I have been enjoying a bit of TV, watching the campaign performances of various candidates and the use of their hands through gesture in support of their ideas and speech. You can watch Sarah Palin and her use of her hands. Now where have I seen that before? Oh yes, in 7th grade as students tried to answer questions posed by the teacher in class. The quickly jabbing pointed finger says, "Oh, yes, I know this one. Or at least I hope I do." It is indicative of studied and practiced recitation.

I will be very glad when this election is over and we have a real change in leadership, and I don't mean McCain. I plan to give my full attention to the most important task at hand... finding the means to help our children become as smart as they can only be when their hands are fully engaged in learning.

When you watch the hands, yours or others, you begin to understand the role they play in the development and communication of thought. Education of the hands is critical to the development of whole children. First, the hands engage the children directly in "real" reality. (Here I'm borrowing from the Republicans, that some Americans are more "Real American" than others.) Secondly, the hand's movements act in concert with the other senses to stimulate and assist the processing of information. And thirdly, the engagement of the hands alleviates stress, and becomes an antidote to depression, lifting the overall level of emotional intelligence.

What we currently see too much of in the current American political arena is the old class warfare designed to isolate and separate us one from the other, and that division falls on the hand. Blue collar and white, and the generation of fear between. But the education of all hands is the key to overcoming boundaries, allowing us all to arise to our highest capabilities and sensitivities.