ABSTRACT
Dinkmeyer (1971) stated that the lack of a required, sequentially developmental program in self-understanding and human behavior testifies to an educational paradox: “We have taught children almost everything in school except to understand and accept themselves and to function more effectively in human relations” (p. 62). Rogers (1980) asserted, “I deplore the manner in which from early years, the child’s education splits him or her: the mind can come to school and the body is permitted peripherally to tag along, but the feelings and emotions can live freely and expressively only outside the school” (p. 263). We have been schooled for years to stress only the cognitive, to avoid any feeling connected to learning. Rogers
(1980) maintained “if we are truly aware, we can hear the silent screams of denied feelings echoing off every classroom wall” (p. 251). In 1990, the Carnegie Foundation released a report entitled Turning Point: Preparing American Youth for the 21st Century, which concluded that half of America’s youth were “extremely vulnerable to multiple high-risk behaviors and school failures” or were “at moderate risk, but remain … a cause for serious concern” (p. 36). The perpetual neglect of the importance of nurturing emotional learning and the implications of developing and maintaining meaningful relationships have existed for decades.
