic physical conception that makes the abstraction a reality.

Of all the techniques in this workbook, the communication booklets and dyads are the most unpopular. Children know how to talk, but they do not know how to communicate their feelings and ideas clearly. They are uncomfortable with this process because it means exposing feelings that they, like their parents, have been repressing. They are legitimately afraid that exposing themselves will lead to pain, which it often does.

I tell them that their fears are realistic. Whenever you expose your thoughts and feelings to another person he may use them to hurt you. To me it is worth the risk because there cannot be any friendship, closeness, or deep love without giving of yourself.

Frightened, suspicious children should be protected (and they are by the directions) but encouraged to open up to some degree. As they are periodically recycled through the booklets and experiences and the skills over and over they will get more trusting and comfortable. You should select (or check their selections) their partners so they do not get hostile children who will use the information against them.

As they learn to RESONATE with different children they will find they share common problems and joys.

Despite their hesitancy and reticence most children experience a sense of revelation and surprise as they discover a kinship (a RESONANCE) with others. You need to help them see and remember what they experience so they can continue to RESONATE by choice.

*Note* I told you about the booklets so you would not get discouraged in case they were less than enthusiastic. However, your class may find them exciting and interesting as did MOST of mine. It's just that some classes are MORE enthusiastic about some of the other techniques.

These techniques will not assure you a perfect, trouble-free classroom, but they will help you teach the children to realistically cope with the problems they face and give them the tools to face problems throughout their lives.

They'll always be grateful.

Unfortunately, the COMMUNICATIONS TRAINING portion is in a format Smashwords doesn't take. I'll email it free to your computer if you request it.

rewiringyourbrain@gmail.com

Look for my education books on AMAZON, etc. and from website -

www.imaginativecurriculum.com

THE COMPLETE TEACHER: ABUSES of POWER in EDUCATION: Challenging Practically Everything: JOYS of TEACHING: They Touched My Life: TEACHER UNDER a MICROSCOPE: RACISM 70'S STYLE; OUR EXTRAORDINARY YEAR in DAD'S CLASS: FEAR, FAILURE, and FLEXIBILITY in Four Classrooms.

Thanks for reading this and I hope you apply whatever you're comfortable attempting.

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I have interviewed people I call CHANGE AGENTS. Like I have tried to do all my professional life, they have made significant, positive change in themselves and now help others do the same. Most shows are 45-60 minutes of uninterrupted, casual conversation with people you'd invite into your home. So, do it, either listen live or go to the Archives for four years of CHANGE AGENTS from every profession and field of interest.

