you for inviting me here. I will probably be sharing less from the perspective of a teacher, but more from the experience of a mother. Very early on, even before my child was born, I had the privilege to be located in a place where Gandhi-ji has spent so much of his life. Lot of the experiments in education and lifestyle, values had begun and thrived over there. I think the seeds were starting to be sown right in those moments. When I was to become a mother I had such beautiful welcome messages for the baby and how this baby is going to be shaped into this world. What are the values that the baby is going to learn and what kind of a person that he or she is going to grow up into... posted on Jan 6 2017 (18,468 reads)

get expelled. As grownups, 50 percent of former foster children file for unemployment at least once, 33 percent receive public assistance, 25 percent experience periods of homelessness and 25 percent are eventually incarcerated. All too often, these children have spent their young lives surrounded by parents (biological and foster) who simply are not well versed in the practical or long-term importance of schooling. Research into foster children shows a clear correlation between their educational struggles and their chaotic home life — and how this gravely affects their future. Enter FosterEd. It is the brainchild of Jesse Hahnel, an attorney at the National Center for Y... posted on Feb 24 2017 (9,333 reads)

after all, has meant opportunity for Wubetu Shimelash. It is unsurprising that among his few material treasures is a worn paperback, “Never Pass Up an Opportunity: 51 Opportunities for Improving Your Life,” by Larry Czerwonka. “Passing up an opportunity without trying it is my biggest fear,” he says. Even if others cannot follow him from his beloved rocky spires, canyons and waterfalls to the United States, or to Wake Forest, Wubetu believes in the power of education to change lives. It changed his. Wubetu was born in the village of Argin, nearly two hours by very slow mule ride from Abeju’s house near Chenek Lodge in the Simien Mountai... posted on Nov 13 2018 (19,421 reads)

2011. Early years Archbishop Tutu came from humble beginnings. Born on 7 October, 1931 in Klerksdorp, in the North West Province of South Africa where his father, Zachariah was a headmaster of a high school. His mother, Aletha Matlare, was a domestic worker. One of the most influential figures in his early years was Father Trevor Huddleston, a fierce campaigner against apartheid. Their friendship led to the young Tutu being introduced into the Anglican Church. After completing his education he had a brief stint teaching English and History at Madibane High School in Soweto; and then at Krugersdorp High School , west of Johannesburg; where his father was a headmaster. It was her... posted on Jan 7 2022 (3,135 reads)

with findings from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Better Life Index, we find that the happiest countries are those that build stronger social ties, better-managed commons, and a strong sense of community. 1. Switzerland Photo: Kosala Bandara Switzerland, this year’s happiest country, ranks above average in subjective well-being, jobs and earnings, income and wealth, health status, social connections, environmental quality, education and skills, and personal security. There’s also a strong sense of community in Switzerland, where 96 percent of people believe that they know someone they could rely on in time of need... posted on Jul 8 2015 (69,899 reads)

the nomadic community of Narikuravars in Tamil Nadu, the only mode of livelihood comes from selling beads on streets or worse, begging. Amidst the various ostracised communities in the state, Narikuravars are a marginalised group who continue to be shunned from mainstream society and have no access to primary opportunities like that of education and employment. However, one young boy’s perseverance in making the world a better place for his community has not just earned him the tag of being the flag bearer of the Narikuravars, but also the nomination for this year’s International Peace Prize for Children. He has achieved this by con... posted on Apr 29 2018 (10,174 reads)

to go, and he said, "Go to Paris." So I said, "I've got to go to Paris." They said, "We never sent anyone to Paris who came home again." Well I said, "Merton says we have to go to Paris." So we had this battle for three months, and finally they let me go to Paris. That is where I met my mentor (the late French Dominican Marie Dominic Pere Chenu) who named the creation spirituality tradition for me. So I was very blessed to have every day that special education actually. And I tried to make the most of it. Eventually, I think they regretted that I did come home, but that's another story. Rahul: I want to fast forward to that story becau... posted on Sep 8 2022 (3,021 reads)

Yalda Modabber “It was nonstop for two years,” says Modabber, who has dark curly black hair and a warm smile. “That period in my life was so hard that I blocked it out. I don’t even remember my teachers’ names. The entire class turned on me.” Modabber is now the principal and founder of Golestan Education, a Persian-language preschool and after-school program in Berkeley, California that collaborates with other local schools on cultural education, where my son will be going to preschool next year. In a quiet voice, she tells me that being bullied drove her to integrate empathy into every level at Golestan. Various studie... posted on Jul 8 2016 (32,718 reads)

of these two geniuses into my perspective is: we were going too fast. We are still going too fast. When we rush, we make decisions that lack information, lack proper reflection, and ultimately make the problems of humanity worse. In my opinion, the problem lies not in the contribution to human knowledge of talented minds like Einstein and Feynman, but the uses to which those contributions were put. Now is the time to slow down, to take a pause, to rethink the purpose of science and education and to cultivate our critical thinking—and our critical feeling. It is time to combine science with the soul: science as the sustainable, collective and critical development of knowled... posted on Jul 10 2017 (6,653 reads)

that one of the reasons it’s so nice to be working in a school again is that I didn’t need to feel foolish for picking up leaves because I was able to collect enough of them for every class, so that’s yet another argument for small schools. It was interesting this morning to hear Frank Bryan tell about the secessionist movement in Vermont and to think about it in connection with my secret secessionism. I’ve always worked in public schools because I believe in public education, but a lot of people in the public school system would claim that I have seceded from it. I never go to meetings, and I throw most of the memos in the wastebasket because I figure if it&rsqu... posted on Feb 13 2023 (2,338 reads)

ecologist Garrett Hardin called this the “tragedy of the commons.” Businesses are allowed to transfer to the public “common” all of the “externalities” like the increase in unemployed, the need for a bigger safety net and more prisons, the water and air pollution. Thus, businesses don’t have to bear these costs; taxpayers do. We also end up with more costs for damaged souls and damaged lives. Look at what is happening with education. So many young people are graduating from college with debts of $50,000, $75,000, even $100,000 before they even get their first job. That effectively makes them indentured servants for an e... posted on Nov 12 2020 (28,288 reads)

March 15th alone, 1.6 million strikers were counted across 125 countries. This environmental movement to reduce carbon emissions was started by Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg in late 2018. In the meantime, a discussion has ensued among politicians in Germany about whether it is the right thing for students to take to the streets instead of the classroom on Fridays. The principles below weigh in on this conversation from a bigger picture view: how to “update” the world’s educational system, particularly the university, to tackle the technological, environmental, and social disruptions of the 21st century. See figure 1. Figure 1: Twelve Principles for Reinventing th... posted on May 25 2020 (11,091 reads)

Right before arriving at my destination -- which at the time happened to be a high-end hotel -- he asked me, "What is the secret of your success?  Please tell me, sir, I want to know."  Of course, what he was really asking was, "What can I do, that presumably you are doing, that would allow me to live the better life you appear to have?" The honest reply would have been, "Have been born in a wealthy country to good parents who will see that you get a good education," but of course, that would have been of little help. A more practical answer is something that I continue to struggle with. The answer was certainly not more virtue, at least for him.... posted on Jul 18 2011 (12,535 reads)

received many responses from various organizations but not too many from the massive side like Bill and Melinda. I’ve heard second hand about George Soros in conversation about it and an internal gathering at Ford. So, lots of people are talking, but not really talking to me, and I think that’s a good thing. You say in your piece, “Often I hear people say, “if only they had what we have” (clean water, access to health products and free markets, better education, safer living conditions). Yes, these are all important. But no “charitable” (I hate that word) intervention can solve any of these issues. It can only kick the can down the road... posted on Oct 8 2013 (25,028 reads)

& Community (Algonquin Books, 2016, 304 pages) JS: What can schools do better to help kids develop an affinity for nature?  RL: While many school districts in the U.S. are going in the opposite direction—toward less physical movement and more testing, more hours at desks or in the classroom—a counter trend is growing, toward school gardens, natural play areas, getting kids out of the classroom. We’re beginning to see the true greening of American education. In education, for every dollar we spend on the virtual, we should spend at least another dollar on the real, especially on creating more learning environments in natural settings. Ultima... posted on Nov 23 2016 (15,737 reads)

Order, became a friar, I believe — was it 1961? Fr. Rohr: That’s when I took first vows. That’s right. Ms. Tippett: And took first vows. And how old were you then? Fr. Rohr: Oh, we’d never let someone do this today, so I’m embarrassed to say it, but I was just 19. I think they wanted to get us before we met a girl or something. [laughs] Ms. Tippett: [laughs] But as you describe in your writing, the Franciscans then gave you a broad liberal arts education. Fr. Rohr: Yeah, they really did. Ms. Tippett: And you describe how this actually set off a very different second journey into rational complexity and also a different spirituality, it... posted on Sep 11 2017 (14,416 reads)

the next time I came back it was gone.  So that's the 1-4-3 story. The most recent post on my blog, which is kindnessandy.com, is about Benson and me walking this past Monday; we saw 1-4-3 spray painted on a sidewalk. Anne: Wow. Such a beautiful story. I’m curious how you and Melinda came to start the Puget Sound Community School; what led you to found a school on kindness? Andy: That’s a lovely question. I don't want to sound disrespectful to fans of public education, but I have concerns about it. I call myself the product of public education in the 1970s and early 1980s. I graduated in 1981, and I did really well by public school standards. I had a high... posted on Apr 7 2019 (7,398 reads)

Koli, a resident of Laximinagar basti in Lat, a village in the Kolhapur district of Maharashtra, has become a symbol of hope in the village thanks to her exemplary efforts in the field of education. A passionate believer in the importance of the education, Sushila noticed that there was no Anganwadi in the vicinity, and because of this, young children, who would have otherwise attended pre-school, had to abandon the hopes of receiving an education and would instead go to help in the fields. Sushila decided to do something about this and opened an Anganwadi in the basti. However, no one was willing to help her, and there was very little government support as well. So, she s... posted on Dec 10 2018 (6,217 reads)

capitalist theory the basic assumption about human being is done in a very wrong way. It’s assumed in a capitalist theory all human beings are motivated by self-interests. Everyone is selfish, everyone is trying to gain things for they themselves. As if everyone is born with the dollar sign in their eyes! So they’re pursuing the dollars. I said, that’s where it’s wrong, this interpretation of humanity. Human beings are not born with dollar signs in their eyes. Our education system has put those dollar signs in their eyes. And our economic system put those dollar signs in their eyes. The real human being is selfish and selfless at the same time. Selfishness has ... posted on Jul 24 2018 (7,386 reads)

of accumulation. Rather, it resides in a host of personal values that are closer to our hearts, as illustrated by the Himalayan nation of Bhutan (population: about 700,000). For many years, Bhutan has measured its general well-being—as the people themselves subjectively report it—using a Gross National Happiness (GNH) index. Its government bases policy decisions on how they might effect the kind of happiness associated with contentment, family, community, spirituality, education, compatibility with nature and good physical health. After years of primary research, the Bhutanese have identified nine domains for assessing happiness:  psychological well-being, phys... posted on Nov 20 2011 (23,434 reads)