THE THREE SISTERS

The gardener awaits nature’s most auspicious days for planting various seeds.

In consideration for harmonious conditions, he plants pole beans among a society of corn for reciprocity between nitrogen-enrichment and shaded poles. Among these he plants gourds to spread their vines, preserving ground water for the other two sisters.

Imagine the foolishness of a   gardener who planted all seeds the same day; demanded that they all grow under the same conditions; and subsequently, pulled on tender plants to get them to grow faster.

Are not schools that plant and tend child gardens without respect for uniquely favorable conditions equally reprehensible?

 

The inclination of the pupil for a particular profession must not be neglected, especially because such inclination usually asserts itself at an early age, being occasioned by personal gifts, by example of other members of the family, and by various other circumstances.

                                                                        Albert Einstein

FROM ROSEBUDS TO ROSES

Rose petals unfold according to a geometric code that is

As precise as it is sacred.

Who would prefer the mutilated victim of petals prematurely forced Open, to the perfect beauty

 Of nature’s patient unfoldment.

Unnoticed these days, petals of potential

Wither at the feet of unnaturally forced child-blossoms,

Depriving roses-in-the-making.

When we subject a child’s development to premature forcing,

It behooves us to think of rosebuds.

Where there is love, there is no imposition.

Albert Einstein

DEEP ROOTS for TALL TREES

Tall trees grow from deep roots. 
The health and appropriateness of the soil, 
As well as climate, 
Determine the depth and vitality
 Of the roots. 

Life-enhancing relationships in nature 
Extend far deeper than surface appearances 
And apply  just as surely to human beings 
As to trees.

Wisdom is not a product of schooling, but of the lifelong attempt to acquire it.

                                          Albert Einstein

ECO-PSYCHOLOGY AND CHILDREN

 Q. Why do you emphasize the term eco-psychology so much? Is this more of your emphasis on placing children in nature?

A. Eco-psychology is a powerful term for this generation because of our appreciation for ecology in reference to planetary biomes. However, the term eco-psychology coined about a decade ago reaches deeper, into the inner terrains of children, to include psychological, physiological and even spiritual realities. The term “Deep Ecology”, offers a complementary reference to the power of nature’s energetic blueprints—to psychology that reaches deep into the hearts, minds and souls of children.

Eco-psychology bespeaks heart to heart relationships with children. Our urgent and immediate task as a society is to seek the means to free pent-up natural forces. As we begin to see the child through the eyes of the heart, we will replace current schooling regimes with organic, LIFE-affirming systems. Restorative powers inherent in the human family, will reveal astonishing generative potentials, enabling future generations to flourish.

The following example affirms the powerful life-promoting, healing power of nature’s substrata. When an enlightened society appreciate that this applies to children equally with forests, the places our children learn will be vitally alive centers of eco-psychology – that include nature’s playscapes.

In 1986 60,000 people in the Soviet Union were evacuated from the area surrounding the Chernobyl Nuclear Power plant after a catastrophic explosion released large quantities of radioactive particles into the atmosphere. Prior to this the society had leveled thousands of acres of forest to install farms, roads and buildings.  Yet, less than three decades later a team of scientists has discovered there a remarkable rebirth, a primeval forest teaming with life.  Wildlife including wolves, moose, bears, beavers and bison are thriving in the self-restoring ecosystem. Nature, freed from mankind’s controlling, leveling, destructive tendencies, has restored a profusion of living potential in realms of breathtaking beauty.

THE GEMUN DELEGATES

Let us find ways to bring a sense of joy and meaning to everything the children do.  Otherwise we are wasting a vast reservoir of potential that this dynamic duo triggers.

Preparations for Global Elementary Model United Nations, headed up by Nina, require lots of research, appreciation for world problems, thoughtful solution seeking, and clear articulation. Nina brings in lots of resources and media to spark lively discussions through the year and invite the delegates' ideas.

The Teaching Story, this year, Journey to the Acropolis: A Story of Ancient Greece, and a trip to the Greek Orthodox Church Spring Festival helped acquaint the students with the history, the heroes, the foods, the myths and legends, the culture.

Some children have strong nudges from their parents, but the idea is for them to choose to attend Global Elementary Model United Nations and read their resolutions.

Excitement and apprehension grow apace as the children complete their Resolutions for a self-chosen topic. Children who are more apprehensive or younger, can choose to be pages. This group learns about the proceedings through osmosis as they retrieve and deliver delegate notes sent between the committees.

Group Mural-Making, to combine artistic thumbnails representative of Greek Culture in one piece of art, provides a way for the delegates to relax and paint together. Sometimes this year they even broke into song while they were painting. Their sweet clear voices brought tears to my eyes.  To watch the artistic collaboration unfold day by day is always a wonderful experience.

Oksana, their art teacher and passionate proponent of the Banner of Peace, orchestrated the group much like the leader of an orchestra. She gestured upward, “How about clouds here?” She gestured across the Mural, “How about a Greek Orthodox Church here?” She pointed to the central Banner of Peace. “Who will sketch the person that is holding the Banner?” The painters freely added their own touches, while there was always someone eager to fulfill Oksana’s suggestions.

The last weeks the two Ambassadors prepared their speeches to give to an audience of over four-hundred delegates representing many countries.

On Friday at Brook Haven College the delegates dress in costume to add to the authentic flavor of the day in which they role-play as Greek delegates. GEMUN (Global Elementary Model United Nations) offers the children role-playing at its finest. In their committees such as ECOSOC, UNEP, and UNESCO, the children read their resolutions, caucus, amend, defend, and vote.

On Saturday, during committee breaks, the children enjoy each other’s displays in the main hall. Ours included the mural along with a table display. By the end of Saturday after the award ceremony for outstanding delegates, and introduction of next year’s Secretary General, tiredness enters the children’s exuberance.

Rich and varied experience, including you may recall from my last blog, the Greek plays, have brought living vibrant opportunities for intellectual, creative and social growth to the children - individually and collectively.  The feed back through the years has been that these times are treasured and memorable milestones in children’s lives.

Learning at its best stimulates growth through joy, for joy is a special wisdom.

JOURNEY TO THE ACROPOLIS

Recently I heard of a little girl who tries to hard in her school to do the assigned tasks well, to please the teacher – to do EVERYTHING RIGHT. Yet, for the third or forth time, the awards at the assembly went to others.

When the assembly was over, her teacher said, “Now I don’t want to see any tears.”

So she didn’t. The little girl went into the bathroom to weep tears of let down and grief, and a sense of betrayal.

This makes me want to cry too. Sadly, our society deems competition for these awards necessary to motivate groups of children. A relatively small number wins. The majority feels less than, inadequate.

There are other ways to motivate that are more effective, kinder and include EVERYONE in the rewards. And by rewards I don’t mean extrinsic rewards like certificates, trinkets and being singled out for public recognition, etc. Such rewards are for training animals, not for reaching the hearts and minds of human children.

Children have great dignity, self-discipline and intrinsic (inner) motivation when they are treated as if they have such capacity. 

There are many more effective, kinder ways to motivate individuals and groups. The following is an example of one way.

At the Living Ethics School we blend fact and fiction in stories, the way indigenous peoples teach their children. This is to heighten the children’s interest in learning various topics. Our recent unit entitled Journey to the Acropolis pivoted on a 10 lesson teaching story that lasted 5 wks. The carefully researched stories interwove facts of Ancient Greece, accounts of famous historical characters, and Greek Mythology. The children painted while listening to the lessons to foster open, receptive brains, while creatively engaged.

At no point was the goal a quiz, a test, a grade, and/or awards for the best whatevers. Our main goal is to support a life long love of learning through joy in learning.

The children really liked the inclusion of the mythology. Before the lessons had even finished they were suggesting plays and clamoring for the parts they wanted to perform.

They helped the teacher brainstorm and begin rough drafts for the plays. Then the teacher fine tuned them. (Initiative, recall, planning, collaboration.) 

The plays performed by the various ages in elementary and upper elementary included:  

The Naming of Athens (Zeus had to choose between naming the new city after Posiedon or Athena).

The Minotaur (The brave Theseus, with the help of Princess Ariadne, found his way through the labyrinth to face down and kill the dreaded Minotaur.)

Helen And the Trojan War

Jason and the Argonauts

The Journeys of Odysseus

Sometimes two or more people wanted the same part. The teacher deftly stayed out of this, so the group assigned student judges to choose. The judges agreed to judge based on acting ability rather than personal friendship or popularity. (Ethics, self-government)

Practicing the plays required lots of reading, memorization and tiresome repetition. Some young first timers didn’t make it all the way through. They needed to see the performances at Presentation Night to be more motivated to persevere next opportunity.  (The pay off for perseverance – the performance.)

The prefrontal lobes were firing, the creative juices flowing, opportunities for cooperation numerous, as the children designed backdrops, costumes and props. (Their eyes were bright, their behavior focused and self-disciplined as they worked together.)

The performance, being akin to their own pretend play, was a source of enjoyment and interior reward for the narrators, set designers and cast. (Joy)

The attentiveness and appreciative applause of the audience was a way to include ALL in the many rewards of this process. (Attentiveness, support, and appreciation – great motivators from parents and teachers.)

No tests. No grades. No award assemblies. No woeful tears due to being overlooked. Just children engaged in self-challenges they naturally take on. The secret is to treat them with respect for the high potentials that reside in the heart of each child, eager and ready for expression.

JOY IS A SPECIAL WISDOM.

THE MAY FESTIVAL

Joyful festivity, planning, preparation and hard work are strung together aspects of a whole, like pearls on a necklace.

An Intelligence deep inside each of us resonates to this truth. When we witness the purposeful labors and beauty of completion we feel a profound response. But experiencing it takes us to the Unified Field of work/play where Joy is a Special Wisdom.

The greatest cluster of endorphin transmitters in the human body is in the pre-frontal lobes where we generate new ideas and elaborate on them. This forebrain, is the orchestrator of the whole brain, calling on various centers' contributions to planning, design, creation, innovation, collaboration, etc. for completion of some project.

The only conclusion we can draw from the brain research of the past decade is that the way to activate our children’s greatest intelligence is by firing those endorphin transmitters through meaningful engagement that brings them joy.

The May Festival the other day was like the pearl necklace. The children had to work hard for three weeks to learn the patterns of the Maypole dance. The first weeks Nina had them practice dancing the patterns without the ribbons in the shade. But the last 7 days they held the ribbons of the May pole practicing several complex patterns.

By then the temperature had climbed and the hot sun beat down on them. But many remembered the process from the previous year, and had learned it was worth it. Some of the newer and younger ones stayed away the first days. Too much work. Too hot. And they couldn’t yet anticipate the end result.

We figured out a way to make even the practice days festive. We found the largest metal bowl we own and filled it with cold water, including a tray of ice cubes. Then we rolled up 20 white hand towels and soaked them in the icy cold water.

As the hot sun beat down on their heads, the dancers could see the metal bowl that awaited them on the picnic table in the shade. They danced on, shouting to the preparer of the bowl, “You are my favorite person today!”

When Nina ended the practice sessions, the dancers became runners through the prairie, and with a great shout headed for the bowl. Then there were exclamations of pleasure as they drenched their heads, faces and necks in the cool water.

The ones who didn’t practice were given towels also, but they didn’t enjoy them half as much. By the final sessions, even the reluctant younger ones were drawn in to the work/play process.

Of course, the real completion of the pearl necklace came Saturday, when they performed the dance to the rousing Irish music for an appreciative audience.

Next year the ones that hung back at first, will very likely realize that hot, tiring practices, cool wet towels, and rewarding performances go together.

The time has come to insert into our halls of learning the lost knowledge that truly rewarding human expression is both challenging and Joyful: For Joy is a special wisdom.