using the stress reducing techniques of Transcendental Meditation, an American educator has claimed.

Speaking in a forum at the Bermuda College, middle school principal George Rutherford, of Baltimore, Maryland, said he turned Washington, D.C.'s Fletcher Johnson Middle School around within one year.

He did this despite the school's intake of students from three inner-city projects in the US capital, which during the 1980s was called the "Murder Capital of the World'' with more murders per capita than any other city.

"My students had to come to Fletcher Johnson through open air drug markets,'' he said. "It was like a war out there.'' Dr. Rutherford said after being introduced to the techniques of TM while in Holland, he invited an instructor to teach it to the school's teachers.

Dr. Rutherford introduced 20-minute "Quiet Times'' during the morning and afternoon sessions which dramatically changed the students outlook.

"Within a week of the introduction of quiet time, we didn't have anymore fights,'' he said.

"Our mission statement was that we were accountable to the community,'' Dr.

Rutherford explained. "You would see students running to the school for their quiet time.'' His new school, in Baltimore, was under threat from the Maryland state authorities to be taken over because of poor performance. But in his first year there, mathematics scores jumped from an average of 36 percent to 73 percent.

"I really think people don't want young people to achieve,'' he said. "The testing companies would be out of business. The book companies would be out of business. I believe that what I do -- compared to all the new theories -- is common sense.'' The Bermuda College forum started with former educator and principal Dale Butler saying he was disappointed with the poor turnout of teachers.

"Where are your teachers? One would expect them to want to reduce the stress on the students,'' Mr. Butler said. "They are going to miss a golden opportunity.'' Smiling at the 25 people in attendance, Mr. Butler added: "But Jesus only had 12 disciples!'' The evening ended with a presentation by longtime TM teacher Brian Horsfield who presented an array of statistics showing the effect the meditation technique has on people.

BERMUDA COLLEGE EDC HEALTH HTH EDUCATION ED