We are all one. The class as a fractal.

The old model of standing in front of a class and lecturing can be replaced by a new one. View the class as an organic an alive entity with beautiful souls and creative minds and allow them to share their insights without judging the result but only inspiring, as Sathya Sai Baba once said: "There is a teacher who complains, there is a teacher who explains, but the best teacher is one who inspires". In my old way of teaching I would lecture most of the time and was not aware that many students did not understand. They simply were not invloved. When I started to use the other method, the class atmosphere changed and everyone benefited.

Here is a practical example for involving the who class: We read a paragraph from the book about Peace Pilgrim which is available freely on the web (http://www.peacepilgrim.com/book/aframe.htm)

I was working in the five-and-ten-cent store between my junior and senior year in high school. I just loved the work, especially fixing up counters so they would look pretty. They even let me fix up the windows because I liked to do that. Well, you know, I was cheaper than a window decorator!

I had two registers at my counter. One day I didn't have the proper change in one register so naturally I went over to the other and rang "no sale" and took out the change. Then I discovered I had committed a cardinal sin. I heard them whispering, "She rang 'no sale'!" The male floorwalker came over and said, "Come with me." He put me at a counter in a corner that needed fixing up. He left me there, and then came back and said, "Why did you do that?" I replied, "I still don't know what I did. I just took change out of the register -- I didn't steal any money." He said, "You were instructed never to ring `no sale'." I answered, "I wasn't instructed at all."

Then he went to the female floor walker who was supposed to instruct me. I was reinstated. But, because of the incident, she then hated me. I knew that something needed to be done about it. Then I passed her desk and noticed a few faded flowers there. The next morning I brought her a beautiful bouquet of flowers from my garden. I said, "I noticed those faded flowers. I know you love flowers and here are some from my garden." She couldn't resist them. At the end of the week we walked out of there arm in arm!

A fractal is a shape the contains itself within itself within itself forever more. The story that peace pilgrim told vibrated in our class and caused the students to share their ideas. These ideas will then be read by the students and by other students and cause future reactions. This is an example of a butterfly effect. "A butterfly flaps its wings in China and two month later there is a hurricane in the Philippins". Everything effects everything else. We are all one. The butterfly in our story us the action of ringing no sale.

after we read this short story we asked the students to write what they thought and read a sentence from each student.

• This story makes me realize I was not as wise as I thought I was.
• I know that I have made some enemies ...The ones who have wronged me I felt much hatred towards for years...one day I realized that this hatred and resentment was a waste of my energy so I just stopped hating these people who made my teen years hell.. It took only a second.
• The short passage made me want to read the whole thing...
• I remember once I found a cell phone on a floor of a club. I found it with the intention of using it as my new phone after making some technical adjustments...I saw a kid looking all over the place for something...I gave it to him...I actually did the right thing.
• ...there was a time at the beginning of the semester when a friend of mine was very upset with me and I did not know why. I had to find out and apologize if I did anything wrong. So I bought flowers and a card and went to visit. To my surprize she would not even let me in the room. I was heart broken. I did not want this great griend of mine mad and I did not even know why she was mad. It was killing me inside. I still never found out.
• When I came to school I joined a sports team. For some reason I felt that the older girls did not like me and some of the other new girls. I was not sure why. But eventually we won them over with our kindness. I made a special effort to be extra-special kind and fun to the older girls. I have mad many friends that way. My motto is "kill'em with kindness"
• Peace stood up for herself which I admire. It is not always easy to go against the grain. I feel that I am on that search for God myself.
• I was having problems with my house master around the holiday so I asked them if they wanted to buy a christmas tree together as a household. Since they did not have time to do it, I decided to buy and pay for the tree myself. I set up little stocking with their names on it thinking it might make them happy and perhaps resolve any negative feelings. This did not happen. Not even a "Thank You" was mentioned. which made me feel that my efforts were wasted. It was very discouraging.
• I know that without encouragement I would not act in this way. I think that my own personal pride, ego, "lower self" would keep me from cleansing the situation
• I have a feeling that Peace Pilgrim had a passion. Like Peace, I find my passions leading my life, taking me where I am going. I can't help but continue to read past 2 am in the morning. Books about the people who have lives that I aspire to. People who have done the things that I want to do. They inspire me and give me fuel. They focus my days and give me a future at a point in my life where the future looks empty. My passion fills the void and Im not so scared. Peace, myself and everyone are on a journey, hopefully led by our passions.