Jane and Carol in Virginia use Brain Education to bring health and success to kids
Though childhood is touted as being carefree, learning to manage oneself while integrating information in a classroom setting can be stressful and altogether impossible for some children.
Jane Gordon, a Dahn Master at the Burke, Virginia Dahn Yoga Center and public schoolteacher in Gifted Education that includes special needs children, has transformed her eighth grade classroom into an integrative, fun, mind/body environment where the children are thriving. “The government has a ‘No child left behind’ policy, but as a teacher I found that many of the students were just that.” Desiring to find a more holistic approach, she was naturally drawn to the Power Brain Kids workshop offered through Dahn Yoga.
“Brain Education addresses the whole child, helping develop skills that will aid them throughout their entire life, not just while taking one test.” After applying the principles she learned in the workshop, Jane began to see a dramatic difference in her students. “I saw kids with A.D.H.D. and autism finding tools to slow their brains enough to manage the information coming at them while developing the ability to calm themselves enough to participate.”
With these techniques, she began to see the kids open up and trust themselves more. Stronger relationships began to form not only between her and the students but also amongst the students. Jane wasn’t the only one to notice the change. “The Principal and other teachers could see that something was different in my classes.”
In fall 2010, Fairfax County launched a seven-week Brain Education pilot program for eighth graders that was moderated by Karmen Rouland, Ph.D., educational research consultant. The one hundred fifty-seven student participants were divided into two groups: a Control Group, whose classes did not have Brain Education integrated into the curriculum, and a Treatment Group, whose classes did. The two groups met once a week for thirty minutes. The results of the study show measurable differences between the two groups of children. The children who learned BE self-management showed a statistically significant increase in motivation and self-confidence. Dr. Rouland presented the results of the study at a United Nations conference last October.
One other person at the same Dahn Yoga Center, Carol MacLean, is no less passionate than Jane. Carol started teaching BE to kids just because she loves children so much. “The kids are our future. If they can learn to connect to energy and learn how to manage their bodies and minds—what a wonderful future we will have!” Jane and Carol work closely to further the reach of BE because they have the same vision of bringing BE to local schools. Carol says, “We have been able to encourage and empower each other. Jane’s success has inspired me to move forward with my dream.”
After taking the Power Brain Kids workshop, Carol began teaching after school programs for children aged five through twelve. “I was fired up after the workshop. I made an announcement to all of the members at Burke Center that I wanted to teach a children’s class at the center and asked for any connections to initiate outreach possibilities.” Carol began teaching a ten-week BE class in spring 2008. “Kids are very open, pure, honest, and already somewhat connected to the energy world … so it is easy to show them that they are.” In fall 2008, Carol began teaching BE for SACC, an after school program in the public school system.
Carol and Jane worked side by side, sharing their passion for BE with as many people as they could. “We could never reach all of the schools ourselves. In August 2011, an opportunity came to teach all of the teachers in Fairfax County to use BE in their classroom!” Carol shares, “I was thrilled that it all came together the way they did. I realized that if I am in the right place at the right time and just say yes, amazing things happen. You never know where an opportunity is going to lead! If I can do it, anyone can. I am not a teacher, I just have a passion for kids.”
Jane and Carol have a joint vision of opening a Power Brain Center where Brain Education will be offered not only to children but also to families and teachers. “We want to bring hope to the kids. We want to help them develop the confidence to be able to change the world and be in charge of creating the world they dream of.”
— Rebecca Tinkle