Tammi Baliszewski
December 22, 2011 - Jeffrey Pflaum
Do you have relationships with any adolescents? If so, are they spending more time in cyber space or innerspace? Adolescent expert Jeffrey Pflaum shares his knowledge and wisdom about how to keep kids connected to their creativity, imagination and inner world through reading and writing. Jeffrey was elementary school teacher for 34 years and created educational programs for poetry, contemplation, reading, writing, concentration/focusing/centering, vocabulary expansion and emotional intelligence. Jeffery has authored a book entitled Motivating Teen and Preteen Readers: How Teachers and Parents Can Lead the Way. His book is a progressive approach to kids’ inner reading worlds and everyday life targeting their creative selves and consciousness.
For thirty-four years as an elementary school teacher in the NYCDOE (retired in 2002) to the present, I created projects in reading, writing, thinking, creativity, poetry, vocabulary expansion, concentration, and communication skills (EI) and had extreme positive results. I considered myself a serious, dedicated classroom teacher-researcher-developer-experimenter who was not satisfied with the traditional curricula in reading and writing so I began making up stuff, call it experimenting. I should also explain that my background in teaching was limited to twelve credits in education and little knowledge about instructional methods in the core subjects.
In my earliest classes, I realized the kids were not as present or focused as I would have liked. I wanted them to be there without me demanding to “Pay attention!” My aim was to clear their heads and for them to find the intrinsic motivation needed to learn. This is how the original contemplation writing project, “Experiences, Reflections, and Insights,” came about: I expanded their presence by having students get into it and get it out (of their heads) via music and writing so they could focus on my lessons with less inner distractions. This all happened in the 70s, but things have changed drastically since then, and not for the better. Kids’ attention spans have become even more fragmented with the new technology and the Internet. There are many children hurting from ADD and ADHD. So how do you coral and make them want to learn, to be there with you, because they want to be there?
About Tammi Baliszewski:
Tammi Baliszewski is an ordained minister, has a Ph.D. in Holistic Life Counseling, is a Certified Hypnotherapist and a Certified Polarity Practitioner. She holds Bachelors of the Arts in Psychology and has completed the Masters Program in Spiritual Psychology at the University of Santa Monica and a second Masters Program entitled “Consciousness, Health and healing”. Tammi is a certified Art 4 Healing Facilitator and is Mandala Art Facilitator and Trainer. She is currently studying and teaching with Paul Heussenstamm world renowned artist, author, healer and teacher.
Tammi is an accomplished artist and published writer. Her first manuscript “Manifesting Love - From the Inside Out,” is now available. “Manifesting Love” is a spiritual, psychological, self-help book, that supports readers in coming into loving relationship with themselves, so they naturally and easily attract their ideal life partner.
As a spiritual counselor and a workshop facilitator, Tammi assists clients and participants in releasing blocks so that they might more fully claim, embrace and live up to their fullest potential. Through gentle direction and guided meditation Tammi helps those she works with tap into profound states of inner wisdom and inspired states of creativity. Her comprehensive teaching style and simple techniques bring about transformation on the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual levels.
Prior to pursuing her education in psychology, spirituality and the healing arts, Tammi worked as a licensed cosmetologist, image consultant, makeup artist, and personal trainer. Tammi has also worked as an actress, model and spokesmodel. She has also been featured in many commercials, television shows and films. As a cosmetologist, makeup artist, stylist, model and actress, Tammi’s focus was on beauty, fitness, nutrition, and health. Now as a hypnotherapist, Mandala Facilitator, Artist, Writer and Teacher, her focus is on beauty, healing and wholeness. However, rather than focusing on physical beauty and health, it is consciousness and the beauty of the soul that most intrigues her - beauty from the “inside out”.
Now Tammi is adding another dimension to her work with her show "Journey to Center" on Empower Radio.
