Four true stories reveal how teachers used Sylvia Ashton Warner's ideas of "organic teaching" and "key vocabulary" to reach apparently unreachable students. The essence of the organic method of teaching is that it touches those things very deep and very real within the child. Teachers who can remain comfortable while taking the risk can use the same organic principles found in the infant room where Ashton Warner first unfolded her theory: of listening for the key to unlock the unconscious; of patient, caring, careful listening; of using the basic instincts of the teacher to flow with, not against, the children; of using the power of destruction and turning it to creativity; of using nature, song, music, and dance; of using touch and taste and sound and every natural element available to open doors and broaden experience to allow one experience to move and flow into another. But a word of warning: the basic principles of organic teaching can only work if they are enhanced by the natural artistry of the teacher. There is no method. (JL)