Anecdotes

ANECDOTES

Real people share their experiences with the Pause For Your Helpful Self Practice.

We live on a small farm in rural Arkansas with about 40 momma cows and their babies, along with a big white bull named Homer. With gardening as one of my hobbies, many flower pots are stacked near my shed waiting for spring. When the wind blew yesterday, one of the pots went into the field with the cows. A very curious calf stuck his head into the pot and it got stuck! My upset husband was quick to point out the problem and began hustling around to find some way to capture the calf and get it off. Deep breath, a few laughs (well, maybe more than a few), and with the calf unable to see but with Homer watching, I quietly walked out and pulled the pot off. No need to try to capture him! Pause, step back, step aside, and let inspiration guide.

Teaching students about the 3 different rock types in Arkansas, these second graders were making a book to take home and share with parents. For each type, they were to tape down a sample. Basalt is an Arkansas igneous rock, sandstone a sedimentary rock, and slate is an example of metamorphic rock. All was going good until we ran out of slate for them to tape down! One very observant second grader paused, thought a bit, then said he knew where there was slate we could find--they had just used it on the parking lot! Teamwork and problem solving at its best.

I was off to the Pause Studio and kept hearing to go to the post office en route to the studio. I needed to go, but thought I would go after work. I kept hearing within to go before. Then I thought, “Okay. But I will go to the post office closest to the studio”. I kept getting the nudge to go to the post office that is on the way - the one that is always busy! I followed my Helpful Self and drove to the post office that was on the way. Yes, it was crowded, but once my number was called I made my way to one of the four postal clerks. No accident Lisa, the clerk, and I found ourselves on either side of the counter. She was so helpful, patient too. Once our transaction was completed I handed her a Pause For Love card and she leaped for joy, “Oh, I use Pause!” She began sharing loud enough for everyone in the post office to hear how Pause completely transformed her 4-year old grandson. “He was out of control, doing terrible at his school, the teacher couldn’t control him and he had an IEP at 4-years old!” I asked her where she found the Pause practice card and she said they were laying around the post office and she had picked one up. (I think I may have left some there previously). At this point, I look around and see a post office full of customers “eavesdropping” on Lisa’s testimonial. She goes on to share how she began practicing Pause, then shared the Parents Can Pause card with her grandson’s teacher and also began sharing about pausing with her grandson. His teacher began using Pause with him and “He completely changed,” she said. “Now at 6 years old, he is well-behaved, doing great in school and getting all purple stars!” I asked, “What is it about purple?” and she replied, “Oh, that’s the highest color you can get in the classroom.”

While trying to teach a lesson on seasons to kindergartners, one little boy was being extremely unruly. He had a pocket full of permanent markers. When the teacher asked him to give them to her, he refused and called her "stupid!" The situation was really getting intense. We had already talked several times about Kids Can Pause. I sat on the floor next to him (rest of the class watched to see what was going to happen). I said to Ross that I was going to slow down and take a deep breath. (deeeeep breath) Waited about a minute and a half. "My helpful self is telling me that if I want to stay and do the fun lab, I have to stay calm, be kind to others, and help the teacher be able to teach the class." Then I looked at him and told him, "The choice is yours." He was good for about 5 minutes, then it started again. He was removed from the classroom. The next week, when he again started being disruptive, I put the Pause for Help Kids Can Pause card in front of him and read it to him. Again told him, "The choice is yours." This time it worked! Not only did Ross learn to apply the strategy and get to stay in science class, the other students saw it demonstrated, as well.
Ross is now behaving appropriately for kindergarten! His teacher and school counselor are using PAUSE for Kids to help him, as well as other students, to learn proper behavior at school. It works!