Body language and Stick Figures

All through high school, I studied how people would position their bodies in a variety of situations. I found a basic cold reading article in one of my magic books The article was basically how mediums and mind readers were able to pick up cues by observing facial and body positions.  Now this was something I really could use. Amazingly enough, there seemed to be a distinct difference in positions of arms, legs and stances when a lie was evident or the truth was apparent.  Drawing stick figures of teachers and students gave me an insight into their thinking process.  Unfortunately, trying to explain a notebook of stick figures to the principle was completely out especially trying to explain why I was drawing in English class anyway. The home room teacher sent me to the principal who in turn sent me to the assistant principal. The assistant principal sent me to the guidance counselor and she sent me to the school psychologist. Now, he was a real winner I spent many relaxing hours, since I wasn’t in class listening to him and how he had saved many wayward students and prevented many from becoming criminals or perhaps he meant politicians’. The inappropriateness of someone my age drawing stick figures seemed to them verged on someone in need of Special Education Services. Yes, special education was the answer. The combination of poor attendance,  poor academics and now a note-book full of stick  figures was enough to qualify me as a special education student. A several years later as a college student at The University of New York, Buffalo I came across a PhD manuscript entitled Introduction to Kinesics by Dr. Raymond l. Birdwhistell (An annotation system for analysis of body motion and gesture) It’s full stick figures and I still read it today… it gives me satisfaction …..Vocational Education seemed inevitable.