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course. In fact, why should they give up their time to a dream
workshop with a middle-aged stranger? I moved slowly, allowing whatever
time it took to establish their trust and dispel my fears of failing.
I found a rocking chair and settled in to observe the flow pattern
and the tone of the atmosphere, and waited for the children to start
testing my intentions. I enjoyed their games and passed most of
their exams. As we talked, I slipped in odd words here and there
about the coming dream workshop and began hearing their dreams.
After two months, there were eleven 6-, 7-, and 8-year-olds willing
to risk exploring the unknown with me. We started and met for 45-minute
sessions, twice a week, for a period of four months. After the first
few times, the group reduced to eight girls who came regularly to
"Dreams." I'm not sure why only one boy had signed up.
Unfortunately, he dropped out, preferring to attend the kickball
game scheduled at the same time.
I taped and transcribed each meeting to capture the exact activity being played out. The unexpected words and forms were too important to rely on my hearing or memory. Often I had difficulty directing the energy created when the children used it in disruptive ways. I tried not to suppress their exuberance, but to orchestrate what I saw, hoping for a creative solution. In that sense, the workshop was like a dream- sometimes great, usually okay, and occasionally a nightmare. I learned to watch for clues of coming trouble and usually found that boredom was the source. I then searched for alternative methods and tools. I wasn't sure how to begin the first session. I decided to tell them my goals and why I wanted to do this work. I asked them what they knew about dreams and where they thought dreams came from. There was general agreement that "dreams are something that happen in the daytime and are thought about at night." They said that dreams were pictures created in, and from, the mind. They thought they made up their own dreams, but there was a magical element they couldn't account for. They spoke of having dreams with people, animals and strangers. There were good and funny dreams as well as nightmares. Some dreams were in color. During this first meeting they told some dreams. Not all the children remembered their dreams. The next meeting I gave them a dramatic reading from my transcript. They listened raptly and I felt this technique reinforced them and their decision to take part in the group. Television strongly influenced the dreams and fantasies being told. My concern was overcome when I realized that the themes they selected, the way they changed the story 63
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