During January Regents week, I took a student to give him his Earth Science Lab Practical portion of his Regents exam. This would be his second time taking the test [and] since he only passed with local credit last time, he really wanted to take it over again to try for a Regents passing grade. The lab practical portion of the test was the most difficult part for him last June. He only scored an 8 out of 23 possible points. Although we had worked all year preparing him for this portion of the test, his whole attitude changed as we entered the room.

He immediately began having negative self talk such as, "I'm probably going to fail this again," and "I know I won't do well." I realized that he was very anxious and at first thought about giving him a pep talk with lots of verbal encouragements and reminders on how well he had prepared for this portion of the test. However, I suddenly realized that this wasn't going to work for him and I thought I would try some relaxation techniques that I had learned in my Mind, Body and Spirit workshops. I wasn't too sure how it was going to go since this student is usually pretty resistant to trying these types of things, but I thought I would give it a try in hopes that I'd have more success with him trying since there weren't any other students in the room. So I said, "Before we start the test I want you to do something. Close your eyes and take a deep breath." He did. I asked him to take about three or four more deep breaths reminding him to exhale slowly and to focus on his breathing. He complied with my requests. I then said, "Now visualize yourself going through each of the stations and doing them correctly. See yourself using the equipment correctly. See yourself writing your answers down. Focus on how it feels to complete these stations correctly." Then I asked him to take another deep breath and to open his eyes as he exhaled. When he did, he seemed much more calm and at peace. I asked him if he felt ready and he said, "Yep, let's do this."

As I watched him go through each of the stations, I was astounded by his composure and his recall on how to accurately perform each of the tasks. When he was finished he was confident and sure that he had done well. As I walked him back to his class I asked him how he felt about the relaxation techniques that he did before taking the test. He said, "I liked them. I felt more relaxed and focused." My biggest joy that day was grading his lab practical and seeing that he only missed two points, giving him a passing grade of 21 out of 23! This also gave him the points he needed to pass the whole test with a 65 and Regents credit! I strongly feel that helping him to focus on his breathing and visualizing his performance positively had positive effects on his performance. Had I not had these workshops, I would've stuck more with giving him the "half-time pep talk" and I just don't feel it would have truly helped him to relax. I was also pleasantly surprised to see him try it and see the benefits of it.

D. R., teacher, 2/13/06