Like many kids, I hated school. I saw no point in sitting there for hours and listening to grown-ups talk in a very boring way about things that had very little application to my personal life, while outside the school’s walls there was a whole world full of adventures and magical lessons.
I felt strongly then, and still do now, that the only thing being taught in school is to do what other people tell you. So, I pride myself for having learned almost nothing at school.
I went to a conventional public school…but I actually didn’t go there that much: my mom says she was there, meeting with the school principal, more than I was. And my sister, who went to the same school, says that the teachers didn’t even know who I was. I did my best to stay away from the school grounds and spent my time in the surrounding farmlands playing music, reading books and thinking about life.
We learn many things in school, mainly so-called “facts”, but what we don’t learn are the many tools that will help us live a better life. Here are a few of the most important things that can support and enhance our lives but I feel are absent from most mainstream school curriculums:
- How to be happy
- How to manage emotions and how to develop self control
- How to communicate in a positive way
- How to keep our body healthy
- How to feel connected to ourselves and be respectful of our bodies
- How to increase our self-esteem
- How to concentrate
- How to relax and find some peace of mind
- How to be creative and how to think independently
- In fact, we don’t even learn how to study in school
Many of the present worldwide school systems were modeled after German schools created in the 1800's for the express purpose of producing obedient soldiers and factory workers. The German system was extremely successful in achieving its goal in Germany and was quickly imitated by other countries.
Creativity, independent thought and action were discouraged because such traits were problematic in a war or a factory. Even today these traits will stand in a kids way of being a successful student in the mainstream educational system; a bureaucratic system which is unable or unwilling to change itself.
As a yoga teacher for kids, I see it as my duty to rebel against this system that will inevitably inhibit kids’ creativity and independent thinking. There is no doubt that as a teacher, or a parent, it is very efficient to have kids who always do what you tell them to do without arguing, and do not talk unless if they are asked or permitted too – but will it serve the real purpose of education, or will it just provide a comfortable space for adults do their job?
So what is the job of educators? Is it to create citizens who will continue life like it is now, or people who will have free and fertile minds that will help us grow as a civilization? What is the real purpose of education? The purpose of education is to give us the tools to live a good and happy life, a life that will support and enhance our society.
Alternative education systems, which have been developed by many, all insist that education should be understood as the art of cultivating the moral, emotional, physical, psychological, and spiritual aspects of the developing child. The individual child is embraced and not expected to conform to a "one model fits all" approach.
Each educational alternative attempts to create and maintain its own methods and approaches to learning and teaching. Practitioners aspire to realize that there are many ways of conceiving and understanding the needs of the whole child in balance with the needs of the community, nature and society at large. Each alternative approach is founded upon certain ways of life and different beliefs about what it means to live, learn, and grow in today's society.
“Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.” Albert Einstein
Just like in schooling, also in a kids’ yoga class there are two attitudes you can adopt if you want to have a “successful” class:
You can scare the kids into whatever you want them to do by shouting at them and punishing them (although they will still do whatever they want behind your back), or you can become their friend, love them and respect them and then, in turn, they will do as you say because they love you and respect you back.
To become the kids’ friend you will need to invest time and effort… but this is still easier than getting upset and fighting with the kids. And being angry is definitely not yoga. Come before and stay after the class and listen to their little stories, be interested in them and their lives and learn all about their likes and dislikes.
You can’t shout at kids “don’t shout!” and expect them to stop shouting. The philosophy of “don’t do what I do; do what I say” doesn’t work with kids – they will always imitate your actions rather than follow your instructions.
Being a good teacher is about having a healthy relationship with your students – like in any relationship, we are mirrors of each other and we get back whatever we give: if you respect the kids, they will respect you. If you listen to the kids, they will listen to you. If you are their friend, they’ll be friendly to you. If you give them control, if you give them choices, if you let them be the leaders, they will let you lead too. If you love them, they will love you. If you are angry with them or if you shout, you will get the same back…
Children watch our behavior, and also sense subtle feelings… you must be confident and trust yourself if you want the kids to listen to anything you say.
In my kids yoga classes I do everything that I can to disassociate my class from monotonous, boring and stressful school settings:
First, we practice in a circle instead of me, the teacher, being in front of the kids. In a circle we are all equals, everyone can see everyone and be seen by everyone, it’s much easier to focus…it’s a community practice!
Second, we co-create the class instead of me just telling them what to do. I ask the kids where do they want to go to in our imaginary yoga journey today? How do they want to travel there? What do they see there? Should we do this pose/game again? Are there any special things they want to work on today? I let them be the leaders and the teachers once in a while. When you give more control to receive more control.
Anything you can do to separate your yoga classes from the regular boring and discipline-laden school classes will work to make the kids more excited and interested. In short, MAKE IT FUN!
I hate rules. But through years of teaching yoga to kids and being a parent, I have discovered that having no rules at all is not a good idea either. It’s really hard to find the balance between rules and freedom, between structure and creativity.
I used to teach in two neighboring preschools and although they were on the same street, they were total opposites regarding discipline:
A beautiful German lady ran one of them and she ran it with army discipline. She told her students that in her preschool:
“There are two languages here; the language of the giraffes and the language of the coyotes. Do you know what is the language of the giraffes? Giraffes have no vocal cords in their long necks, so their language is silence – that’s considered GOOD in this preschool. The language of the coyotes is making a lot of noise: howling and shouting…and laughing – that’s BAD behavior.”
So in that preschool the rule was that you were only allowed to be a giraffe (totally silent). Make a little noise, and the response that you’d get would be:
“What is that! Coyotes? No no no no no… not in our preschool! Here only giraffes, please.”
In many ways, this was the easiest place for me to teach. It was a huge group of over forty kids, but I never had any discipline issues. On the other hand, whenever I tried to do an activity that involved a lot of creativity, dancing or dramatic movement, they almost froze and had a hard time expressing themselves. I took it as my mission there to push the kids to be a bit wild!
The neighboring preschool was the total opposite. The director there believed that kids know best for themselves, and unless they do something to harm themselves or others, they should be left to explore their surrounding, their bodies and their voices using their creativity and imagination.
As far as discipline and kids doing what I ask them to do, this was one of the hardest places I ever taught in… but it was also the most fun place I ever taught in! And many of the poses and game I use now were invented there, by me and by the kids. This open-minded space allowed the kids to be creative and inventive--they were not limited by adults who continuously told them that there was only one right way to do things.
As a yoga teacher for kids, you will need to find the place where you feel comfortable…somewhere between being a giraffe and a coyote.
I believe that if the class is fun and interesting and appropriate to the age and level of the students, there will be no space for “misbehaviors” or “interferences” as the kids will be too absorbed in the class. “Bad behavior” is usually just a bad way of a kid trying to get attention. If there is love, support, touch and listening from the teachers’ side, this kind of behavior is generally eliminated.
But, whatever rules you do choose to set in your classroom, make sure you keep them. If you break your own rules the kids will quickly learn that there are actually no rules at all and that they can do whatever they want. But rules are hard to keep, so don’t make too many rules.
I only have one rule in my classes: RESPECT! Respect can mean many things: listening to each other including the teacher, no violence, no put-downs, relaxation is a quiet time… Respect really means the Golden Rule: Treat others like you want to be treated. Or for rebellious boys who say they like to be hit, you can establish the Platinum Rule: Treat others like THEY want to be treated.
Another point that I find to be very significant when teaching kids is to change your expectation. Remember that your students are just kids and that chatting, playing, wandering away for a bit and not always being perfect is part of being human and especially a human child. If your expectations are not realistic you are going to get upset…come to class to play, not to work!
Most adults have forgotten what it was like to be a kid and they therefore expect that kids should listen and participate and do what they are told all the time…but kids are kids; they play, laugh, explore, test boundaries and express their emotions and their needs whenever they feel like – Things that we as adults should learn to do more!
As a kids’ yoga teacher, if you come to mainstream educational institutions, do your best to allow the kids a little taste of freedom and creativity and real life, breaking the constricting walls of always being told what is the truth and how to do everything.
Look at each individual child as an individual! Open your eyes and see that kids are not the same. Some kids need more attention and some need to be left alone, some need more guidance and need to be told what to do and others need freedom, some need more physical contact, some learn better by watching and others by listening/moving. Try to find something special in every child. The more you see those differences and special qualities the better teacher you’ll be!
I used to teach in one preschool where there was a kid who had some issues at home and was not able to communicate well with his classmates. He and I became good friends, and every time I came to teach he would climb on my back and I would teach the whole class piggy-backing him. Every two or three poses he would climb down and do the pose as instructed for a few seconds before returning to his permanent place on my back.
This continued for the whole year. You would expect the other kids to become jealous and also ask to be carried on my back; but this never happened. All the kids were just happy and content that that the initially very violent kid was not hitting them.
Even though equality is extremely important to kids, in their world they totally understand that they are not all the same and that they need different things. Some of the kids in your classes will definitely need special attention or special things from you in order to fully participate in a class.
In another preschool where I taught for a few years, there was a little girl named Daniela. She was, secretly, my favorite student. She always sat right beside me in class… but never did what I told the kids to do! If I was guiding the kids to do one pose, she would do something totally different that she would invent on the spot. I really learned so much from her!
Sometimes the preschool teacher was present and would shout at Daniela for not following my instructions; Daniela would always respond by crying. Is it our job as teachers to suppress children’s creativity?
The other kids in Daniela’s class never complained about her doing what she wanted; they understood that she had a special job in their society – being the creative person. We have so much we can learn from kids!
“Earth and sky, woods and fields, lakes and rivers, the mountain and the sea, are excellent schoolmasters, and teach some of us more than we can ever learn from books.” John Lubbock
Coming up soon, a follow-up article by Gopala Amir Yaffe & Angel Choroszy with a description of many of the alternative education systems existing today and how you can apply them to your yoga class.