After all these years, I'm just so very proud and grateful to be able to present:Right Brain EducationIt's a wonderful introduction to what Right Brain Education is, how it can benefit you and your family, what TweedleWink and Wink are, important teaching and parenting tips and how you can get started very simply—no matter what age or learning style.
Changing the World One Heart at a Time
The book is being shipped to our distributors around the world, so please look for it. It's on the way to you!
I don't mean for this to sound like a commercial, though. I'd really like to just take a moment to say "thank you" to the many people who made this possible.
It doesn't seem fitting that only my name is on the cover—while they are my words, so much more than text is put into a book.
A dash of inspiration
The idea for this book was bubbling in the ethers for years. Parents and teachers who've read the manuals asked us to release them in book form. They wanted to share this method with family and friends. We created e-books and other digital products to meet the need. But, as many people say, there's nothing like a good book. It wasn't until just this year that our RBK president and resident visionary, WENNIE SUN, gave it a great big push! She's our literary "midwife!" You know how nice it is to have that someone who believes in you and makes it all happen? She is the one who does this for our company. She's just amazing. She inspires us to keep moving forward with a great vision of raising the level of education for children around the world.
Mindful collection
LINDA BRANSON (key founder of The Soul Learning Company) expertly fit together foundational information and stories from the classroom from our many e-books, training manuals and newsletters. She tabbed places where fresh material was needed. So, when I received the original outline of the book, not much work was needed on my end. Linda is an artist. She is connoisseur of fine art, classical music, good books, wholesome food, roasted coffee, and all aspects of nature. She sees life in a way that not many people do. It's so high. It's this level of "seeing" and patient diligence that brought the material together so nicely. I feel so blessed to have her energy in it. She is awesome.
Loving artistry
The characters drawn over the years were designed to make reading our materials more inviting... and more friendly! We had to include them! But when we went to insert the drawings into the book—we were shocked to see that they were all greatly pixilated (blocky). (The originals were created in MUCH earlier versions of Mac.)
"Da tada da..." HELEN HUANG to the rescue! Helen poured over each of the nearly 100 drawings with such care. She and her trusty assistant (my son FREDERICK, age 15) spent hours and hours and hours to smooth out the bumps to make them sparkle and shine! They did a fantastic clean-up job which required a childlike, playful quality of heart. The figures smile at you as you flip from page to page. They cheer you up! Thank you both.
Shining light
At the final push, we realized we needed a foreword. I couldn't think of anyone more appropriate to comment on this work than my beloved mentor, DR. CELESTE MILLER. Celeste is a dynamo in action. She is a mother of six, and a grandmother of 4 or 5 (I can't keep count!) and a lover of all things that raise human consciousness. Without any advance notice, she received the draft, and wrote an incredible foreword in record time. I know the academics will look at the book and see her praise as noteworthy, but truly, I look at it and feel the praise—okay, I'm trying not to cry as I write this—I'm so sappy sometimes—but I look at it as high praise from a mom who earned her Ph.D., has guided schools, written books, inspired teachers across the globe and raised six incredible talented, loving, well-balanced children... all as a single mother. When you get the thumbs up from a soul of this caliber, it's pretty amazing.
The finishing touch
JEFFREY (Wennie's husband) prepared the files for press. And I DO MEAN p-r-e-p-a-r-e-d! His eye for detail helped bring everything together—formatting, text, graphics—so that the final product is truly professional. It's breathtaking, and extremely respectful of the childlike qualities that would bother most professional editors. It is now able to stand on its own amongst other books on the bookshelf of a Borders or Barnes and Noble bookstore.
True love
Some of you may know that our family is in Asia for a time in order to support the schools and other projects that need to happen on this side of the globe. In order to make this commitment, our family has had to be separated for over a year. MARY (5), GEORGE (10) and FREDERICK (15) are here with me in Asia. WILL (18), who is about to enter college, is with my husband, BRENT, on the other side of the globe in the United States. It takes a lot of sacrifices to make a commitment like this as a family. When the earliest draft of the book was complete, I excitedly sent it to my husband and son in New York. I text them to ask how they liked it. They text back: "We're still reading..." :-) A half-day later, I had an e-mail with glowing praise and a list of typos to correct! (A truly "whole brain" response!) I want to thank my husband for being daring enough—and sharing enough—of me and my mission that he would be willing to let me follow my heart to serve others in this manner. After 22 years of marriage, this is really true, true love.
The power of a close family
I have to say that a program like this takes a lot of love and support to develop and maintain. And as you go through it yourselves, I hope that you are surrounded by authentic souls—people who simply love you because of who you are. It fuels you. It lifts you up. And if you feel surrounded by love yourself, it's easier to extend it to others. For their unconditional love and support over the years, I have to send the greatest love and gratitude to my amazing mother and step father, Jim and Susan Evans; my father, Dr. William Fielden Nelson; my brothers and their families: Major Scott, Sue, Jessica and Madison Nelson and Christopher Nelson and Maria Abraham; my beloved sister and her family: David, Sara and Jon O'Brien; and to the entire Hickein family led by Fred and Eleanor Hickein, whose lives are a constant inspiration. Thank you.
Back to the book...
You know, its amazing.
I think of all the endearing moments with the children, the inspired thoughts, the heartfelt instinctive direction and techniques that are encapsulated now in a bound book... it's a just little surreal for me. I mean, the classes are so simple, so delightful. Anyone can do it. So, why does the method seem so groundbreaking? My hope is that parents and teachers will soon figure out that it is not earthshaking material—it's easy. It is natural. It's in you already. As you feel that, and connect with it, I hope that the passion for teaching this way will be contagious and inspire others. The rush of joy that comes when a child learns something new or breaks through a learning barrier or fear or hesitancy to pull out their genius, can affect your whole day!
When we take the time to see and know our students, we connect our heart energy. We make a difference. Both teacher and student—parent and child—walk away with renewed spirits.
Does it sound corny or idealistic to think that we can change the world, one heart at a time?
Not anymore.
With so many people across the globe learning and teaching Right Brain Education, it feels possible.
It's happening.
And thank goodness for that.
Thanks for joining us! :-)
