Educating the Intuitive Child
by susan gale
Ellie was terrified of her teacher, for when he became angry, he turned into a flame of red fire. Damon frequently spent whole days under his desk screaming, eventually causing his mother to have him hospitalized.
Yet neither of these children was mentally ill, but rather intuitively gifted. Ellie could see auras, and Damon could see people who were in spirit; but neither understood their gifts. They are two of a growing number of children who are connected to the world beyond the physical senses.
Who are these children and how can we know them? More importantly, how can we help them understand their gifts so as to function in the physical world?
Many names have been ascribed to these children recently: Indigo Children (Carroll and Tober), Children of the Rainbow (Scallion), Children of Oz (Twyman), The Golden Ones (Chapman), and Crystal Children (Rother). Regardless of the names given, one thing stands out: they are highly gifted individuals who have much to offer the world.
Some of the signs that a child has intuitive gifts include having imaginary friends, seeing lights, colors or energy around people (particularly their hands or heads), knowing what people are going to say before they say it, knowing things are going to happen before they happen, having vivid dreams, or being very sensitive to other people's feelings.
Traditional education methods do not work for the intuitively gifted child. Rote memory drills, lectures, and the emphasis on conformity either diminish their gifts or cause restlessness and behavior difficulties in school. The present, but slow, movement towards cooperative learning that requires problem solving is far better suited for the intuitive child, as this approach calls upon the child's intuition and sensitivity to others in order to succeed.
Imagine having to listen to a lecture about a multiplication problem when there are spirit children begging you to play, shifting colors around the other people in the room, and/or the cacophony of the thoughts of those in the building! Thus, the educator of the intuitive child needs to help the child to "tune in" to the topic at hand in order to allow learning to take place. This means the child needs to be able to tune out psychic input OR be able to use the intuitive abilities to get the answers to the task at hand.
One of the key skills that must be taught to the intuitive child is meditation. Through meditation, the child will learn to hear guidance from the highest good. Insights will be made known to help guide the child through every day life. Another important skill for the child to develop is how to protect one self. By learning how to screen out psychic input, the child will be protected from any negative input from any dimension.
As with all children, listening is very important when working with an intuitive child. When the gifted child says something does not feel right, it is a signal for the educator to take the time to discuss why and help the child sort out these feelings. Being aware does not imply that the child automatically has the wisdom or maturity to sort out what is being received as being helpful or harmful.
Curriculum can develop in many exciting ways with the intuitive child. Imagine handing a child an artifact from the past and allowing them to use psychometry to understand events from the past. Children can go into natural settings and learn to understand the many voices of the creatures of the different ecosystems. While logic is very important in problem solving, it is also important to learn to grasp the situation in a holistic manner, seeing the resulting patterns as operating in harmony or not.
Thus history, literature and other liberal arts subjects can be viewed from the patterns they demonstrate. The intuitive child is able to apply these patterns to every day situations to help make sense of life in general.
Special attention needs to be paid to those subjects that complement a child's gift. For example the child who can heal would study the healing arts, anatomy, and other health related subjects. Knowledge will enhance the gift. The child who can intuit other people's thoughts and desires can study literature and psychology to help understand what these thoughts and desires imply. The child who is in tune with nature would understand their insights more clearly through the study of life sciences as well as herbology. .
The intuitive children are coming into the world in ever increasing numbers. It is important that they are welcomed, understood and assisted in understanding and using their gifts in ways that bring goodness and peace to us all.
