| A few years ago I caught part of a major
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| | have calmer, clearer thinking teachers
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| network news program on genius children
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| | and administrators, as well as students
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| and their's and their parent's
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| | would have a spider webbing benefit that
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| experiences with public schools
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| | could improve the educational experience
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| pressuring them to place these children
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| | on many levels, for all students, and not
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| on Ritalin. Some of the parents being
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| | just those with ADHD. Creative solutions
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| interviewed had found alternative ways to
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| | to complex problems are inhibited by
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| deal with their children?s issues, that
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| | stress in any workplace, including in our
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| didn?t involve years of drug use, such as
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| | increasingly complex schools. Our
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| Ritalin.
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| | students, their families, and in time,
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| In this same program, a person from a
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| | our nation is benefited by calm clear
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| national organization of American
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| | thinking educators, or conversely
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| geniuses expressed concern that if Edison
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| | diminished by stressed out less creative
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| or Einstein were in public school today,
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| | educators.
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| that they may likely be diagnosed with
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| | A recent study by David Beversdorf, an
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| ADHD, and drugged into ?normalcy? so that
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| | assistant professor in Ohio State's
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| they could ?fit in.?
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| | department of neurology, and Jessa
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| In 1999, the Center for Pediatric
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| | Alexander, a research assistant in the
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| Research, at a children?s hospital in
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| | department, revealed a correlation
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| Virginia found that 8 to 10% of students
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| | between medical students' stress levels
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| were receiving drug therapy for Attention
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| | and their performance on various types of
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| Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder,
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| | tests. According to Jennifer Graham, a
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| commonly known as ADHD. Trends show that
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| | postdoctoral fellow at OSU's Institute of
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| these numbers are likely to be increasing
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| | Behavioral Medicine Research,"When
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| dramatically.
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| | individuals are faced with a challenging
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| In a 2005 interview with the New York
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| | task, they are less likely to perform
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| Times, James T. Webb, a clinical
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| | well in complex situations." The
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| psychologist and author of "Misdiagnosis
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| | complexity of educating children
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| and Dual Diagnosis of Gifted Children and
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| | effectively to deal with an increasingly
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| Adults," explained, ?Behaviors of many
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| | complex world is the epitome of complex
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| gifted children can resemble those of,
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| | challenge.
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| say, attention deficit/hyperactivity
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| | Tai Chi is an elegant exercise or therapy
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| disorder. Most teachers, pediatricians
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| | that offers multi-dimensional benefits
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| and psychologists aren't trained to
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| | including, according to emerging medical
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| distinguish between the two. Most gifted
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| | research, lowering of high blood
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| kids are very intense, pursuing interests
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| | pressure; reducing incidence of anxiety,
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| excessively. This often leads to power
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| | depression, and overall mood disturbance;
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| struggles, perfectionism, impatience,
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| | dramatic boosting of resistance to viral
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| fierce emotions and trouble with peers.
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| | infection thru increasing certain T-Cell
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| Many gifted kids have varied interests,
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| | counts; improving respiration; balance;
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| skipping from one to the other - a trait
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| | strength; providing cardiovascular
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| often misinterpreted as A.D.H.D.?
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| | benefit; burning calories; and teaching
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| In the network news program mentioned at
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| | the body how to move in ways that promote
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| the beginning of this article, one of the
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| | bone and muscle development while
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| children?s mothers explained that her
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| | reducing strain on the body. In fact, Tai
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| child had been obsessed with the state of
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| | Chi has been found to be gentle enough to
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| the global environment, and agitated by
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| | be safely practiced even by people with
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| that. This was deemed to be ?abnormal? by
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| | arthritis.
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| the school, and was part of the reason
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| | In a school?s busy curriculum, to bring
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| for the decision to place her on Ritalin.
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| | together all the various therapies and
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| It is entirely possible that a child who
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| | exercises to students to provide all
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| is a genius was aware of the long known
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| | these physical and emotional benefits,
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| dangers of global warming, and the
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| | may take up half their day. However, an
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| unrelenting trends of continuing rises in
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| | hour of practicing Tai Chi in a physical
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| CO2 emissions worldwide. After having
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| | education class every day at school could
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| seen the recent documentary, ?An
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| | not only provide the above benefits to
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| Inconvenient Truth,? we would have to
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| | students that could last a lifetime, but
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| admit that such a child was ?ahead of her
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| | also may provide many more than can be
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| time,? by becoming concerned and
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| | listed in an article. The international
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| appropriately agitated by this issue,
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| | health education effort, known as World
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| before the general public became
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| | Tai Chi & Qigong Day, provides a
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| concerned. It is very possible that these
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| | comprehensive ?searchable by malady?
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| "agitated" children could become the
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| | listing of medical research on Tai Chi
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| "rabble rousering" adults who found and
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| | and Qigong (Pronounced, chee gong, sets
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| organize human rights, environmental, and
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| | of Traditional Chinese Medical exercise
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| other visionary movements that improve
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| | therapies, of which Tai Chi is one of
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| the lives of all of us.
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| | several thousand), at its website, There
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| This is what geniuses do. They see danger
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| | is a growing awareness with emerging
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| and possibility ahead of the pack.
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| | research that there is no other known
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| Without their ability humanity may well
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| | exercise that provides the
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| still be swinging rudimentary clubs, and
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| | multi-dimensional benefits of Tai Chi all
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| living in caves. Advances weren?t
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| | in one simple and absolutely safe
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| instantaneously seen by all members of a
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| | exercise.
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| tribe or society, but certain members of
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| | With a twelve year education, there is no
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| the group had insights that quickly
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| | reason why students do not graduate from
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| became adopted by the others. Without
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| | high school as Tai Chi masters. If they
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| those who possess the ability to be
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| | did, what could that mean to society?
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| dissatisfied with the status quo, and
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| | Heart disease, a leading cause of death
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| driven to distraction from the normal
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| | in America, with massive financial costs
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| everyday tasks, to vision in a greater
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| | could be dramatically reduced according
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| awareness . . . human advance does not
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| | to emerging research if our children were
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| occur.
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| | massively trained in the preventive
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| Today, our planet is sagging from the
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| | therapy known as Tai Chi. The rapidly
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| weight of 6 billion human inhabitants,
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| | growing demand for anti-depressants could
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| and in our lifetimes this may reach 9
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| | be profoundly reduced by adults who?d
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| billion. The demands for food, energy,
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| | spent 12 years of public education
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| water, and other resources will take on a
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| | becoming Tai Chi masters, thru one hour
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| screaming shrillness that may drive our
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| | per day of training in Phys Ed class.
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| world mad . . . ?UNLESS? we find new
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| | Today the 6th leading cause of death in
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| creative ways of living in a finite world
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| | senior citizens is due to complications
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| (in terms of physical resources) by
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| | often from simple falling injuries due to
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| tapping into the limitless mines and
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| | diminished balance. Costing Americans
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| oceans of human consciousness and
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| | over $10 billion annually. An Emory
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| creativity.
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| | University study finding that Tai Chi
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| So, it becomes obvious that we are not
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| | could cut the risk of those falls in
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| only in dire need of the new generation
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| | half, portends massive monetary savings
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| of geniuses entering our public schools.
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| | by all Americans in future years, IF
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| But, in fact, we all need to become more
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| | students are educated now in Tai Chi.
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| creative in the future. When examined,
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| | The potential savings in an economy that
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| the possibility of creating educational
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| | spends over $1 trillion annually on
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| opportunities where gifted children, or
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| | healthcare, and will only increase as
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| geniuses, can flourish and offer positive
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| | population increases, is staggering to
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| influence to other students with their
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| | contemplate. These savings dwarf the
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| unusual and unique concepts of reality
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| | relatively minimal amounts it would
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| seem simple. Creating smaller class
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| | require to fund our education systems to
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| sizes, give students opportunity to
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| | reduce class sizes, provide physical
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| expend energy expressing and interacting
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| | education daily to all students, and
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| with teachers and other students. The
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| | teach all students Tai Chi for 12 years.
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| College of Education at the University of
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| | The minimal costs of Tai Chi are noted in
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| Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, suggests
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| | a recent report in the June 5, 2006
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| that smaller class sizes, while
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| | International Herald Tribune, ?[Tai Chi]
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| beneficial for all students, are
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| | is an art that needs no special place,
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| particularly beneficial for students with
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| | fancy equipment or expensive outlay, and
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| ADD/ADHD.
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| | its regular practice can build up grace,
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| Physical education is also an outlet of
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| | beauty and strength in a remarkable way,
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| energy that can help all students, as
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| | whatever age one may be.?
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| well as those with ADHD. Yet, according
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| | This ancient elegant, simple, and
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| to the National Children and Youth
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| | inexpensive solution to a myriad of
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| Fitness Study (NCYFS) II, overall only
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| | challenges facing our education system
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| 36% of children/youth participate in
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| | and society at large, perhaps could be a
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| physical education class on a daily
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| | model for other challenges facing
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| basis, and less than 30% of class time is
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| | society, locally, nationally, and
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| spent in actual physical activity.
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| | internationally. As the earlier
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| So, the first requirement to end a
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| | referenced researcher mentioned, we
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| dysfunctional educational process that
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| | handle complex challenges better when
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| may be causing untold numbers of our new
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| | less stressed. If the ancient mind/body
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| geniuses to be often unnecessarily
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| | technologies developed over hundreds of
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| ?normalized? with institutionalized, and
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| | years by Traditional Chinese Medical
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| often mis-diagnosed drug addiction, is
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| | researchers, that have now spread to
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| for our nation to dedicate itself to
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| | virtually every nation on the globe, were
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| funding education in a way to reduce
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| | implimented in the way emerging medical
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| class sizes and to increase physical
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| | research indicates they should be by
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| education and activity in all our
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| | government, business and healthcare
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| students.
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| | worldwide . . . we could literally see a
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| But, there may be another even greater
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| | new world within a generation. A calmer,
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| opportunity that can be found in
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| | clearer, and healthier world.
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| implementing the aforementioned education
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| | Tai Chi Chih (a unique health regimine
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| format solutions. A recent study from the
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| | evolved from Tai Chi) has been used in
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| University of Miami School of Medicine,
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| | major prison systems like Folsom Maximum
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| on teenagers with ADHD, found that an
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| | Security Prison in California. Initial
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| ancient Traditional Chinese Medical
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| | reports (from imate organizers of the
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| exercise therapy can profoundly improve
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| | program) indicate that ?incident rates?
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| the lives of teenagers with ADHD.
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| | have gone down in Folsom since the
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| Researchers reported the positive effects
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| | program was implimented. Research also
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| of Tai Chi on the adolescents with ADHD
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| | shows that such ancient Chinese health
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| parallel the positive effects for adults
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| | therapies can help in drug rehabilitation
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| including reduced mental and emotional
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| | programs. When the cost of law
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| stress (Jin, 1992) and improved mood
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| | enforcement, court costs, rehabilitation,
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| (Jin, 1989). Although stress hormone
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| | and prison costs are added up, any
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| levels were not assayed in this study,
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| | opportunity to train young people in
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| the adolescents were perceived by their
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| | public education with life tools that may
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| teachers as being less anxious, emotional
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| | help them avoid even the need for such
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| and hyperactive following Tai Chi. The
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| | costly institutions, must be fully
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| adult literature has reported reduced
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| | explored.
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| stress hormones (cortisol) with Tai Chi
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| | The future is ripe and inviting, if we
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| (Jin, 1992).
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| | can breathe, relax, and open to our
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| Tai Chi research on adults has identified
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| | creative potential enabling us to embrace
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| changes in cardiovascular, respiratory,
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| | the hope dangling in front of us like a
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| electroencephalographic, and biochemical
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| | ripe apple. And by cultivating and
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| levels (e.g., lower cortisol stress
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| | celebrating the emerging generation of
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| hormone levels) (Brown, Mucci, Hetzler, &
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| | potential geniuses in our schools, rather
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| Knowlton, 1989; Jin, 1989). Reduced
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| | than drugging them into ?normalcy,? may
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| sympathetic activity, or enhanced
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| | open the gates of hope far beyond what we
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| parasympathetic activity, has been
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| | can even envision at this time.
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| considered a potential underlying
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| | "The world we see is the one created with
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| mechanism (Hsu, Wang & Kappagoda, 1985).
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| | our thoughts."
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| This mechanism might also account for the
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| | Marcus Aurelius
|
| marked behavioral changes observed in the
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| | (Philosopher Emperor of Rome, champion of
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| adolescents in this study, their research
| |
| | the poor, defender of Christians, and
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| report concluded.
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| | responsible for ending the barbaric
|
| If these profound benefits are realized,
| |
| | gladiator games of Rome)by Bill Douglas,
|
| why only have students with ADHD
| |
| | Founder of World Tai Chi & Qigong Day
|
| practicing Tai Chi daily at school? Why
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| | SOURCES: The Official Journal of the
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| not, include all students, teachers and
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| | American Academy of Pediatrics:
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| administrators of all public schools? To
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| | pediatrics.aappublications.
|
