How to Handle Meltdowns with Right Brain Children

5 Steps to Calm a Tantrum

"Wahhhhhhhhh!  I don't want to leave!"  It’s happened to every parent at one point or another. You’re leaving the house, or school, or a fun playground and, all of a sudden, BOOM! your over-tired, unhappy child flips into a hitting or screaming tantrum. Or a creative combination of both!  

You stand there—perhaps next to your husband who has a clueless look on his face (sorry, Dads!)—and wonder what to do.  You feel helpless.

How do you help your child stop and regroup? What do you do? 

Let's begin with a basic concept. 

Meltdowns shut down your child’s ability to reason.  

When your child is upset, she can no longer
consciously process information.
A flip has switched in the brain.
It is time to calm her senses.

Simply stated, your child's ears are “turned off.”

The "switch" which toggles between sympathetic (relaxed and at rest) and parasympathetic (fight or flight response) is responsible for this sudden change. The brain flips that switch when it senses the extreme emotions of anger, fear, sadness, or even silliness.  

This means that your child cannot hear you or process what is happening until he is calm and “centered.” 

You can calm your child down by calming all of the senses, including the intuitive senses that sense unseen information. Here’s how. 

Your Child's Right Brain Senses 

First, it's important to be aware of the “right brain senses.” 

We have five senses.  We also have five "frequency senses"—they slightly differ from the familiar five senses, and they are oh-so-important to pay attention to, when raising right brain children. 

The right side of the brain is intuitive and creative. It senses subtle energy currents and waves. It is influenced by frequencies in the environment. (If you have children on the autism spectrum, as I do, this will make much more sense to you as you read them!)

Outer senses processes facts. Our inner senses process "vibrational facts"—information that vibrates, like subatomic particles, sound waves, color waves, and even thoughts and feelings. These vibrational facts are collected by the following sensory pathways. We label the collection of right brain senses: V-A-K-C-T, reminding us of the unseen data continually collected by the right brain. 

The 5 “Right Brain” Senses

Physical Senses

V - visual (light waves, color)  

A - auditory (sound waves, music)  

K - kinesthetic (touch, taste, smell and movement) 

Subtle Senses

C - sensitivity to chi (electromagnetic energy currents and fields)   

T - sensitivity to thought and emotion (brain activity, heartbeats) 

Want an easy way to remember this? 

Left brain ---; outer senses, which processes tangible facts
Right brain ---; inner senses, which processes "vibrational facts," or vakcts 

5 Steps to Calm a Tantrum 

Step 1: Stay calm. 
THOUGHTS-- EMOTIONS • Adjust your thoughts and emotions. This will be the anchor that will pull him back to center. Physically, your child will calm down more quickly when you can maintain a slow, steady heartbeat. Right-brain children are affected by frequency and your heart puts out a steady beat. It races when you are upset. It slows when you are calm. So, be at peace. Know that this melt-down is temporary, and what’s more, it is important for your child’s development—to experience his raw emotions with you, to learn to control them. Take a deep breath. Stay calm. 

Step 2: Find a private place. 
CHI -- ENVIRONMENT • Find a cozy, calm, private space. If you can go to nature, this is best, but of course it is not always possible. If you are in a public place, you cannot always do anything about the “feeling” of the location, so just seek privacy for you and your child, even if it means walking back to your car. 

Step 3: Hug, hold, or rock your child. 
KINESTHETIC (TOUCH) • Make sure that your hold is lovingly snug and firm—this is especially important for more hyperactive or kinesthetic children (children who need to continually move). This makes them feel safe. 

Step 4: Look and listen... and mirror back.
VISUAL -- AUDITORY (SIGHT -- SOUND) • Give full eye contact. Show concern, nodding as he shares. 

VERBAL CHILDREN - Let your child voice their feelings. Mirror back what he is saying, without judgement. Criticism will only frustrate them more and keep them in the "off" mode. 

Child: I don't want to go! 

Adult: You are having fun. You don't want to leave your friend. 

Child: Yes. (My Mommy heard me and understands.)  

NONVERBAL CHILDREN - If your child is too upset or unable to express what he is feeling, give him the words. You can intuit what he might be thinking and feeling. As soon as you hit on the right feeling, you will see an immediate shift. 

Child: [crying, kicking] 

Adult: I can see that you really didn’t want to stop playing. You are sad to leave the playground. 

Child: [stops crying and looks at parent] (My Mommy heard me and understands.) 

Step 5: Affirm his right to his feelings. 
AUDITORY, THOUGHT -- EMOTION • Use these phrases: “I hear you.” “Thank you for telling me.” “I understand.” 
They are non-judgmental, accepting ways of validating your child's feelings without agreeing with what they are saying.  It's important to distinguish between agreeing with your child's statements and honoring his feelings.  

For example, if your child said, "I don't like grandma," your first instinct might be to comment or correct. "That's a terrible thing to say!"  At this moment, remind yourself to focus on the feelings, not the issue--yet.  There will be a time, but not now.  You need to fill your child's "love tank" first.  Once they are calm, then you can teach.  So, instead of correcting, you can nod and say something like, "Thank you for telling me how you are feeling.  What happened with grandma really made you angry just now, didn't it?!"  

Here's the key reason for the affirmation process:

As soon as you put words to what your child is feeling, and meet it with acknowledgement and understanding, you free your child to change his emotion.

After Your Child is Calm...

Calmly Restate Your Position

Wait to teach, talk and firmly guide until after your child has returned to a calm state. 

Stay clear about your expectations, and please do not back down and give in. Keep to it. You can be fun and make it into a game, or laugh, joke or play with your child so that it is easier for them to obey. But, stay firm. 

Please be clear with yourself.  Meltdowns are early power struggles—which, for your child's future well-being and character, you must lovingly win. That may be difficult if you want your child to like you at all times.  (I was like that, for sure!)  So many working mothers feel guilty for the time they cannot spend with their children and so this can feel even harder to do! But, the truth is, that the more healthy boundaries that you set for your child, the more they are able to develop their own character, which includes self control. 

Stay Strong

If you give in to your child, it trains him to use these meltdowns to manipulate you, and they will only increase. So, please do stay strong! Remember what your original instruction was.  Stick to it.

If you:
(1) are firm with your instructions,
(2) follow through with each "meltdown" in a patient, loving way
... then you will find that over time your child will develop self-control. 

Your child will know that you love him and that "no means no," or "when it's time to leave, it is time to leave." Period.  

Be patient.  Know that it will take time.  But, if you are consistent, you will notice that the melt-downs gradually becoming less frequent and less intense.  Time and practice will help your child come to manage and control his own emotions and reactions.

Prevent Future Melt-Downs

As right-brain parents, there are many things we can do to avoid power struggles.  Here are a few examples:

• RULES - set good, fair rules for your child's age/stage of development
• PICTURES - place the rules on the wall and make a picture for each one
• SING - sing songs that teach—"Let's put our toys away... To play another day..."
• FUN - use funny reminders—"If you're very, very bright, you'll flush, wash, and turn out the light!"
• STABILITY - stable/regular schedules
• GIVE TIME - give time for transition children from activity to activity—"We'll be leaving in 5 minutes... 3 minutes.... 1 minutes... OK, blast off!  It's time to go!"
• LAUGH TOGETHER - have a good sense of humor
• BE CREATIVE - tap into your child's imagination with challenging tasks—"Astronauts, put on your seat belts!"

These right-brain techniques all go a looooong way to eliminate head-to-head power struggles.

Melt-downs and temper tantrums serve an important role and when they occur, they present you and your child with a vital learning opportunity.  If you can look at each conflict in this manner, then  you will be able to stay positive as a right-brain parent.

Many children can learn self-control quite early when met with consistent understanding and love.  Each meltdown is simply a raw set of emotions waiting to be understood and tamed.  When children learn to tame these emotions, there is a great inner light that literally shines through!

To you & your child!

Love, Pamela

Right Brain Kids, Left Brain Schools

Albert Einstein once said, "It is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education."

Curiosity

Creativity

Freedom

Self-esteem

Self-motivation

Invention

Intuition

Passion

… Joy!

These are all traits we'd rather our children keep and sustain.
But, sometimes schools preoccupied with grading and goal-setting lose their focus—the well-being of our children.  And in the process, our children lose their desire to learn.

LOSING THE SPIRIT

6-year-old Frankie was a vibrant child who loved life.  At home, his parents had set up learning corners and outdoor guarded play areas.  Throughout the day, Frankie would draw and paint, help his mother with cooking or cleaning, write creative stories, sing and dance to learning songs, spend quiet time with math workbooks or sit and read. Growing up in this environment, he was a happy, bright, beaming little boy.

One day, his mother e-mailed us. Frankie was unhappy. His grandparents had spent a lot of money for tuition at a private school and he did not like it. This once passionate, curious boy, who loved to experiment and play, was depressed. After a few months at school, he cried before leaving home each morning. His mother didn't know what to do.

Frankie would describe how other children were humiliated by the teacher if they spoke out of turn. He was adapting to a highly-scheduled day, and when he did like an activity, the teachers would pull him out of his project before he was ready to switch his focus. He had to sit still. He had to focus on a single whiteboard at the front of the room.

Frankie's mother asked: "How can a right-brain child stay in school without losing his spirit?"

Good question.  

How do right-brain children survive in left-brain schools?

Let me begin by saying that there are a growing number of teachers--caring, enlightened teachers--who make a big difference for children who are lucky enough to be in their classrooms.

But, the truth is that it is a challenge to keep the right-brain pathway alive and active as children grow older in left-brain educational systems--east or west.  

Change must take place.  And the time is now.

The Power is in Your Hands

You have choices.  If your child is in school and you feel like their spirit is unable to shine, then here are your options.

1. Talk to your child's teacher.  This is not an easy option, but, it could make a world of difference. If you believe that creative learning is important, then talk to your child's teacher about your concerns. You might be surprised at the results.
2. Create a right-brain learning corner.  If talking to your teacher doesn't yield results and you cannot change schools, then boost your child's right-brain creativity at home. You can create a right-brain learning corner for homework or continued learning of other subjects that he really likes. Use this learning corner to support and encourage your child each day.
3. Find a different school.  If you can find another school that combines right-brain creativity and flexibility with left-brain academic standards--within your price range--then a change in your child's environment to one that is truly positive will uplift and inspire your child, and affect your whole family.
4. Homeschool.  Homeschooling is only an option if you have the time and resources to do it. If you can, then time spent with your child can be highly rewarding and his right-brain genius can shine in a highly attentive environment.

You Can Help Your School Become More Creative

You may have heard our rallying cry: "Changing the world... one heart at a time."  Love, respect and support is powerful.  If you want to see a change, as Mahatma Gandhi says, "be the change."

If your child is not fitting in at school, please consider it an opportunity to make a positive change in your corner of the world.  Frustrated with the current situation?  Offer a helpful solution.  Your voice and words of encouragement could really inspire another to do better.

 CHANGING THE WORLD… ONE SCHOOL AT A TIME

    HOW TO TALK TO YOUR CHILD'S TEACHER

If you would like to inspire real change at school, please consider these steps.

(1) Start a Conversation

Communicate with your child's immediate teachers.   It's not easy.  But, in the long run, it will be a good investment, making life easier for your child and for you. Call, e-mail or stop in for a parent-teacher conference.  

Here's how you can make it effective...

(2) Have a Positive Attitude and Appreciation

Make the first meeting all about listening.  All teachers are on guard when parents step in the room or call to complain.  As a teacher, I can confess to the truth of this! So, go in as a listener, first. While listening, you may learn some things that you hadn't considered, which may effect your next step.

However, if you are discouraged by what you hear, please stay positive. It is easy to resonate with "how things are" and then give up. Please stay hopeful about the eventual outcome of your meetings. Don't think about the system or the school, overall, or even what is "usually" done in your country or culture. Just focus on your child's needs. Think about the highest possible positive outcome.

Listen to--and appreciate--what it is that they are already doing.  Let them know exactly what you like about their classes and school. If they know that you are listening to them, and noticing their efforts, then they will be more open to what you have to say.

(3) Casually Check Back

Meet again. Be persistent. Check in with your teacher regularly--you don't need to ask for anything. Just check in, ask how your child is doing, and offer help with anything that they might need you to do at home to help make things better for him. If a teacher knows that you are always checking in, they will (1) give your child more attention and (2) really watch themselves, and make sure that their reactions are proper = kinder.

(4) Be Prepared

If you REALLY want to make a change in your child's classroom or school, go in to your next meeting armed with information. A wonderful place to start is with Howard Gardner's Multiple Intelligence Theory. The right and left brain combine in different ways to produce different learning strengths and ways of learning. Knowing how children learn helps us reach them so that they can develop their genius. Every child has genius, and this will show you where your child's passions lie.

Have your child take this online test:  

Multiple Intelligences Test from Birmingham Grid for Learning (UK)
http://www.bgfl.org/bgfl/custom/resources_ftp/client_ftp/ks3/ict/multiple_int/

         

Print it out and bring it with you.  (Please color, if you do not have a color printer.)

Here's what it is...

MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCE THEORY

This is based upon the understanding that there are many types of intelligence--he now counts 9 intelligences.  (Few of these intelligences are evaluated or even detected in an average IQ test.)

     They are:

     (1) Kinesthetic (Body Smart)

        - learns through building a model or acting it out

     (2) Linguistic (Word Smart)

        - learns through verbal instruction and praise

     (3) Logical (Number Smart)

        - learns through logic, methods and repetition

     (4) Interpersonal (People Smart) 

        - learns through group/team projects

     (5) Intrapersonal (Myself Smart) 

        - learns best alone

     (6) Musical (Music Smart) 

        - learns through songs or rhythm

     (7) Visual/Spatial (Picture Smart) 

        - learns through pictures, flashcards and stories (mental visualization)

     (8) Naturalistic (Nature Smart) 

        - learns through outdoor exploration

     (9) Spiritual (Faith Smart)

        - learns through moral stories and mentorship

Ask your child's teacher if she would like to incorporate special learning techniques to her class. Respecting her voice and waiting for her willingness will be key for the success for change--when she is ready.

Knowing about the multiple intelligences lifts most schools up out of a left-brain approach. Their observation of the child becomes more sensitive, and thus they become more right-brain!

(5) Take it All the Way!

If your child's teacher is excited about this learning profile and wants to learn more, then here's what you can do.

GIVE A GIFT - Download or purchase the book Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom by Thomas Armstrong and gift her a copy of it.

WATCH AN EXAMPLE - Ask her to look at this video--it explains how a teacher used this to improve her 4th grade music class in the United States.  http://vimeo.com/32373665

LOOK OVER THE PROFILE TOGETHER - Bring your laptop, or meet at the school library where you have access to a computer. Show her the above Multiple Intelligences test. It is an excellent resource. Once she sees it, if she has the energy and passion... she will see the possibilities!

SUPPORT YOUR TEACHER  - The challenge that most teachers have is that they have to adhere to a curriculum and learning philosophy of the school. So, your child's teacher may feel that she cannot do much to effect change. But, the opposite is true. Any step that she takes can impact the school--especially if she has support.

If your teacher wants to move forward from here, then encourage her to have all the children in her class take the test. You can even volunteer your services to bring in a laptop and sit with each child during the day, or to hire someone to do it, in order to help her know that she is not alone and that you are willing to help make the change.

Just let your teacher know that she is not alone. If she reads about the multiple intelligences and just makes one small change at a time, then it will be a more right-brain classroom over time.

One step at a time.

You can make a difference. :-)

................................................................................
In closing, I'd just like to say that if you are in this situation—stay strong and have faith.  As a mother and teacher, I have tried all the options I've mentioned above.  We've homeschooled for many years (I'll write more about how to do that that soon) and had our children in creative private and public schools with many different experiences.  Each of our four children have had different needs as they have grown and developed over time.  There is no one magic bullet—because your child is always changing.

In this world, we do not always have the freedom to choose.  But whatever your child's situation may be, please know that you can help him through any difficult experience--at home or at school. In the end, his knowledge of your love and support and your belief in him will be enough to help him conquer all of life's little sufferings in the world and emerge happy and well-balanced.

Love, Pamela

Sharing the Love

In every TweedleWink classroom, there is a sign that says "Relationships Before Results."

That's because we believe that when you really nurture a child's heart, the bond that results draws them closer to you and excites them to absorb anything you would like to teach.

As a family of six, that is our motto at home as well.

Some of you may know that we homeschool our children. Juggling the roles of parents and teachers to each child has always been challenging, but we wouldn't trade it for the world. For me, watching a child read his first word is just as thrilling as watching him walk for the first time. These milestones are precious. I can't imagine a teacher experiencing the learning milestones while I'm away at work. I want to be there.

Yet the roles of parent and teacher do conflict at times.

"Did you brush your teeth?"
Yes, Mom.

"Did you finish page 25 in your Math workbook today?"
Yes, Mom.

"Did you make your bed?"
Yes, Mom.

That's my day. The same person that reminds them to clean their rooms and put away the dishes is the same person asking about schoolwork each day.

If you are homeschooling, you're familiar with this journey. May God bless us and keep us ever patient, kind and strong.

A Happy Birthday

Last week was my birthday. On that day, my 12-year-old son had a creative writing assignment due. He finished it the day before and stayed up until midnight so that he could e-mail it to me on my birthday. When I read it, I cried. I'm so grateful to be a homeschooling mom.

Here's his entry...

If I Could Build a Home

If I could build a home I would actually build a dome for my mother. It would feature painted sky blue on the outside with cloud designs all over. Inside it would have a Zen garden with a mini waterfall. You could meditate peacefully in it. In the bedroom I would have bright colors on the walls. The walls would be made out of panels so at a specific time the panels would flip and have a gray color, then in the morning would go back to their original colors. The kitchen would be the modern example of efficiency.At first glance it would be a regular kitchen with an island. But if you look closer you would see that there were no shelves nor a fridge. The island would have a stove and a couple buttons. Those buttons can open the cupboards, reveal shelves in the wall, reveal the fridge, and make coffee or tea. The living room would be a lush, chocolate, brown color. The couches would be so soft you would feel like you were floating on air. The movie shelves would be stocked full of Jane Austen and other movies she likes. There would be a store room dedicated to tea. The tea storage would have over a hundred different kinds of teas. In a small cupboard there would be a whole bunch of tea cups and mugs. There would be an office with steel walls and a bucket of magnets for my mom to pin up papers. The shelves would be color-coded so my mom can find things easily. The desk would be a circle with the middle and a section cut out of it. There would be a swivel chair in the middle so that she can have a 360 degree view. The desk would have a computer with many screens so that she has a better work space on her computer. The rest of her desk would have organizers for her papers. I would create a prayer room for my mom. Then I would put a spa room underground with candles scattered around the room. Either my mom would have a spa in it or she would help other people. The last room would be a essential oil room. It would have all the oils in alphabetical order. There would be oil burners that spread the oil to all parts of the room. This is the house that I would build for my mom.

May you feel this type of love from your children and students.

It's my birthday wish to you.

As I write, I close my eyes and send it to you.

Feel loved today, my friend.

Right Brain Success through the Heart

Many parents ask:

What "100% success formula" should I follow when teaching my child Right Brain Education?

Answer 1: There is no formula.

It's true! There really isn't. Your child is a living, breathing, one-of-a-kind divine creation. There is no one like him or her in the whole wide world. You cannot stick him in a box. Every child should learn uniquely, with elements designed with his passions, desires and very specific needs in mind.

Learn the developmental patterns, learn different techniques to teach different academic areas, but then, step back and observe your child: Where is he now, developmentally? What does he need? What does he love?

Answer 2: YOU are the formula. YOU hold the key to your child's success in your hands—when you place relationships before results.

Please, please, please review your motives before you start any early learning program (TweedleWink) or Photographic Memory/Speed Reading program (Wink). Why do you want this for your child? If the answer is to enjoy learning right along with your child—to pull out his innate genius and maximize his potential through love and fun—then, proceed. But if you have an agenda to create a child genius, and that agenda does not include a close, loving bond—then, please stop and take a look at that. This precious being—your child—is in your life for a purpose. To bring joy, to experience joy, to learn, and to teach you.

Love accelerates genius.

This is a great truth and the basis for the success of all of our programs. But, why foster genius? What is the intention that makes this a beautiful, rather than self-serving, endeavor?

The purpose of heightening a child's IQ, which should always be done in tandem with EQ, is to foster a greater awareness and understanding of our world. The more we understand, we more we can see from others' points of view. The more we can see from others' points of view, the greater peace is possible in the world. Intelligence, with compassion and love, also brings inventiveness and ingenuity that can yield the technology needed to heal the world.

You can change the world, one heart at a time.

It's not just a slogan.

Learn the techniques. Learn the philosophy. And then, trust your own right-brain instincts, intuitive creativity, focus on your loving bond with your child and get started.

Answer 3: How you teach is just as important as what you teach, and that is not formulated: it is unique to your own right-brain creativity.

In order to know how, you sort of have to be like a "child-whisperer." You need to experience your child with more than just the five senses. Watch him. Listen to him. Really see how he relates to others and to new information. Feel him. Wonder about why he might be reacting the way he does—ponder that, and then, listen to the answers that come to you. Trust your instincts.

Teach according to the beat of the heart.

This is awkward to relate, but I'd like to share how you can do this when you've opened your own right-brain sensibilities. When I go into alpha wave state in class, I begin to feel a rhythm—an actual beat, or pulsing, in my body. When the class is with one student, I feel it very quickly. When it is with a group of children, it slowly begins to pulse after the team has started to settle in to a lesson and focus together. It's a gentle beat and I will teach according to this rhythm.

This pulsing feels like a heart-to-heart connection—a blending or matching of our heart beats. Sometimes, it is slow. Sometimes, it's incredibly fast and my body has to keep up with the presentation of material, with the quick pace of the child's thirst for knowledge.

This pulsing is something that most teachers just sense, or intuit, without, perhaps, the physical sensation. When people come together, our hearts will either match rhythms and resonate, or not—and that's when people tend to not relate to one another.

So, "feel" your child—through your own special style. Think: "eyes to eyes, heart to heart." And, trust your inner instincts. If your motive is love, then all the guidance you need will follow.

:-)

TweedleWink Teachers

This post is long overdue.

It is dedicated to our teachers with deep, deep gratitude, love and appreciation.

TweedleWink teachers give this program Light and Life through the love and devotion they have for the children in their classes.

It takes a lot to see each child's most positive state of being—and to hold that image for them consistently.

The teachers I've come to know and am honored to teach with in our classrooms are top notch and genuine. They know how to balance fun and play with the delivery of a quality educational program.

Becoming Childlike

Here is how you know if you are a right brain teacher.

Situation: The children in your class stop listening to your world cultures lesson. Instead, they pretend that they are cowboys and cowgirls, that they are on horses and begin to gallop around the classroom.

If you are a left-brain teacher
...you will be come frustrated because the children are not paying attention. You will demand that they sit down, sit still, be quiet and listen to the lesson.

If you are a right-brain teacher
...you will gallop, too—joining in the fun of creating a multi-sensorial right brain image—adding content from the day's lesson, whatever it might be.
Are you visiting France in the World Cultures segment? Then you'll gallop around the Eiffel tower, stopping off for a bite of cheese. Saying "Merci" to the French cheesemaker, with a fond "Au revoir!" and then counting from 1-10 in French before galloping off once again.

This level of joyful creativity we cannot train, it has to be there to begin with.

It all begins with Love.

It takes a lot to be a right brain teacher. It takes patience, unconditional love, focus, play, creativity and joy.

Our Wink and TweedleWink classes are weekly one-hour classes. Each class is information-rich.

Teachers take time each week to study the topics to be presented, practicing the languages, games and songs over and over before the new weekly lessons begin.

There's much to study beforehand!

In a TweedleWink class, we feature 8 segments:

• vision enhancement (photographic intake)
• vocabulary-builders
• world cultures (including geography and language)
• music (including classical music, rhythm, and perfect pitch training with tuning forks)
• reading (phonics, whole words, love of literature)
• math (dot recognition, equation play)
• science
• art (fine art, cultural arts and crafts)

...all using movement, play, songs and meaningful interaction with the children.

In a Wink class, we feature the 7 steps:

• Alpha Relaxation
• Eye Exercises
• PhotoEyeplay
• Mental Imaging (3-dimensional, multi-sensorial)
  
• Observation Training
• Memory Linking
• Photographic Memory and Speed Reading
  

So, as you can see, it's a lot.

For the teacher, it's not an easy routine—it's a work-out because of everything we cover and all the constant movement! But, for the men and women who have joined our teaching team, it is truly a labor of love.

I really just want to say: God bless you, teachers. You are truly amazing.

Thank you!

Fred Rogers: A Tribute to Kindness

A statue was unveiled today.

A friendly likeness of Fred Rogers now looks over the Allegheny River in downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He is depicted smiling in kind greeting while tying his shoes.

When I saw the news about it, I felt compelled to write, to rejoice, to share, and to feel immense gratitude that he had the courage to offer himself so honestly to the development of children everywhere.

For those of us who grew up in the United States, his is a familiar face. More commonly known as "Mr. Rogers," Fred was a youth minister who left his vocation to become a children's television host.

It didn't matter what kind of day you might be having. Watching Mr. Rogers changed your outlook. His program was a safe, gentle oasis of love and learning. He taught many types of things—most notably how to honor yourself and others for unique differences. We were immersed in his gentleness and grandfatherly feeling.

Sadly, Mr. Rogers left this world in 2003, after having touched many, many hearts since his program debuted in 1968.

This is the remarkable part of his story...

Fred Rogers' gentle television personality was not a television personality. It was who he was. He was gentle and kind when he was off-camera, at work, and at home. He was a simple man. He believed in goodness. He believed in listening to people from the heart. And he believed that children deserved respect and love.

For those of you who may not know Mr. Rogers, here is a little video clip that was made to introduce his lifetime achievements at the Emmy Awards for daytime television in the US.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBt8keQTPb0

When Fred stepped up to receive this award, he did so—so, so, so very humbly. He used that one moment in the spotlight to honor not himself, but others—all those who helped those in the audience and those viewing from their homes—achieve their highest potential.

Here is that clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Upm9LnuCBUM

As children, Mr. Rogers used to sing a song to us. Yes, admittedly, to all the millions—but I think that his intention was that the message be received by each one of us so that we would feel like the one special one he was speaking to...

I'm Proud of You

I'm proud of you. I'm proud of you.
I hope that you're as proud as
I am proud of you.
I'm proud of you.
I hope that you are proud

And that you're
Learning how important you are,
How important each person you see can be.
Discovering each one's specialty
Is the most important learning.

I'm proud of you. I'm proud of you.
I hope that you're as proud as
I am proud of you.
I'm proud of you.
I hope that you are proud of you, too!

By Fred M. Rogers
© 1970

I just want to thank you, Mr. Rogers. For caring for all the millions, and for showing us how to be good parents and teachers when it came turn for us to pass on this message to the next generation.

It's our turn to look into a child's eyes and tell them how special and unique they are.

Next time, I'm in Pittsburgh, I'm going to come and give you a hug.

Gratefully,

Pamela


p.s. Mister Roger's Neighborhood is still available for children. Here is their web site:
http://pbskids.org/rogers/index.html

Photo credits: (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic) People attending the dedication mingle around the statue of the late Fred Rogers of the PBS television program 'Mr. Rogers Neighborhood' in Pittsburgh, Thursday, Nov. 5, 2009. The statue by renowned sculptor Robert Berks depicts the children's television pioneer changing his shoes as he had done in the beginning of his show.

LIVE TweedleWink and Wink Training in Kuala Lumpur—October, 2009

Hello, everyone!

It is autumn in Asia.

As I write, I look outside my office window and see lush Malaysian rainforest mountains. Several years ago, our office looked out on the snowy peaked Rocky Mountains of Montana. Quite a change!

I'm quietly reflecting about how this method has traveled over the whole world—East and West.

I am in awe and so grateful to see others feel the joy of right-brain learning. It is so incredible to see people shining with inner joy -- both children AND parents and teachers.

I'm so pleased to say that Level 2 LIVE training is now available!

We are open for registration.

RIGHT BRAIN KIDS
LIVE Parent-Teacher Training Event
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

TweedleWink: Level 2 • Wink: Level 2
October 9-11 (Fri-Sun) • October 12-14 (Mon-Wed)

REGISTRATION

Click here to learn more.

http://www.rightbrainkids.com/level2training/
(Prices, materials and how to register are included.)

Please join me for highly personalized training. I am hoping for a small, intimate group for both courses. A high level of nurturing can occur with small groups.

And if you cannot come, please be at ease: these courses will be videotaped and packaged for future students at a later date.

We will also have teams trained to teach it from our new training center! (Yes, one is being established here in Asia!)

If you would rather have live, one-on-one training with me, then sign up now.

I'm so honored to help anyone who comes.

Kindly,

Pamela

Please note: This live training is NOT advertised in our store or training center.

If you have NOT taken Level 1 yet and really, really, really want to attend, then just go for it!

Sign up for Level 1 now. Download the 10 hours of audio, put it in your MP3 player or iPod, listen to it on the plane! Where there is a will, there is a way.

I've made a prayer for all who come to this small gathering be here at the right time in their lives for significant positive personal change.

We can change the world, one heart at a time.

One Heart at a Time

After all these years, I'm just so very proud and grateful to be able to present:

Right Brain Education
Changing the World One Heart at a Time

It'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.

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! :-)

A blessing for your day.

There's a beautiful Native American greeting, and I believe it is from the Apache tribe elders.

May the sun
~bring you new energy by day.
May the moon
~restore you by night.
May the rain
~wash away your worries.
May the breeze
~blow new strength into your being.
May you walk
~gently through the world and know its beauty all the days of your life.

I thought that I would post this kind blessing to everyone who visits this blog.

It seems that the summer months were full of e-mails and calls from parents who are just trying to balance everything on their plate and needed someone to say: "Everything is going to be okay."

And, if you didn't hear that yet...

Everything is going to be okay.

As parents, our lives can be so busy. We think about what our children are eating. What they're wearing. What they're learning. How they are integrating with their environment, their teachers and their peers.

Are they loving and kind? Are they happy? Are they healthy? Are they clean? Are they safe?

We are on constant watch.

But that mindset can sometimes take us out of just being in the moment with our children. With ourselves.

So, if your intuition brought you to this page today, take a moment. Take a deep breath. Think of your children in their highest, happiest, most positive state--hugging you, laughing with you, playing with you.

Savor that.

And...

May your children
~remind you of the beauty and loveliness of your own being.

__________________________________________________________
Please note: The above picture of the Zinnia was taken from this site.

Did you know?
As a flower essence, Zinnia enhances one’s ability to rediscover the child-like qualities of playfulness, joy, delight, unconditional love, and a spirit of lighthearted innocence and adventure.

Healing the Right Brain

I had it on my heart to share a story with you today.

Bradley, a 7-year-old boy, sat down for a right brain lesson. After Alpha Relaxation, we started to play a Wink Eye Exercise game. As his eyes ran across the eye exercise card, he began to grow angry. "I don't like this!" he cried.

"That's okay, Bradley." I said as I gently removed the card from his hands. "What do you want to play instead?"

"I want to play with these..." he murmured as he reached toward the policemen figurines. They were colored in blue, red and yellow for Observation Training play. But before we could get to the game, he began to fight with them—pretending that they were at war. He voiced anger from one man to another. I let him play it out for a little bit, and then I picked up one of the figurines.

"Hello, Bradley," the small policeman bellowed as he looked lifesize Bradley squarely in the eyes. "Tell me, why are you so sad?"

Bradley's eyes began to water as he told the policeman about a schoolyard bully who called him a girl at recess. The other children followed his lead, laughing and teasing him.

The little policeman patiently listened while Bradley's mother, who sat behind him, covered her mouth in a gasp.

Bradley continued to explain about how he felt when he was humiliated. Slowly, slowly, the anger began to subside.

"Bradley," the policeman finally spoke up. "I'd like to shake your hand." Bradley reached for his teeny-tiny hand and shook it.

"You were very brave," explained the policeman.

"Okay," sniffled Bradley.

"And I think that your mom wants to give you a hug," he continued.

Bradley turned to face his mother and they shared a tearful hug. The rest of the lesson was dedicated to their embrace because as soon as he was inside her arms, he just completely let go and cried.

The next lesson, Bradley was back to his cheerful self. The school yard issue had worked itself out and he was happy once again.

The right brain is all about memory and emotion. Everyday negative experiences greatly impact learning.

Love is so key.

So, what happens when a child, or a parent, has experienced trauma?

The right brain shuts down.

The limbic system—our natural defense system valiantly guarding our most vulnerable self—quickly limits access to our creative intuitive mind until things are safe and/or loving once again.

One very effective way to treat the little hurts that come our way is through talking each day. But another way is to release negative memories through a form of acupressure called EFT, or Emotional Freedom Technique. It is quick, easy to learn and easy to use in any situation—large or small.

As EFT founder, Gary Craig, shared in a recent article:

"The basic idea is simple. Every night, while children are being tucked into bed, parents should ask...

"Can you tell me about your good and bad thoughts as well as the good and bad things that happened to you today?"

Then, as the events are being told (both good and bad), the parents should lightly and lovingly either tap or gently rub the EFT points.

(You can read more of his article, entitled A "must" EFT procedure for children here.)

To download a free manual to learn EFT for yourself, your family or classroom, please go to: www.emofree.com/.)

Please Note: Right Brain Kids does not have an affiliate relationship with this site, or profit from referrals in any way. We just really, really, love this technique. We want to see all obstacles to right brain development cleared so that you and your child's potential can fully blossom and shine!

You, Me and the Honeybee...

This article came across my desk today:

Memory in honeybees: What the right and left antenna tell the left and right brain from PhysOrg.com

It is widely known that the right and left hemispheres of the brain perform different tasks. Lesions to the left hemisphere typically bring impairments in language production and comprehension, while lesions to the right hemisphere give rise to deficits in the visual-spatial perception, such as the inability to recognize familiar faces.

[...]

I think this is so fascinating!

As our friends in the scientific community delve more into brain research, we may find out more about ourselves through the investigation of other life species.

Truly, we are One.


(Photo courtesy of Jon Sullivan at http://www.pdphoto.org)

If The Right Brain Could Talk...

...it would sound a lot like Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor.

She has firsthand knowledge of the splendor, the peace, the bliss of the right brain state of mind.

You see, one terrible day, Dr. Taylor, a 37-year-old Harvard neuroscientist, had a debilitating stroke. Afterward, she could not walk, talk, read, write, or recall any of her life. Over the next six years, because of her understanding of how the brain works, her respect for the cells composing her human form, and an amazingly strong, loving and patient mother, Jill completely recovered. (Hooray for Jill's mother and all mothers who never give up!)

And now she has something very special to share.

In Jill's book My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist's Personal Journey, she beautifully outlines the insight she gained into the unique functions of the right and left halves of her brain.

From her web site (http://www.drjilltaylor.com):

"Having lost the categorizing, organizing, describing, judging and critically analyzing skills of her left brain, along with its language centers and thus ego center, Jill’s consciousness shifted away from normal reality. In the absence of her left brain’s neural circuitry, her consciousness shifted into present moment thinking whereby she experienced herself 'at one with the universe.'"

This "oneness" is the innocent child-like state that the right brain calls home. It is precious. It thrives on love. And it can remain a reality for all children growing up into adulthood as long as we continue to pay attention to how we treat them, how we speak to them, how we care and tend to their needs.

That "right brain state of awareness" is where true wisdom exists.

If you know me, you know that right brain learning is not all about speed reading and photographic memory--it is almost an after-thought once the right brain is wide open and able to express itself. But through left-brain cultural habits, we measure it, we push for it, and then we lose the prize.

But if you place love and kindness as your first priority, then all else will follow. And it will do more than just helping your child ace his (her) math exams. He (she) could change the world through love.

Jill teaches us through her own example how we might more readily exercise our own right hemispheric circuitry with the intention of helping all human beings become more humane.

She shares:

“I believe the more time we spend running our deep inner peace circuitry, then the more peace we will project into the world, and ultimately the more peace we will have on the planet.”

Albert Einstein once said, "I must be willing to give up what I am in order to become what I will be."

Jill certainly did.

We are so inspired by her courage and the gift she has been able to give us through her personal journey of healing.

Your right brain is speaking...are you listening?


To learn more about Dr. Jill and her personal journey, please visit:

(1) Dr. Jill's website: http://www.drjilltaylor.com
(2) Oprah's web site (Jill's 4-part interview will be aired through May this month!)
(3) Dr. Jill's incredible presentation at TED http://www.ted.com/talks/view/id/229

...

On a personal note, we would like to thank Dr. Jill for permission to use her photographs in this blog. Her encouraging words put wind in our sails!

Right Brain Education in America

Many of our Right Brain students and customers hail from around the world, so I won't take too much of your time pulling you into American politics. But because education is a major issue in the election, Right Brain Education seems to be popping up as a possible solution to making education more effective for every type of learner.

The US "No Child Left Behind" government policy has, sadly, left many children (and frustrated teachers) down. Politicians meet everyday American families, teachers and children from state to state. They inevitably see and hear the effects of this policy and have to address it.

Enter, the right brain.

"Education is only a true education if we're developing both the left and right brain of the student," says Mike Huckabee (former Arkansas governor) when addressing education during a live teleconference. "The left brain is great for math and science and all the logical forms of education, but knowing what to do with what a student has learned is as important as what they've learned. Music and art, teaching the stimulation of the creative side, is absolutely critical to a total well-rounded education.

"Music students do 20 points better on SAT scores than nonmusic students. They learn foreign languages better," the former governor and presidential candidate said. "Take a room of 5-year-olds and give them a piece of paper and crayon and every one of them draws a picture. … When he's 15 that kid won't draw the picture or sing the song. Somehow the education system beat out of him or her the creativity that was innate in that student."

What Mr. Huckabee did not say is that when the right brain is FULLY utilized, children benefit from speed learning using their creative, photographic mind to scan information much faster and more joyfully than when it's continually repeated through left-brain drills.

An educational system infused with right brain techniques will truly leave no child left behind--and, as Reverend Jeremiah Wright rightly addressed in his NACCP address last night: it can close the gap on inequality in education as a whole.

Please read this excerpt from his speech.

"Dr. Hale showed us that in comparing African-American children and European-American children in the field of education, we were comparing apples and rocks.

"And in so doing, we kept coming up with meaningless labels like EMH, educable mentally handicapped, TMH, trainable mentally handicapped, ADD, attention deficit disorder.

"And we were coming up with more meaningless solutions like reading, writing and Ritalin. Dr. Hale's research led her to stop comparing African-American children with European-American children and she started comparing the pedagogical methodologies of African-American children to African children and European-American children to European children. And bingo, she discovered that the two different worlds have two different ways of learning. European and European-American children have a left brained cognitive object oriented learning style and the entire educational learning system in the United States of America. Back in the early '70s, when Dr. Hale did her research was based on left brained cognitive object oriented learning style. Let me help you with fifty cent words.

"Left brain is logical and analytical. Object oriented means the student learns from an object. From the solitude of the cradle with objects being hung over his or her head to help them determine colors and shape to the solitude in a carol in a PhD program stuffed off somewhere in a corner in absolute quietness to absorb from the object. From a block to a book, an object. That is one way of learning, but it is only one way of learning.

"African and African-American children have a different way of learning.

"They are right brained, subject oriented in their learning style. Right brain that means creative and intuitive. Subject oriented means they learn from a subject, not an object. They learn from a person. Some of you are old enough, I see your hair color, to remember when the NAACP won that tremendous desegregation case back in 1954 and when the schools were desegregated. They were never integrated. When they were desegregated in Philadelphia, several of the white teachers in my school freaked out. Why? Because black kids wouldn't stay in their place. Over there behind the desk, black kids climbed up all on them.

"Because they learn from a subject, not from an object. Tell me a story. They have a different way of learning. Those same children who have difficulty reading from an object and who are labeled EMH, DMH and ADD. Those children can say every word from every song on every hip hop radio station half of who's words the average adult here tonight cannot understand. Why? Because they come from a right-brained creative oral culture like the (greos) in Africa who can go for two or three days as oral repositories of a people's history and like the oral tradition which passed down the first five book in our Jewish bible, our Christian Bible, our Hebrew bible long before there was a written Hebrew script or alphabet. And repeat incredulously long passages like Psalm 119 using mnemonic devices using eight line stanzas. Each stanza starting with a different letter of the alphabet. That is a different way of learning. It's not deficient, it is just different. Somebody say different. I believe that a change is going to come because many of us are committed to changing how we see other people who are different."

Bravo, Reverend Wright. Bravo, Mike Huckabee.

Children desperately need a new way to learn.

Let's lead the way!

---

Secret Huckabee Turns Out To Be Clintonesque
By JOSH GERSTEIN
Staff Reporter of the Sun
January 3, 2008
http://www2.nysun.com/article/68832

Transcript of Jeremiah Wright's speech to NAACP
Given April 27, 2008
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/04/28/wright.transcript/