Free "telesummit" on empowering children

I came across a great resource: a Free Telesummit “What The Experts Know on Learning and Education”?  Although originally it was aired in July/August - due to an overwhelming response, Astrid Witt, host of this event, has decided to re-run the entire series!  So much valuable information was shared on what the current generation of children truly need and what conscious parents and teachers/guides can do. 

Covers topics such as:

• What you need to succeed in life, but schools don't teach
• How to empower your child (The results will truly surprise you)
• How innovative schools create happy, self empowered kids 
• Why traditional labels put on your child can become
  self-fulfilling prophecies 
• Simple ways to change confrontation into cooperation 
• Why fear blocks our ability to perform - and what to do about it 
• How to cope with ADHD without drugs
• A radical change in perception on autism         

Click Here! 

Exploring old ideas in BRAVE new ways

I attended this amazing (to say the least) conference this past weekend!

Rethinking Everything

To get a gist on how inspired and passionate these folks are, here's a quote by Barb - the organizer of the conference.

"In my decades of rethinking everything, welcoming change and creating a haven for freedom and self-design for my children, I have come to believe that there is nothing more important or worthwhile than the unconditional nurturing of children.  If we can face our psychological baggage, let go of all we have been conditioned to believe is true about how the world works, and move toward trusting the drive present in each of us, no matter what age, that guides us to a fully alive, fully engaged state of being, then we are powerfully transforming not only ourselves but those we love and, in fact, that great big world out there - which is desperately in need of fresh ideas from those who have grown up under the life-sustaining umbrella of free-to-be, unconditional love and support..."

Time to start rethinking education... and our lives!

Peace!

Vanessa
co-founder and change agent 

23 acres of farm land!

Namaste Whole Education School students now has access to 23 acres of farm land which will have chickens, goats, cows, and horses! And let's not forget the crops! Students will have opportunities to integrate hands-on learning with nature... pictures coming soon. :-)

Pictures!

What do parents want for their children?

Excerpt, "Teaching Well-being in Schools" from pioneer in Positive Psychology, Dr. Martin E. P. Seligman, full article can be read here.

First, a quiz:

Question one: in one or two words, what do you most want for your children?

If you are like the thousands of parents I’ve polled you responded, “Happiness,” “Confidence,” “Contentment,” “Fulfillment,” “Balance,” “Good stuff,” “Kindness,” “Health,” “Satisfaction,” “Love,” “Being civilized,” “Meaning,” and the like. In short, well-being is your topmost priority for your children.

Question two: in one or two words, what do schools teach?

If you are like other parents, you responded, “Achievement,” “Thinking skills,” “Success,” “Conformity,” “Literacy,” “Math,” “Work,” “Test taking,” “Discipline,” and the like. In short, what schools teach is how to succeed in the workplace.

Notice that there is almost no overlap between the two lists.

The schooling of children has, for more than a century, paved the boulevard toward adult work. I am all for success, literacy, perseverance, and discipline, but I want you to imagine that schools could, without compromising either, teach both the skills of well-being and the skills of achievement. I want you to imagine positive education...

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Dr. Martin E.P. Seligman is head of the Positive Psychology Center at U Penn. Positive Psychology is the "scientific study of the strengths and virtues that enable individuals and communities to thrive..this field is founded on the belief that people want to lead meaningful and fulfilling lives, to cultivate what is best within themselves, and to enhance their experiences of love, work, and play."

His work takes him into the field of Positive Education. Where he concludes that skills of well-being (positive emotion, engagement with what one is doing, a sense of accomplishment, and good relationships) are necessary to include in education.

Service learning projects - project based learning taken further

Great article detailing the specifics and benefits of service learning projects from blog, Education Transformation.

Service Learning Projects - Project Based Learning Taken Further

"Authentic learning is about engaging with the material, grappling with tough questions, reflection and the ability to apply knowledge in a given situation and assesses the outcomes of the application. Service learning projects, provide students with these experiences in a very real way, in a way that they just cannot get from text books, lecture or test preparation..."

 "When service learning projects are implemented as part of the curriculum not only do students begin to think about the world and their place in it, teachers and  administrators do as well. When students engage in service learning projects they tend to have a more positive self - image, greater social awareness; gain social skills, feel a sense of independence and empowerment, and reflect upon their humanity and the humanity of others..."

Changing to a curriculum that matters

Excerpt from What's Worth Learning by Marion Brady.

"Even schools considered models and pointed to with pride - upscale, beautiful, well-staffed, shipping high percentages of their graduates off to the Ivy League - send most students on their ways with talents and abilities unidentified or undeveloped. Few graduate with their natural love of learning enhanced or even intact..."

"...American education isn't suffering from a "people problem" but from a system problem - the "core curriculum" put in place in 1893 and still in near-universal use. America's schools and colleges, preoccupied with covering the material in school subjects and courses, have lost sight of the bottom-line reason for educating: helping learners make more sense of experience..."

Full article with book excerpt can be accessed here.