4 Steps to Better Relationships Through The Enneagram

One of the most powerful ways to use the Enneagram is for deepening your relationships with others. I believe that understanding others on a deeper level can help you to work, live, or love them better. The Enneagram will give you insight into what makes someone tick, and often gives perspective which can propel your relationship beyond most interpersonal issues. This information is held in such high esteem, it is currently being used by therapists, life coaches, and in business to create more dynamic and efficient teams. This is not your average typeing system or hocus pocus.

All of my relationships have changed since I began studying the Enneagram. Most have gotten much better, some of just changed, and some I've decided to end because they weren't serving the purpose they were meant to. Based on the experience I had with understanding others through the Enneagram, I'm going to show you the four steps you can use to understand friends, family, and colleagues better.

4 Steps to Better Relationships Through the Enneagram:

1. Determine your own type and the type of the person whom you wish to understand better.

It is my hope that you know your type already and at least have some understanding of the Enneagram. If not, I would suggest looking at an overview of the Enneagram and the nine types. You should get yourself acquainted with the nine types and your own type before you attempt to understand someone else better. As with most types of personal development… an ounce of self-understanding is a pound of understanding others.

If you are truly stumped with finding your own type, I would suggest trying a free Enneagram type test. These are not 100% perfect, but they can usually peg someone to one or two types and you can take it from there.

2. Look at the fears and desires & key motivations of the type you are hoping to understand more.

On Wikipedia, you can take a close look at the fears and desires of the type you are looking to understand more. For instance, if that person happened to be an Enneagram Type 7, their fears and desires would look like this:

"Basic Fear: Of being deprived and in pain

Basic Desire: To be satisfied and content—to have their needs fulfilled

Key Motivations: Want to maintain their freedom and happiness, to avoid missing out on worthwhile experiences, to keep themselves excited and occupied, to avoid and discharge pain."

Taking a close look at this will give you some insight into a problem you might be having or a way to avoid future problems. Enneagram Type 7's are infamous for being afraid they are going to be left out of the fun or stuck in a boring place without a way out. That may seem a little dramatic, of course, but it's true. So, if you are an office manager, it would be unlikely that your office's Enneagram Type 7 would be the best person to man the phones all day. The seven would be more suited to be out on sales calls or mowing the lawn. Think excitement, short attention span, not really an anchor. (Dear 7's, don't take this personally, I'm a 7 too…)

3. Look at your type compatibility.

The Enneagram Institute offers a great type compatibility chart. Google "Enneagram Institute Type Compatibility Chart" and head on over. You can select your own type and the type you are looking to understand better. To continue with our example from above: Let's assume that the office manager is a type 3 and the worker is still a type 7, here is a part of the compatibility report:

"This is a highly complementary pair: both types are self-assertive, have high energy, and are outgoing and capable of being around people with relative ease. Both types bring optimism, a future orientation, the sense of possibility and renewal to their relationships and to enterprises they become involved with. Threes can work alone more easily than Sevens, although both are stimulated by interacting with people and both can be excellent communicators of their ideas and values. Both are persuasive and articulate, often lively and attractive, making them sought after company. Both have a youthful orientation such that they feed off of each other's energy: no other couple is as vivacious or gregarious as the Three/Seven couple. This is probably the highest energy combination of types and they wholeheartedly engage in lots of activities, plans and projects, with the emphasis on attaining the good life. The focus is on sociability, going out, having adventures together and on realizing possibilities and on finding personal fulfillment. "

4. Use this for good only, not evil.

Once you get a grasp on all of this, you have a lot of inside information into people's motivations. You also get a lot of perspective on how you work with others. It's a lot of responsibility. Don't go abusing your power and manipulating situations. Be good, and the study of the Enneagram can bring a lot of clarity and peace to your relationships.

4 Steps to Better Relationships Through the Enneagram

One of the most powerful ways to use the Enneagram is for deepening your relationships with others. I believe that understanding others on a deeper level can help you to work, live, or love them better. The Enneagram will give you insight into what makes someone tick, and often gives perspective which can propel your relationship beyond most interpersonal issues. This information is held in such high esteem, it is currently being used by therapists, life coaches, and in business to create more dynamic and efficient teams. This is not your average typeing system or hocus pocus.

All of my relationships have changed since I began studying the Enneagram. Most have gotten much better, some of just changed, and some I've decided to end because they weren't serving the purpose they were meant to. Based on the experience I had with understanding others through the Enneagram, I'm going to show you the four steps you can use to understand friends, family, and colleagues better.

Intuitive Pet Talk

It isn't just pet psychics who can talk with our little animal companions, everyone can!

Aside from a fantastic telepathic skill, many different species are developed in body language signals and also the tone and frequency of voice. Those of us who share our lives, our homes, our cars and whatever else we have with our little animal friends understand how they intuit on everything that happens in our lives. They are aware of our emotions, whether we are sad, happy or anywhere in-between.

Telepathy is an easy communicative language of images and feelings. We all do it but when we work with our pets, it will help a great deal to be being selective in the images that we are sending. If we tell our dog not to chew our shoes, the picture we have in our mind at that moment is of the dog doing exactly that. Instead of sending that mental image, try sending the image of the dog happily chewing a chew stick or rawhide bone. Their perception of the image is immediate. Animals have excellent hearing so there is never any need to yell at your pet.

Intuitive pet talk with your beloved little friend means paying attention to what is going on in your pet's life on a daily basis and how it may be affecting them. What is their response to the food you provide for them, their snacks and their treats. Allow yourself to hear (sense/feel) what they are telling you.

As you set with your pet in quiet time, tell your pet how much you appreciate and love them. The more you relax and just be with your pet, the more you vibrate to the same frequency to receive their messages to you. Some people have had excellent results as they synchronize breathing with their pet for a deeper connection…they breath a little faster than us but as you experiment with this technique, you will begin to intuit their messages easier. This loving quiet time with your pet is wonderfully therapeutic to say the least.

Communicating with your pet in their own language truly adds to the abundance of nature's bountiful supply of riches. You may find your pet sharing humorous images that bring joy and laughter into your life. Other images may be more subtle and tender that you would otherwise miss out without your communicative connection.

Being in sync with your pet will also help you to take care of their health needs and perhaps even precisely identify any discomfort they may have. Your pet depends on you for good healthcare, nutrition, socialization and even grooming. With so many different choices of pet care products and services that are available, it can be overwhelming, unless of course you recognize the images and feelings that your pet prefers.

The love you and your pet share; you already know how to communicate with your pets. Taking this a step deeper is what pet psychics do to establish a rapport. You will too; as you begin to open your mind and heart to the animal kingdom in general. It is amazing how fast your ability to talk with animals develop as you simply reflect on the images and feelings your pet conveys to you.

Animals that live in the wild depend on communication for survival. They project sounds and colors with astute discerning frequency levels that reach hundreds of miles. There has been a great deal of study on animal communication over the years with fascinating results.

Pets love the sounds and information projected from wild life. Nature television shows and videos are an educational source you may wish to consider for you and your pet to enjoy. Kicking back and hanging out with your pet on movie night is a great way to expand your awareness and bond with your little one on his or her level.

The Nightmare Ghost My True Ghost Story

When I was younger in age, about 10-13, I started having very troublesome nightmares. Even though I was a very normal kid, with a very normal family, each night I would be terrified to go to bed from fear. I would have vivid dreams of horrifying events such as my house burning down, with Satan himself looking into my room, laughing. Most of these nightmares had Satan in them, and I often woke up not knowing what to do, or what caused these nightmares.

After a while, I started noticing something very peculiar. Every morning, I was waking up at exactly 3 A.M.; not one minute more, not one minute less. Every morning, nightmare or not, I was beginning to awaken, and see the big red LED's glowing on my alarm clock telling me again, I had awoken at the same time. This in itself was very frightening, but I had always managed to get back to sleep. After around a week of noticing this, some very peculiar events began to happen.

One particular morning, I woke up with no nightmare at the prompt time of 3 A.M. I was trying to go back to sleep, when I heard some odd noises. I heard what sounded like a side door in my kitchen, 3 rooms away from me, slam shut. I thought this was very odd, as everyone in my house was asleep. My heartbeat quickened instantly, and sleep seemed very distant to me. I waited, trying to block out anything I might hear, and hid my head under the covers. A few minutes passed, and I heard a stranger sound- something that of dropping a penny on a metal surface. Again, this sound radiated from my kitchen. I closed my eyes, and tried to calm myself down so I could get to sleep and forget what was happening. Seconds later, I felt my feet getting extremely cold, and tucked them underneath my covers. The cold spread to my body- and I was frozen with fear. Two rooms away from mine, my living room, I heard the sliding of a chair on a tile surface. I found this very odd, as we have a carpeted living room.

Things were starting to get more active, and I was frozen with fear still. At the climax of things, I heard 5 loud stomps coming into the hallway outside of my room, and stopped right outside my door. My heart was beating almost outside of my chest, as I curled up into a ball and prayed that the experience stop. I couldn't sleep that morning, and waited two hours until my father got up to go to work. At this point, I felt comfortable enough to sleep, and did.

Since this incident, I have gotten increasingly better about nightmares. The following days, I still woke up at 3 A.M. in the morning for another week or so. Every now and then, I will still experience minor oddities. Recently, I was brushing my teeth and the bathroom door close shut all by itself. Things like this have made me believe in ghosts- even if I never caught a glimpse. In many cases hearing is believing- just as much as sight.

To this day, if I wake up in the early morning, I sometimes will turn the television on to keep my mind off of this particular incident, and sleep with it on. I'm not fond of repeating this occurrence to anyone, as it invokes old memories I wish to forget. I hope this is a bit of proof to the non believers that there is, in fact, something paranormal out there.

Emergence Personality Theory - How We Find Wounds

What I am about to show you is the twelve categories of risky questions with which I find peoples' wounds. Straight to the heart, definitely risky, but powerfully charged questions. Know their power lies in the fact that the person can be symptom free and they still find wounds.

Now without further adieu (and setting aside for another time the theory which underlies these 12 categories), here they are. My twelve core strategies for locating wounds.

[ 1] Vivid Recall of a Painful Event: The First Category of Block Markers

[ 2] An Inability to Picture a Common Childhood Event: The Second Category of Block Markers

[ 3] Hating an Ordinary Life Event: The Third Category of Block Markers

[ 4] Under-reacting to a Loving Event: The Fourth Category of Block Markers

[ 5] Under-reacting to a Violent Event: The Fifth Category of Block Markers

[ 6] Having No Choice: The Sixth Category of Block Markers

[ 7] Feeling Urgency During Ordinary Life Events: The 7th Category of Block Markers

[ 8] Feeling Abandoned During Ordinary Life Events: The 8th Category of Block Markers

[ 9] Feeling Trapped During Nonviolent Life Events: The 9th Category of Block Markers

[10] Repeatedly Making the Same Painful Error: The 10th Category of Block Markers

[11] Feeling Markedly Older or Younger During Ordinary Life Events: The 11th Category of Block Markers

[12] Feeling Compelled to Do Ordinary Acts: The 12th Category of Block Markers

Let's start with the obvious; what is a Block Marker?

A Block Marker is a sort of mental pointer to a time during which you were once startled into blankness by a painful event. After which you have a sort of psychological hole in your ability to picture which functions a lot like a pot hole in a road. Literally, we all have these blank spots in our minds. Psychologically speaking, anyway. More important, these holes are the single most direct way to find our injuries.

Am I being too vague? Let me try an example. When I was a boy, two little girls in my class were standing in front of a store on a busy highway. A tractor trailer lost it's brakes and hit and killed one of them right in front of the other. No surprise that the little girl who was six at the time could not remember this happening. But because of what happened, she also had a blocked ability to picture tractor trailers. She literally could not bring one to mind ever when asked to make one up.

Of course, most of us will never have an event this terrible happen to us. Even so, we all have certain things we have lost the ability to visualize. Psychological pot holes in the roads in our minds so to speak. Moreover, this blocked ability to even imagine these things is the one thing all human wounds have in common. We cannot picture something about the event. Even if we know with certainty this thing happened to us. And even if we are asked to simply make this thing up.

Still confused? What I'm saying is, while human beings, by nature, prefer to use logic to explore their suffering, real healing lies not in logic but rather in exploring these visual blank spots. The places wherein we can no longer picture life even when asked to make it up. Ironically, we never notice the significance of this inability let alone that it is the single most important feature in all of talk therapy.

Know you can explore this visual paradox in depth by visiting my site at http://theemergencesite.com/Therapy/LearningAsATherapy-Wk070319.htm.

For now it is enough to know that these twelve categories of lost abilities to picture life exist. And that they are simply the best way to locate mental / emotional injuries.

Prison Dreams Can Help To Liberate the Dreamer

Have you ever dreamed you were in prison? Then some part of you is imprisoned. There are many ways in which this metaphor can apply to our lives. We explored some of them in a recent prison dream that was discussed in a telephone group, "TeleDream." Here is how the dream began:

"I am in a prison(1). Inside, the grounds are like a university campus(2), with green lawns(3) and benches(4) next to old buildings(5). The whole place is surrounded by a thick-barred black metal fence(6). I have just arrived(7). We take turns going to get groceries(8) escorted by a prison guard(9)..."

Every dream speaks to anyone who investigates it, since dreams originate in the Universal realms of the Unconscious. The group exploring this dream discovered dozens of layers of meaning, some unique to each individual. See if any of the nine universal themes we found apply to you:

1. "I am in a prison." And so is everyone in some manner: To the degree that your job or family confines and restrains you, they imprison you. If your body is wounded, disowned, or a burden to you, your spirit may be imprisoned by the physical. If you long to follow some dream which is prohibited by others,

you may be imprisoned by society. If your dreams seem hopeless or ridiculous, you may be imprisoned by your own attitudes. Most of us are imprisoned by fears, by doubt, by ignorance.

2. "Inside, the grounds are like a university campus": Inside us the "ground" of our existence is the "Universe" itself. Our individual identity is alternately a prison and a portal: "Every man is a doorway through which the Infinite passes into the finite" (Emerson) The human personality consists of a spark of divinity imprisoned in materiality.

3. "green lawns": One group member noted that green is the color of growth and spring; to the extent that our growth and blossoming is restricted, we are in prison. Any "failure to thrive" imprisons some potential. Another dreamer mentioned that green is the color of the heart chakra; if our feelings, hopes and dreams were not imprisoned within us, would we need so many reminders to "follow our dreams" or to "know thyself." A third group member playfully commented that "the grass always looks greener on the other side of the razor-wire fence."

4. "Benches": are for waiting, for sitting it out and they can be a valuable respite or the symbol of failing to "take a stand." Being "put on the bench" in sports is to be taken out of the game. How are we "sitting on the bench" in our own lives, the dream invites us to ask.

5. The grass of the "green lawns" is part of nature, while the bench, the buildings and the fence are man-made. Often our natural tendencies are surrounded by that which has been built up by culture, family rules and traditions, religious beliefs and external authority. There are many built environments like schools and factories which educate and employ but simultaneously imprison. In the movie "Cousin Cousine" a character attends an outdoor wedding but skips the church reception that follows, saying "I don't trust God when you get him indoors."

6. The "whole place" might be that place within us all, in which we are whole. Every being carries the imprint of wholeness, like the oak tree implicit in the acorn. Each gender has within, the qualities of its opposite. Each child brings into this world a potential for full being and expression which is only rarely fulfilled. Whatever prevents our wholeness is the "black metal fence" of shadow and restriction and resistance. Poverty is a prison. Prejudice is a prison. Partiality is a prison; gated communities are the prison of privilege.

7. This dream came to a devoted student of dream work whose past efforts had activated and liberated parts of her psyche that had been stored in the "protective custody" of the unconscious since childhood. The release of fresh consciousness that has "just arrived" is the hallmark of ongoing growth. Dreams release unrealized potentials into the adult psyche whenever we are ready to do the work of reclamation. It is our own innocent consciousness that recognizes our over-adapted adult attitudes as a prison. This fresh energy is just what helps to release us from the prison of habit and limitation. Prisons are secure, and sometimes, security is a prison.

8. The dreamer noted that many of the important projects she began had to "take turns" and could not be consistently maintained. Thus there were cycles of meditation and phases of healthy exercise and periodic returns to creative writing. The dream shows these as activities that bring nourishment, the "groceries" that feed the soul. Such activities must often take turns when much of our psyche is imprisoned.

9. Not only do we all contain hopes and abilities that are imprisoned within, but we are all both the prisoner and the prison guard. Our own attitudes and habits imprison us. Our guardedness is our prison's guard. One becomes a prisoner only after being judged. Within the mind it may be our own judgemental views that bar us from authenticity and freedom, imprisoning us without just cause.

Is not each human ego is a prison of the spirit? Our every fear imprisons and limits our willingness to dare and our ability to love. Our current identity is always the prison of our future self and our full potential. How much "time do you have to do" before you earn your freedom? Prison dreams challenge us to discover how we are confined and how we could break out and be free.

Psychic: Extended Senses (E.S.P.)

Extra Sensory Perception was well acknowledged in the past by the classical philosophers as Plato, who included them amongst the Gnostic powers beyond the regular importance of the 5 senses.

There have been times in classical history when these skills were revered and associated with the gods. But at times in later history to our shame, we remember that anyone who demonstrated sensory knowledge beyond the average range was likely to be burned at the stake by the ever zealous agents of the orthodox and most powerful religion of the time, Christianity.

Certainly there were periods in ancient history when the inherent skills of particular individuals were harnessed and they were trained as seers within the temples, as in ancient Egypt. The priests of this particular era were particularly well versed in matters of the spirit and those who were respected possessed exceptional wisdom, as we learn from records. The role of these psychics and visionaries was seen as a sacred duty. It was mostly young priestesses who were trained to serve the country in this way, just as most psychics today are female. In ancient Greece the Delphic Oracle was famous and her work aspired to help the people of her country.

In modern times our understanding of these faculties is limited. Psychic faculties are only just beginning to be seen for what they are; as specially extended senses. E.S.P has been a curiosity and somewhat of an embarrassment to people who value the material world and revere the observed material sciences as their gods.

Even the Church has had problems of various kinds, including explaining some of the exceptional powers displayed by individuals. One such perplexity being in cases of levitation. If a monk, nun or priest within the Church levitated whilst in intense state of prayer or meditation - and this did happen, although rarely, the presiding bishop was instructed to command the poor subject to 'come down!' It was judged that if their response was immediate, then they became subjects for possible sainthood. If they didn't obey immediately they were branded to be 'of the devil.' And no one seems to know what occurred when the poor person didn't know how to reverse the happening and remained stuck to the ceiling!

There has been and still remains considerable ignorance about the psychic and spiritual powers that manifest through people who are sometimes conscious instruments and sometimes completely unaware of what happens through their mediumship. However, in India and no doubt many other cultures, the individual ESP faculties generally known as Siddhis, are well recognized, each identified and prized as an exceptional talent to be used ideally for exceptional purposes in helping others.

Modern psychics who function as amateur explorers in areas that are sometimes of dubious nature and value are generally viewed rather sceptically by most of us. The casual visit to the 'gypsy' at the fair is usually seen as a lighthearted venture.

Dedicated professionals who have trained and wish to offer their skill and experience in service are a different matter. These include wonderful people who are employed, or who voluntarily offer, to assist people with personal issues and private consultation, or to aid in helping the community. Some have been successful in helping police investigation of missing persons as well as cases of criminal activity. Although not always publicly acknowledged, many people in public office or positions of responsibility also value the assistance of a psychic.

Some psychics better known to the public through some sensational issue are frequently those who have been accurate with prediction of various kinds. Each psychic usually has a faculty that is specially developed such as clairvoyance, clairaudience or talents as seer or visionary. Public fascination with the subject continues. So does the serious work of those psychics with integrity, who have come to terms with their unusual abilities and have found ways of utilizing them for the benefit of others.

What is required now is that we co-operate with psychologists who are attempting to understand the subtler realms and to extend their knowledge about the human psyche. This will assist us all by helping to establish the psychic abilities as natural extensions of our senses. It will also help to make us more confident in utilizing the human faculties, which we may already have become aware of within ourselves.

Education Online and Computer eLearning Tools for Special Kids

Special Kids require more teachers and assistants per students to assist them in learning. This is a challenge for school budgets as even the regular classes are often bursting at the seams with regards to student/teacher ratios. Tough choices thus, are sometimes made by administrators as the parents of regular kids and of special kids battle it out at PTA Meetings.

"Hey wait a minute; can we have some order here? We are all on the same team! This is about the kids not us." - Superintendent of Public Instruction in a town near you

Why can't we rely more on eLearning, computer tools, virtual reality and online education to assist in crossing the challenges of the teacher/student ratios and maxed out school budgets? My question to educators is what are your thoughts on Self-Esteem and eLearning in special cases?

My thoughts I think are much about the use of Virtual Reality, Avatars -congratulating kids. Do you remember that cool little device "toy" called; Speak and Spell? It congratulated the students when they go the answer right; "you are correct!" and what does the kid do? He or she has a big smile and makes a gesture. Even looks around to see if anyone noticed! Right, sure they do.

Now then if no one is there the student things; who cares, but if a Virtual Reality Avatar says, "you are doing really good and getting a lot better" then someone is there and that becomes not only a bonding with the computer, which will be necessary for "trust" and future mutual reliance, but it also builds self esteem.

It seems we need to cross more than the digital divide in eLearning, we need to cross the self-esteem and self-confidence divide you see? I certainly hope this article is of interest and that is has propelled thought. The goal is simple; to help you in your quest to be the best in 2007. I thank you for reading my many articles on diverse subjects, which interest you.

Space Camp for Your Children!

Many of us growing up wanted to go to the NASA Space Camp in Alabama and of course that would not be easy, as the competition was severely tough. Recently one of our Online Think Tank members from the UK notified us that he was building a VR or Virtual Reality, 3D, Surround a Sound model, simulator of the Space Shuttle, he is in Europe. Cool stuff.

Indeed as a space enthusiast myself, I have visited Alabama Space Camp in my travels as a tourist, it is a really neat place. Did you know that in Mesa AZ, The Boeing Company donated a simulator to the school district and that is excellent. I agree that Space Camp will be needed as we all head for the stars soon, in our lifetimes.

Of course being a thinker type, I am a big fan of Arthur C Clarke, Ben Bova, Issac Asimov and anything space. Satellites to future mining equipment and AI Android Robots too, lots of technology forth coming now. One gentleman told me that he too wanted to go to Space Camp as a kid, but he did not get to go. Now he hopes that his daughter might go.

Actually he hopes she might visit the moon one day too. It is totally possible and she needs to study math and science too of course and I am sure he know that as well. How about you? Are your children going to be the first colonists on Mars? Do you have a favorite Sci-Fi author? I certainly hope this article is of interest and that is has propelled thought. The goal is simple, to help you in your quest to be the best in 2007. I thank you for reading my many articles on diverse subjects, which interest you.

Top 3 Nursing Continuing Education Providers in America

When you start looking into nursing continuing education you will find there are many providers to choose from. In fact, there are so many options for a nursing education that you may feel overwhelmed at the options. Fortunately, a review of the top three nursing continuing education providers in America will help you see what providers are best. This list will cut down on your research time significantly since the work has already been done for you! Keep in mind, however, that there are a lot of outstanding nursing continuing education programs out there, in addition to online nursing continuing education programs, for you to choose from. So if the three listed here aren't what you are looking for there are still a lot of great programs to choose from.

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

If you are in North Carolina or nearby and are interested in nursing continuing education credits then you should definitely consider The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. These on site classes educate students and are enjoyable as well. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a leading university in the nursing field and offers state of the art technology as well as outstanding professors and teachers. Of all the nursing continuing education providers out there the UNC at Chapel Hill nursing skill is one of the best.

WWW.CEU4U.COM

For those nurses interested in an online nursing education then www.ceu4u.com is a great place to get it. There are many courses offered and technical support is offered 24 hours per day and seven days per week. Individuals are able to study for their continuing education classes at home and log in on their schedule. A list of the classes you have taken and all of the credits you have earned at www.ceu4u.com are available on the website for you to keep track of your progress. The great news is that all states accept the credits that are offered by this nursing continuing education provider.

University of Delaware

The University of Delaware offers an RN refresher program, which is a bit different from the offerings of the continuing education providers above. This course is designed to help RNs who have been out of the nursing environment for some time to help them upgrade their skills and renew their license so they can get back to work. This online program is perfect for all those RNs out there who are ready to get back to work and just need a little refresher.

As you can see there are all kinds of nursing continuing education providers out there. Nurses can achieve nursing continuing education credits by attending courses in person or studying online. Choose whichever of these methods works best for you, in addition to what you need to study, and before too long you will have all the nursing continuing education credits you need!

Education: Inspecting The Inspectors

In the United Kingdom there is a well tried and tested system, it appears, for determining the quality of British schools. Ofsted is the organization which is charged with inspecting schools on a regular basis and providing reports both to the schools and to the public detailing the successes and failings and any recommendations to improve the school for the sake of the pupils and the community at large. It now appears that Ofsted itself is in need of inspection and regulation.

Recent reports have suggested that inspectors used by Ofsted have not always been present in some of the classes and classrooms that they have been reporting on. In this instance, therefore, they are reporting on something that haven't witnessed and that may be, at best, second hand knowledge. The Ofsted inspection, for most schools and school teachers, is an arduous and harrowing experience. Under normal circumstances, several days or even weeks of preparation are employed in ensuring that the Ofsted inspection is met with the best possible response.

This in itself may seem artificial – the school presentation is fitted to the inspection rather than being an inspection of what the school life is really like. Now added to this, we set that Ofsted itself cannot produce reports that can be classed as fully reliable, at least in some instances, and we now need to inspect the inspectors. The situation could hardly be more comical and frightening.

How long will it be before we need inspectors to inspect the inspectors that are inspecting the inspectors?