by Mary Ernsberger, a graduate of Southwest Institute of Healing Arts' Associate of Occupational Studies Degree in Mind/Body Transformational Psychology, Master Hypnotherapy Program, Associate of Occupational Studies in Holistic Health Care, and the Western Herbalism program.

Have you ever noticed the negative energy that seems to surround the youth of our nation?  Are the children and teens in our schools angry?  Does their attitude affect their academic progress? 

The answer to all three of these questions is YES! 

These young people chose to incarnate during a time of great change on this planet. 

Problems arise when the educational system in our country continues to teach these new kids the way kids were taught twenty years ago.  No longer will kids “be seen and not heard.”  Back in the day – as the youth of today say – kids did what their teachers told them to do, no questions asked.  Not any more.  Today’s kids want to be involved in their education.  They want to be taught subjects they are interested in and subjects that apply to their futures.  Even required subjects can be made interesting if the teacher knows how to teach to each student’s different learning style.  The ability to memorize rote facts and regurgitate this information onto state tests only applies to one of eight learning styles.  Lets do the math – if the class has thirty-two (32) students and only one (1) of eight (8) learns the way the teacher is teaching – how many kids “are left behind?”   

So is your child in the minority or the majority?   Are you familiar with the eight learning styles?  They are:

VERBAL/LINGUISTIC LEARNING STYLE – “The Word Player” This learning style is related to words and language – written and spoken.  It also dominates most educational systems in the United States. 

LOGICAL/MATHEMATICAL LEARNING STYLE – “The Questioner” Often called “scientific thinking.” This learning style is related to inductive and deductive thinking and reasoning, numbers and the recognition of abstract patterns. 

VISUAL/SPATIAL LEARNING STYLE – “The Visualizer” This learning style relies on the sense of sight and being able to visualize an object, including the ability to create internal mental images/pictures.  People who enjoy mediation and guided imagery or hypnosis are commonly very visual or spatial learners. 

INTRAPERSONAL LEARNING STYLE – “The Individual” This learning style relates to inner states of being, self-reflection, metacognition (i.e. thinking about thinking) and awareness of spiritual realities. 

INTERPERSONAL LEARNING STYLE – “The Socializer” This learning style operates primarily through person-to-person relationships and communication. 

BODILY/KINESTHETIC LEARNING STYLE – “The Mover” This learning style is related to physical movement and the knowing/wisdom of the body, including the brain’s motor cortex, which controls bodily motion. 

MUSICAL/RHYTHMIC LEARNING STYLE – “The Music Lover” This learning style is based on the recognition of tonal patterns, including various environmental sounds, and on sensitivity to rhythm and beats. 

NATURALISTIC LEARNING STYLE – “The Outdoorsman” This learning style is based on the sensing of patterns in and making connections to elements in nature. 

Which one of these learning styles fits you?  Which one fits your child?  Would your home be happier if you knew what you have in common with your child or, more importantly, what’s different?

So where did that attitude come from?  What if no matter how hard you tried, you just couldn’t get what you were being taught?  How long would you keep trying? 

As an adult in the work place – how many jobs have you had over the course of your lifetime that you just didn’t fit into?   How long did you stick around before you quit or got fired?

Young people in elementary and junior high can’t quit.  The law requires them to go to school until they are sixteen (16) years old. 
And no matter how much some teachers would like to – they can’t fire their students. 

So what’s the answer?  Why don’t we take all these kids that don’t fit and force them into the “box?”  Oh wait – we’ve done that.  We have labeled these young people as “disabled.”  Society has created disorders that make drugging the youth of America legal.  Over 4 million school age children are being given mind-altering drugs. 

At what point do we say enough!  These young people deserve better.  They deserve to express their individuality, creativity and intelligence their own way.  They need to be taught that there are positive ways to express themselves.  They need to know that they are not “disabled.” 

Start by finding out which learning style best describes how you learn, and go tell your boss.  Then find out how your child learns and how subjects are being taught in your child’s school.  Share your findings with other family members, friends, neighbors and/or parents of your child’s friends.  As a group, you can go to a PTA or PTO meeting.  If you are not satisfied with the answers you are given, don’t be afraid to go to the school’s administration and even the school board if you have to. 

Young people learn by example.  What kind of example are you setting for the leaders of tomorrow?

About the author – Mary M. Ernsberger was a featured speaker at the Emerging Healers Conference (www.emerginghealers.com) in July, 2007.  She is a Mind-Body Therapist, certified Master Hypnotherapist and Life Coach for children and families.  Mary is the author of “Recognizing The Greatness In Each Child,” available at www.lulu.com.  Mary specializes in working with children & families of those that have been diagnosed with ADD/ADHD or other behavioral disorders.  Call (480) 343-9555, e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and visit her web site www.hypno4kids.com for more information.

The 1960’s gave birth to the Flower child.  Remember the slogan – “Make Love Not War”?  Unfortunately, the world wasn’t ready for peace. 

The 1970’s got lost in disco in response to the “flower children” going corporate.  Materialism took over – everyone had to have what the “Jones” had.  For the most part, gone was the time when one parent could earn enough money to support the family.  Both parents had to work outside the home and “latch-key” kids were born. 

The job of raising America’s children fell on the school system.  Classroom crowding and creative program cutting became common place.  Teachers were searching for ways to keep it all together.  Hello – ADHD!  This diagnosis made it OK to sedate growing numbers of children so teachers could feed in the mounds of data necessary for children to pass the “standardized testing” which allows school districts to receive the funding they need.  Just about everyone has heard or seen the guidelines used to diagnose this disorder. 

Recent studies, however, indicate an alarming coordination between children diagnosed as ADHD and those that are truly gifted/exceptional.  The National Foundation for Gifted and Creative Children has listed the following characteristics to help parents and educators identify “potentially gifted” children:

• Highly sensitive and often emotional
• Has excessive amounts of energy
• Bores easily – may appear to have short attention span
• Resists authority if it’s not democratically oriented
• Becomes easily frustrated
• Learns from an exploratory level – often resisting rote memory or just sitting back and listening
• Cannot sit still unless absorbed in something of their own interest
• Is very compassionate – may fear the death or loss of loved ones
• May give up and develop permanent learning blocks

What happens when a child can’t sit still in his seat, or likes to tap his fingers or pencil on the desktop, or can’t get his work turned in on time, if he finishes it at all?  What happens when a child “dances to the beat of a different drummer?”  Maybe your child just doesn’t learn and relate to the world the same way “everyone else does.” 

Doreen Virtue, PhD., recently asked, “What if ADHD actually stood for – Attention Dialed into a Higher Dimension?  Has anyone bothered to ask?  Have you asked your child – and then listened – really listened to what they have to say?   Because if you have, you have found that children are full of wonderful, bright, innovative thoughts and ideas and most of them aren’t afraid to tell you so!  These children know that they are here for a higher purpose.  They resist being forced to “learn” things that they instinctively know they will not need to fulfill that purpose.   Remember the Lightworkers we started with?  Now is the time for all of us to step up to the plate.  A new age has dawned.  Can you see the light?