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Kathy Krebs and I rocked teaching Bouncing on Heels and Crossed Arms from Bones for Life and a Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement lesson on rotation in standing. The follow-up sharing, awareness, and interest was fantastic. What a great group of teachers, Dr. Sharon Merrill has in her program. It was so easy to pull forward principles of somatic education based on comments. There were some great questions on classroom application and if I do say so myself, some great ideas (given we had only a few minutes for that part).  The hunger in the room for more was almost palpable.  Thank you Xavier Special Ed!  Thank you Kathy Krebs!  Thank you Sharon Merrill!

In May of 2011, three of us will be co-teaching a 20 classroom hrs workshop in Xavier's summer program.  All this action is an outgrowth of a small interdisciplinary think group that formed almost a year ago to ask the question, "How can somatics be mainstreamed into the classroom?" 

Currently engaging in this Cincinnati based-discussion (and now action) group besides myself are Donna Lilley, Physical Therapist and Feldenkrais practitioner; Kathy Krebs, Occupational Therapist (and future Bones for Life Teacher), Sharon Merrill, Director of Xavier's Special Education Programs, Eileen Frechette a teacher/therapeutic educator with a great background in all kinds of things including Waldorf's way of teaching, and Jane Patty an early intervention childhood specialist.

This is not taking Feldenkrais practitioners or Bones for Life teachers into schools.  Nor is it turning teachers into somatic educators but instead examining ways to give teachers rich, deep learning experiences so they might embody the principles of somatic education with ease throughout the learning experience. What is so incredibly exciting about this is we have what we believe is an unprecedented opportunity to put somatics into three basic courses required for all new teachers, such as Human Growth and Development, as well as courses required for recertification. 

If anyone else out there has had the chance to do this and has some experiences to share, we would love to hear from you!

Rarely does a top-down opportunity like this arise.  And in the case of classrooms, it is so important that there is support throughout the school system for teachers to have what they need to make such a substantial leap in creating an organic learning environment. Classrooms have become pressure cookers for teachers as funds decrease, students are continually changing in and out due to open enrollment/charter school fallout or our increasingly mobile society, and standardized testing requirements.

We are imagining a future for making the teaching and learning experience easier, increasingly enjoyable, and with better outcomes for all.  Are you interesting that sharing that dream?

We highly value discussion, ideas and enthusiasm...we will also gratefully accept donations to fund this project. 

One of the goals of Integrative Learning Center is to bring together disciplines for creative thinking and new answers to old or emerging challenges.  If the program development were not new, if we weren't team teaching, funding would not be so important.  But this is new and time intensive. Out of sheer practicality, there is a limit to how many hours can be handled on a volunteer basis. The better the funding, the bigger chance we have of rolling out a program over the next three-five years that will sustain itself and become a model or jumping off point for other universities.

submitted by Cynthia Allen