Permission to fidget

Sharon Robertson, principal at Forest Glen Public School in New Hamburg, jumps on a trampoline in her office, surrounded by students (from left) Conrad Pfenning, 7, Marcus Pfenning, 10, and Cassidy Kieswetter, 7. They are demonstrating the theory behind Brain Gym -- healthy snacks, water and activity.

Retiring principal urges schools around the globe to realize many children can't learn sitting still at a desk
LUISA D'AMATO
PETER LEE, RECORD STAFF


(Jul 4, 2005)

There would be a trampoline in every classroom if Sharon Robertson could have her way.

Robertson, 52, who retired last week as principal of Forest Glen Public School in New Hamburg, is admired across Waterloo Region and around the world for her work advocating the connection between learning and physical movement.

"Everybody learns differently," she says. But traditionally, schools haven't done a great job of assisting kinesthetic learners, who need to move around while they're learning.

The rules about sitting still in class without fidgeting work against these students, who Robertson says are in some ways the least understood by the education system.

That's why there are small trampolines in some of Forest Glen's classrooms and also big balls, that kids can sit and wobble on.

"They have to bounce and talk," says Robertson, who herself is one of these types of learners, and who as a child struggled to learn to read on schedule with the rest of the class when she was growing up in the Stratford area.

Kids could bounce in rhythm to saying their times tables, or spelling words, or just while they think about something --whatever they need, she said.

She also encourages teachers to use drama. "These kids love drama and to act things out. Moving, singing, acting . . . "

Robertson has travelled to Hong Kong, England and all over the United States to talk about the effectiveness of Brain Gym, a series of physical exercises designed to develop the brain's neural pathways and stimulate learning.

The technique was developed in the United States, but Robertson brought it to Waterloo Region, where many teachers use it.

She also has travelled all over the world, studying learning methods in schools as far-flung as Denmark and Chicago. She saw that students in one poor area of Chicago needed to move around while learning, and their teacher used chants and raps to increase student memory, as well as physically moving them from one spot to the other.

Her discoveries gave Robertson enormous respect for the diverse ways students learn.

Some need to lie on the floor sometimes, some need a pillow from home, and some need the glaring fluorescent lights turned off.

If a student is having difficulty grasping a concept, the teacher will succeed if he or she just finds the right strategy.

"And, boom! It happens!"

Robertson doesn't keep still as she talks about this; she leans across her desk as she makes a point or walks around her office, showing a visitor the toys she keeps to engage the children.

She doesn't seem old or tired enough to be retiring.

But she has chosen this moment because she wants to donate a kidney to help someone she's been friends with since Grade 2, and the time for the donation is in the fall.

"A perfect teacher's gift for me would be to sign your donor card," she said.

Robertson's husband, Brad, principal at Northlake Woods Public School in Waterloo, will stay on in his job.

Robertson has also pioneered other things that are now common practice at some schools.

Ten years ago when she ran Breslau Public School, she decided to allow the children to bring bottled water into class so they could take a swig whenever they liked as they worked. Other teachers were skeptical, thinking there would be water fights. But Robertson prevailed, knowing that a dehydrated body can't learn.

Today, many teachers allow water in class.

Robertson went further, ditching the vending machines that dispensed junk food at the school, and allowing children to eat fresh fruits and vegetables in class.

"Some of us need to munch while we're learning," she said.

So deep is the commitment to physical health that Robertson even balked at the common practice of selling chocolate bars as a school fundraiser. Last year, her schools tried selling popcorn instead, but they ended up with $3,000 less than they had hoped for. This year, Robertson agreed to go back to chocolate bars, which raise about $10,000 a year. She reasoned that the school's parent council, which does much of the work of fundraising, preferred it that way, and that compromise is part of a balanced life.

Most of all, Robertson believes in the power of the connection between teachers and students.

"If there is a connection there, and there is a high expectation of the student, the student will rise to please the teacher,"she said.

Even the kids with behaviour problems "want that acknowledgment that they're OK, they're a learner in their own right.''

"If we concentrate on our strength, and they feel smart in different ways, then they're more apt to work on the part they're not smart at.

"We have to give these kids strategies, because they have to continue learning when they leave us."

ldamato@therecord.com