Why It Pays To Put Kids In Control
For years, our public systems have been plagued with issues. More recently, the predominant focus has been that of social control -- where, the "policing of behavior trumps the expanding of minds." In light of this, educating for insurgency may seem a radical, and potentially, dangerous proposition. But, what if this new model empowered students to get involved and take control of their educationa... posted on Mar 10 2015, 15,555 reads

The Contentment Habit
For many of us, it is easy to fall into the habit of thinking or feeling that we are not doing enough when we see others doing great things or having amazing experiences. Constantly comparing ourselves to others and/or feeling as though we are not enough causes us to become unhappy and takes away from living in the moment. Read this article on how to appreciate every day and every moment more.... posted on Mar 09 2015, 40,299 reads

How Long Has It Been Since You Smelled A Flower?
For forty years Thom Irving has led writing workshops with prison inmates. He describes it as unlearning the language of excuses and refusal to accept responsibility for one's acts, then building hope that one is not entirely alone or lost as long as swallows can be seen, even from the narrow slot of a cell window.... posted on Mar 08 2015, 5,386 reads

Going To School With Her Great-Great-Granchildren
Ninety-year-old Priscilla Sitienei is believed to be the oldest primary school student in the world. As an active midwife in Kenya, Priscilla helped deliver many of her primary-school classmates, including six of her great-grand children who are in her class. Community members and students affectionately call Priscilla "Gogo," which means grandmother in the local Kalenjin language. To them, Gogo i... posted on Mar 07 2015, 5,112 reads

Why We Love Music
What is our fascination with music? And, why is it that it sometimes invokes such a deeply emotional response? Scientists have been pondering this question for years, and now -- with fMRI technology they are able to visualize the brain's musical connection. "Music affects deep emotional centers in the brain," shares neuroscientist, Valorie Salimpoor. "It's very powerful." How powerful? In one stu... posted on Mar 06 2015, 29,970 reads

Creating Welcoming Space
Marilyn Lacey, founder and executive director of Mercy Beyond Borders, invites us to consider the power of creating welcoming space for others, even those we consider strangers or enemies. Marilyn explains that hospitality "entails creating not just physical room but emotional spaciousness where the stranger can enter and be himself or herself, where the stranger can become ally instead of threat,... posted on Mar 05 2015, 16,010 reads

No Regrets: Living With Dying
Patti Pansa knew the common regrets of the dying, and with stage-four metastasized breast cancer, she wanted to live her last days without them. "Between radiation treatments, spinal surgery, and a bucket list trip to Alaska, Patti wrote essays, talked with anyone who would listen, dreamed and created...Patti spent the last five months of her life celebrating, sharing, creating, loving, and living... posted on Mar 04 2015, 48,706 reads

Touch as a Form of Nutrition
Is it any coincidence that when a friend or loved one does something nice for us, we feel "touched"? As John Tuite, founder of The Centre for Embodied Wisdom, tells us, "We mistakenly think that touch occurs on the periphery of our self, a skin thing." But as he shares, touch is a crucial piece of our health and development, and one we all too often go without as we get older.... posted on Mar 03 2015, 0 reads

Empathy With The Enemy
"If empathy is truly to take its place as a central value in contemporary culture," says author Roman Krznaric, "we need to put it to the test in the most difficult situations...We must extend our empathetic imaginations not just to the dispossesed or disadvantaged, but also to those whose views and actions we might oppose or disdain...That is how empathy can become both a moral guide and a basis ... posted on Mar 02 2015, 24,245 reads

Bhutan's Living Laboratory For Education
"Camp Rural-Urban Friendship is really a living laboratory for trying something different in education, just as Bhutan, with its philosophy of Gross National Happiness, is a living laboratory for trying something different with development." When youth from urban and rural areas of Bhutan united with visionary volunteers at Camp RUF this past summer, co-created sparks began fly. Volunteer Tim Huan... posted on Mar 01 2015, 3,658 reads