A Transforming Lesson

I have just read the ‘The Values of Humanity’ Mindful Doctor post from Dr Craig Brown and it really resonates with me. I just want to share an exercise I introduced whilst I was a Further Education College Lecturer working with many students from below the poverty line.

A Class of Animosity

At the time, one class of 22 young adults had formed into factions and there was anger and fighting amongst them, with great animosity to each other. The atmosphere in the class became so toxic that everyone was becoming ill (including me) so I decided enough was enough.

I scrapped the next two lesson plans and I put the tables into 11 groups of two. I paired each student with one from a different fraction so they were forced to sit with the people that they did not like the most.

A Transforming Exercise

I gave them all a list of “12 Treasures of the Self”

12 Treasures of the self:
1 Peace
2 Appreciation
3 Inner Strength
4 Self-Awareness
5 Clarity
6 Understanding
7 Dignity
8 Choice
9 Hope
10 Contentment
11 Kindness
12 Gratitude

I then said they had 30 minutes to put together as many facts about each other as they could – what their interests and hobbies, music and fashion tastes, aspirations and likes were.
Then they had to compile a list of their 20 best skills and attributes. They could not write any criticism or negative wording; everything had to be positive and praise worthy.
They then had to present their findings to the rest of the class.

A Class of Raised Vibration

The atmosphere changed beyond belief. By the end of the lesson you would not have thought it was the same class as before. Grades and attendance figures went from 30% to over 90%. Many of them went on to distinctions. The class ended with group hugs – something I never thought I would ever see.

To this day I often think of that exercise and the radical change it made. Whenever a shift in the consciousness takes place, the results are always above and beyond expectation. The change in the vibration was felt by everyone and it spread like a bushfire. Wonderful!

Reading Craig’s article reminded me of that.

Frank Fallows