Children and Creativity Gua – A Classroom Case Study
Julie’s client was a returning young middle-school reading teacher who was filled with angst about the upcoming school year. She wanted assistance with arranging her classroom for positive chi flow and support for both herself and the students. She identified three issues:
- administrative pressure to return students’ work in a timely manner;
- distracted students in the classroom unable to focus and prematurely approaching her desk with questions related to the assignment;
- stress over difficult students with known behavioral concerns joining the class.
During the visit it was clear that her client had many challenges for the upcoming school year. The focus was primarily on the placement and location of the furniture. We discussed the color scheme and “decorations/art work” in the room and trying to separate yin and yang space; yin space for the students to learn, and yang space for the students to grow.
First, the client’s desk was moved the front corner facing the students to behind the students. She could now watch the students from the back of the room. They created a wide path from her desk to the front of the room, where the blackboard was located. This solved the issue of uninterrupted time to correct papers and return the students’ school work. When students were assigned quiet work, the environment encouraged students to stay on task decreasing the amount of time students were at the teacher’s desk. Lastly, the desk was intentionally placed in the Children and Creativity gua and specific students’ desks in the most helpful and supportive gua; children with family issues in the family gua, students with learning issues in the skills and knowledge gua, and students with health concerns in the center of the room.
The result was quite positive and came quite quickly after implementing the changes. Her client particularly noticed that using the ba gua proved to psychologically/emotionally beneficial. And by keeping a clear walkway to this new “safe area” (desk area), and she retreated there periodically, the students remained calm and most of them stayed on-task.
Julie Pelletier-Rutkowski, MS, RN, is owner and principal consultant for Feng Shui Services of New England. She writes, educates and consults about balance and harmony using the Western principles of Feng Shui. Julie has been called the “home care nurse” because she works to heal homes, offices, and workplaces. She is also the host of a popular radio so, Wicked Healthy Radio, that highlights all things wicked good for the mind, body, and soul.
