Being Us

Perhaps we need to talk less about what kids can or should be, or what they want to be. Maybe we can spend more time helping them to understand that they already are everything they need to be. The only thing missing is this realization. We can guide them on the path of discovering what they really are before we burden them down with all the illusions associated with creating who they are.

Are You A Petty Tyrant?

Don't get me wrong, kids like some kind of order. If you watch a class with little control the students are not happy. So this is not about letting kids run wild. What it is about is stepping back and taking a look at your routines and rules. How many of them are necessary? How many are simply the result of your own need to have order and control in your life? When you come from a place of compassion and caring, when you truly have your student's best interests at heart and when they know this, then many of the dictates you perceive to be necessary simply fall away. You may be the captain, but remember your crew know a lot more than you think about keeping the ship in order and they will be happier and better learners when you give them credit for this.

How Do Your Kids See You?

As an educator or parent step back for a moment and ask yourself this question. If what you present to your kids was an advertisement for adulthood, would they want to buy it or would they want nothing to do with it?

keeping the wonder

Our world is full of miracles: an acorn becoming a mighty oak, a starry night in the middle of winter, a dragonfly or humingbird. Like other aspects of nature scientists have discovered much about the workings of these phenomena. Children are also curious to learn about the world around them. But please remember that sometimes a flower is just a flower, a marvel of nature, something that can give us a sense of wonder, gratitude for being alive. In our haste to teach
kids about the world, be mindful to always keep your own sense of astonishment alive and well, so that you will never quench a child's awe and amazement at the miracle of existence.

Planting Seeds

As teachers it is easy for us to think that we are life changers. We are sometimes under the illusion that our words of wisdom are just what is needed to set a child on the right path. It is important to remember that when the time and circumstances are right transformation occurs. Nothing we do makes that shift happen, rather it plants a seed which will ripen when the time is right. Perhaps this will pull some of us off our high horses and help us see that how we act and talk with our children has its place, but we should not be so arrogant as to think that we are alchemists. Rather we are instruments that can be played in a child's life, that hopefully will one day will be part of a wonderful orchestra.

Clearing

In some places we remove our shoes before we enter a house. Not just as a sign of respect but to also leave behind the energy of the outside world. We carry energies with us. You can often feel the negative energy of someone without them saying a word. Many times people ask us if we are okay even though we haven't given any sign to indicate that anything is wrong. Energy is often palpable. That is why it is so important to take a few moments to clear oneself before entering someone's house or place of business. It is crucial to do this if you are working with young people. They are extremely susceptible to energies and vibrations and we do not serve them by pouring out all the negative feelings we may have accumulated in the world out there. For just a moment before you enter your workplace take a moment to clear youself. Whether it be some simple breathing, repetition of a mantra or simply sitting in silence for awhile. When you take time to clear yourself, you allow your natural essence to flow, and that is something worth giving to those with whom you are about to spend your day.

The Word Is Not The World

We are all fond of words. I enjoy letting the words pour into my writing. I take pleasure in tweeking the final product by choosing just the right word. Teachers love to use words. Words are a part of our trade. But there is a caution here. The words we use are not reality. Talking about the parts of a plant is not the same as touching, feeling, seeing or smelling. A lecture about nature cannot compare to the experience of being outdoors and feeling the sun on your face, or marvelling at the stars. Wherever and whenever you can let your kids come face to face with the real world. Let them use their senses to see the beauty of nature, to feel the joy of silence.
Words have their place and they have their own beauty. But they are not the real world and can never be a substitute. There are times as adults when we need to simply stop talking and let the world speak.

The Joy Of No Purpose

Most of what we do in life has a goal. We are always trying to achieve something. This is a mania we pass on to our kids. While school obviously has expectations and deadlines to meet, I also propose this. Once in awhile do some activity that has no purpose. Draw, sing, dance, go for a walk or just sit around and have a fireside chat. And do it with no objective. Just do it because you are doing it. Dance or sing or whatever for the simple joy in what you are doing. Help our children to see that it is all right to have no purpose sometimes. In doing this we relax just a little. When we relax we lighten up . By lightening up we come one step closer to finding some peace and joy.

Keeping It Simple

Let this just be said in a simple yet profound ancient Indian proveb. I think this sums up much of what I have written, and will continue to write.

"All this struggling to learn, and yet all we have to do is remember."

Teaching The Truth

For over twenty years I have taught elementary students in the only way I know how. That is to help them see the world around them as it truly is, not what they are taught by society to believe. Of course, this has also meant "playing the game" and fullfilling my mandate as a public educator. However, the real world is so much more than we teach. It is a world of wonders, whereas we teach a world of words. While words can have beauty, they are not the real world. To describe the parts of a flower is not to experience a flower. To talk about nature is not to feel and smell nature all around you. Our kids are saturated with false images everytime they turn on the television. They are told that happiness lies in the things that can never last, can never bring peace and joy. I propose that if we are to make changes in the world we need to look at the way we are teaching them and this means perhaps taking a hard look at what we value. My forthcoming book will explore the shifts that are needed to be made to make this possible. I hope I can share my ideas and I invite your opinions through this blog.