■ On Friday, January 9, 2009, Ilchi Lee, the founder of Brain Education, visited P.S. 65 Mother Hale Academy in the South Bronx to teach students and consult with teachers and administrators about how they can utilize Brain Education techniques to maximize their school’s potential.
__Mr. Lee’s goal was to instill a sense of hope in the students and teachers of P.S. 65, a school located in a poverty-stricken neighborhood in which drugs, violence, and unstable housing conditions are all too common. While visiting classrooms, Mr. Lee repeatedly asked the students what their dreams were for their futures. After hearing them out, Mr. Lee stated definitively, “If you choose it, it will happen. Please plant the seed of your dream in your brain and nurture it well, so it can grow and you can achieve your dream.”
__Mr. Lee used his own life story to illustrate his point. He described how difficult it was for him to focus in school, that he didn’t enjoy good health as a boy. According to Lee, this is what motivated him to research how to better utilize the human brain to promote health, happiness and peace. His 30-year quest, which included the founding of the International Brain Education Association and the University of Brain Education, has resulted in the development of hundreds of programs. In the fall of 2008, all 68 of the P.S. 65 teachers were trained in one of these programs, “Brain Education for Enhanced Learning.”
__Students were eager to showcase some of the BE exercises they had learned for Mr. Lee. In return, Mr. Lee entertained the children with his trademark walking stick. After gracefully twirling the stick in a martial arts exercise, Lee then surprised the students by unveiling the stick’s more refined role as a traditional Korean flute, playing a beautiful impromptu song. “This stick is like Brain Education,” Mr. Lee said. “You can use it for walking or for martial arts exercise to improve your physical health. And that can also make you feel happy. Then you can play beautiful music that makes your brain feel peaceful and can help heal others.” [bw]
