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91-Year-Old Educator Teaches Movement to Children

Michigan retiree Opal Wong is entering her tenth decade, but she hasn’t slowed down in her mission to educate students and teachers about the mind-body connection. Wong, who lives in East Lansing, is a certified instructor of Brain Gym, a program that promotes learning through movement.

“The ultimate learning state is relaxed and alert, and we can help children find it,” says Wong, who taught elementary school for 37 years. “We know specific movements … can stimulate, unblock, or calm parts of the brain.”

Wong officially retired in 1994, but she taught movement in schools until the pandemic started. She recalls asking teachers for the students “who are giving you the most trouble.” Wong worked individually with those students.

Today, Wong still teaches movement to children, working out of her home.

One popular exercise, called “brain buttons,” helps stimulate oxygen flow, Wong says. “Put one hand on your stomach, one hand on your chest right under the sternum, and lightly massage—breathing in, letting go, three times. Then switch hands,” she explains.

Her students also like “crossovers”—touching an elbow to the opposite knee, and then switching sides. It gets both sides of the brain working together, she explains.

Students often tell Wong, “When I do this, I can think better.”

In April, Wong was even featured in a local news story about her lifelong impact on students.

Want to try Brain Gym? Wong recommends P.A.C.E. (Positive, Active, Clear and Energetic), at bit.ly/How2DoPACE. “Do it every day,” Wong suggests. “It works, and takes less than four minutes.”

—Adapted from MEA Voice magazine