It also doesn't depend on the juggling expertise of a teacher. The method promotes "cooperative learning." Students strive to have their names posted as "master jugglers." When they can do 25 throws with beanbags, their names are listed on the wall as "cascaders." They become "master jugglers" by achieving 10 throws each of a cascade, reverse cascade, columns, two balls in the right hand and two balls in the left hand - all without without stopping and with 10 cascades in between each trick. That's 90 total throws without stopping or dropping. Once a student has been named a master juggler, and not until, then he or she can also practice with rings and clubs.

 

As soon as ten students have been named "master jugglers," it's up to them to evaluate and promote other students into their ranks. Finnigan said that's a powerful incentive for children that age. "You get a lot of work between classes, out in the hall, at recess, at lunch, on the weekends... It gives so much more momentum to juggling, gives it real status in school."

 

The master juggler idea was developed not by Finnigan, but by Larry Graves, a teacher at Hazel Del Elementary School in Hazel Del, Wash. Graves, a former physical education specialist, was assigned back to a regular fifth grade classroom about seven years ago when the phys ed program was axed for budgetary reasons. He and sixth grade teacher Greg Sjogern decided they would get their students into the gym every day, and juggling became one of their standard weekly offerings as an activity that offered "100 percent participation 100 percent of the time." They started putting "cascader" and "master juggler" names on the wall, and ended up with 125 master jugglers by the end of their first year.

 

Graves got so excited that he invited Finnigan to come to Hazel Del with a video crew to document his success. "You won't believe what's happening here," he told Finnigan. Finnigan and a video crew went to Hazel Del for a day and created

"Juggling for Success at Hazel Del," a 1992 documentary that he uses to market the program. Graves added, "The parents were fascinated by it because they've got this kid they can show off when the relatives come into town!"

 

Finnigan got excited about the master juggler classroom concept and began trying to teach it. But he says he made an early mistake and tried to tamper with it as well. "I tried to put in other levels, to have master jugglers with rings and clubs and put in intermediate levels. But intermediate levels killed what I tried to do. It has turned out to work best with just minimal levels. You practice until your name gets on the wall, and then you practice more until you get to be a master juggler."

 

Students juggle mostly during their gymnasium time, but those who finish classroom assignments early are allowed to take juggling equipment out in the hall to practice, and Graves said many students also practice at recess. Graves has gone a step further by developing "the PACK," Performing Arts Club Kids, a group of master jugglers who perform at local civic clubs and parades.

 

Finnigan is hoping that the method will prove attractive in states like Utah and California, where tight budgets have cut "right-brain" activities such as physical education, art and music completely out of the elementary curriculum. "Without phys ed, teachers are at their wits' end," he said. "They tend to turn kids out onto the playground and let 'em go at it, but they know that's the wrong thing to do. Now here's a program that's video driven and self-motivational, and seems to fill a lot of their needs."

 

Finnigan said his visits in schools have revealed the problems that teachers face, and he hears more about them through his promotion of the program at the national physical education convention, the national principals convention and the national counselors convention. In the coming year he plans to add to his conference list with visits to the "Pride" drug education conference in Atlanta, a national curriculum development conference and the 4-H and Boys and Girls Clubs national conferences.

 

While only time will determine how thoroughly "Juggling for Success" is accepted in elementary schools, it gets high marks from several administrators who were on last year's Finnigan family tour.

 

Larry Klein, principal of Naples Elementary School in Vernal, Utah, said he is unhappy that his school now depends on classroom teachers to be phys ed instructors as well. "We don't have the focus, quality or diversity of program as that you have with certified PE teachers. Classroom teachers don't have the training they need for it," he said.

 

Finnigan's visit there created a lot of excitement, Klein said. "All our teachers tried it, and some are continuing to work at it. My goal is to have .someone at each grade level to teach the basics to students."

 

Finnigan demonstrates the enthusiasm for the new program that his stage name, "Professor Confidence," would indicate. He said, "It's very exciting to see how juggling can fill a need out there. On the one hand it's not world peace, but on other hand it is. Youngsters learn a lot in physical education about self-confidence, self­esteem, recognizing other peoples' abilities and potentials, applauding other people's success, and working together. "

 

He continued, "Juggling also fits the needs of kids this age better because it's an individual skill rather than a competitive team skill. It's the difference between competing and becoming. The theme we promote is "100 percent participation, 100 percent of the time. That's so much more appropriate for young people than the pressure of winning or losing, or the humiliation of standing in right field doing nothing for an entire game."

 

That philosophy sounded good to Liz Johnson, a physical education teacher in two schools in Silver City, N.M., who arranged for Finnigan to teach there for a day. Johnson said, "We have phys ed twice a week, which is not enough. So, I'm always looking for ways to get teachers to help kids be active. I'm also big on self esteem, and finding ways to help kids feel positive about themselves."

 

Students and teachers both finished the day energized, she said. "Schools that said they weren't interested earlier were asking him to stay after he got there. I've had teachers now that say they want to order scarves and do it in classroom next year. It's not an answer for every student, but I've seen a lot of students already benefit. If you get them moving a little bit they'll sit back down and tend to their paperwork a lot more quickly when it's time."

 

There's no one answer for the woes plaguing American education, but juggling could end up as part of the therapy. Whether it will be seen as standard therapy or merely experimental is the balance that Finnigan is trying to tip.