Education is a Mirror of Society

Change the way we Educate, change the world…..

“The function of a child is to live his/her own life, not the life that his/her anxious parents think he/she should live, nor a life according to the purpose of the educators who thinks they knows best… All crimes, all hatreds, all wars can be reduced to unhappiness….. When we consider a child’s natural interest in things, we begin to realize the dangers of both reward and punishment. Rewards and punishment tend to pressure a child into interest. But true interest is the life force of the whole personality, and such interest is completely spontaneous.”

— ― A.S. Neill, Summerhill: A Radical Approach to Child Rearing

I was sitting at my local coffee shop sipping my coffee when an old friend unexpectedly stopped by. He asked if he could sit down and talk. I said of course. He sat down on the couch next to me. Immediately, we just dove into a deep conversation. My friend is just one of those people who are open and ready to explore. We had a wonderful dialogue about his daughter, who is presently in middle school. He informed me that she was struggling in school. She was impacted by bullying and low self-esteem, especially around certain areas of the curriculum.

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Also, because she took her time to process information, she was usually the last person done on tests and work in school. She couldn’t help but compare herself to other classmates. She thought she was stupid in comparison. Yet, her way of processing and taking her time didn’t make her stupid. In fact, she was probably digesting more of the information than the other students because she wasn’t rushing to get her test or work done.

He also shared how their family was often stressed, especially around money and time. Even with this being the case, they found a tutor for their child. They found someone who could see his daughter, help her discover she was capable, and also help bring out her joy for wonder and learning. He was sad, yet hopeful, as he was beginning to see changes in her. He eventually got up and left.

While I sat, I began to ponder something I have thought about for the past few years. I have come to the understanding that society is a mirror of how we are educated. Wars, hierarchy, obedience to authority, environmental degradation, and dysfunction, collectively and individually, are taught to us.

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Culture is not outside of us but manifested within each one of us, both individually and collectively, by how we have been enculturated to think. Since the day we were born, we have been conditioned to think from our separatist cultural perspective. The core belief that ignites all the issues we see is that we are separate from the world, that hierarchy is normal, and that the world is made for us to do what we want with it. This creates constant conflict, war, and psychological fear. We are taught that we are not okay and must improve ourselves to succeed. We become addicted to a multiplicity of ways to try and escape our emptiness. In this, we want to control and manipulate the world around us. This belief has brought us to the edge of destroying the very ecological home we are integrally connected to.

Can we move away from the edge of our destruction and see instead of separation, wholeness, and interconnectivity? Can we see Education in a new light, one that brings out the potential in each individual and the community as a whole?

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What would happen if we were to change how we see each other and our children? What if learning wasn’t about grades but about…learning? Instead of an educational system with very little to do with an actual child and who they are, what if we created something both ancient and revolutionary? Ancient in the sense that indigenous cultures taught their children very differently for countless thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands of years. They didn’t go to school or get grades. They learned from play, wonder, curiosity, community, nature, and their elders. Revolutionary in the sense that we have nothing like this that I know of within our culture except, to some degree, a free school such as Summerhill (a school created by A.S. Neill). We would give rise to children’s voices and let their wonder shine.

Our traditional educational system is not really about community. It breaks down the community, forcing children to shut down their voices, compete for grades, and blindly follow the prescribed curriculum. I could go on and on about how our educational system creates anxiety and fear and generates the dysfunction we see in the world. Can you remember when our voices and wonder were listened to in school?

I want to propose something that would benefit children and adults. It would bring people together, make learning fun and enjoyable, create community, and provide experiences that bring people together rather than tearing them apart. It would bring dialogue into our conversations where we would learn how to listen, engage, question, and dive in together to discover deeper meanings and come to an underlying truth instead of being afraid to talk about difficult topics.

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I imagine a community center that bridged all sorts of learning. The design would incorporate all the potential intelligence and allow for openness to create new avenues of learning based on what community members are curious about. There would be no age restrictions. Children and adults would be both learners and teachers together. The design would be inviting and bring wonder and curiosity to all who enter.

The design would have the local ecosystem in mind and be imagined by local community members. For example, imagine your local library in the shape of an octagon with branching arms spread out in a symmetrical pattern like a giant snowflake. Each arm is a space for learning. Each learning space gravitates to ways for learners to discover and tap into their potentialities. On the roof are gardens. The spaces flow into each other, illustrating that all knowledge is hitched together and fluid. Learners would see how all the learning modalities are incorporated, for all learning is interwoven. This space would be designed with a community in mind, where nobody is higher or lower than anyone else. A community in which each person is both a teacher and a student. A community in which dialogues and connections are made with no goal in mind except the openness to learn.

Here would be the idea. This structure would be mindfully created and designed with functionality, sustainability, energy efficiency, and connection with the local ecology. It would be open from 6am — 10pm. Every design would be unique based on the place and the community that evolves the space. For example, a Tempe, Arizona, community would build its learning center differently from Birmingham, Alabama, the Bronx in New York City, or a small town such as Waterbury, Vermont.

Members of the community, both young and old, who have a passion and/or mastery of particular subjects would be there to lead anyone who wanted to learn and grow in those areas. These learning spaces would not be isolated but connected through doors to each other so that learners would see that all knowledge is hitched together and interconnected.

• a gymnasium with rock walls and space for games, climbing, and movement
• A library full of books and paper for reading and writing.
• A music and drama room full of equipment and spaces for exploring music.
• History/mythology/religion room.
• An eco-center focused on science and ecology. This room would also incorporate a greenhouse and doors to the outside. This would be a place to use the scientific method to discover the wonders of nature. Rather than dissecting things in isolation, we would look at species and their interconnectivity within broader and broader ecosystems.
• Math and physics room for studying mathematics and the properties of the Universe. Through this, you can also be led to meet with professors from local Universities. Also, in this space would be opportunities to study and learn about sustainable construction, architecture, plumbing, and electricity space with tons of materials to explore design and where you can find internships to work with people within the community.
• Meditation and quiet space to explore one’s own mind.
• Community rooms with couches, chairs, rugs, etc., create the best-suited ambiance for the community. Places to have meals together, dialogues, lectures from community members, etc.
• Sustainable tech room for exploring computers, robotics, and IA technology while understanding and looking at this holistically with consequences in mind for both humans and nature.

As the community center evolves, things will be added based on interests and ideas.

Here are questions for you to ponder, and if you have time, add them to the comment section. We can do something revolutionary with ingenuity, creativity, compassion, and love. Imagine the possibilities. Imagine if you could help design a space for your child, for all children, for adults, for you, for me…

What would be useful, necessary, or cool to add? What would you have in each space? Would you come and be a volunteer master for a week in one of these rooms? If you were a child, would you rather go to a school or come to this place? Can we begin to rethink education together?

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If we truly want to change the world fundamentally from dysfunction and unhealth to sustainability and health, I see two intertwined paths in the present. One, we must begin the journey into ourselves and see that we are not isolated from the world but rather interwoven with all that is and whole. Second, and according to that, we must see and interact with our children differently. In the same way, we must relinquish control and begin to listen to their questions and wonder. They need space to be in their emotions and learn in all ways. They are abundantly curious and passionate about the world around them, especially the natural world. Wonder flows as nature’s eloquence hums in their minds.

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“Children are also windows on the future, what human society will be, and the fate of the earth we live on. As we watch them grow, we witness human cultural evolution itself being played out. After all, in these precarious times, it will be our children who will decide if we’re able to regain our balance. The future of every species on the planet is sleeping down the hall. Dancing with the child brings home the inescapable truth that the future is determined by the way we engage in the present.” — Josette and Sambhava Luvmour, from Natural Learning Rhythms

To see our children differently, patiently, in wholeness, we must go on our own journey to discover who one is beyond the confines of our cultural conditioning and sorrow, break free of the past influence of education, and rethink education. Education comes from the root of Educare, which means to bring forth what lies within. Let us bring forth the amazing potential of every individual and the collective community together.

As a community living together, we have the actual potential to live in embodied wholeness. It begins with the difficult but beautiful and illuminating journey within yourself, the art of holiness.

Let go, observe, and be with your child and children holistically. What I have come to understand is that if seen as whole and trusted, children would have the opportunity to not only see the interconnected, interdependent whole of everything, but they would also feel whole within and honor and respect not just the human community but honor their relations, the plants, and animals, the rivers and mountains, the whole of the earth. And as they become adults, there would be ceremonies honoring their transitions from childhood to adulthood and vision quests to lead them on their new beginnings. And here, as we begin to live this way, our culture, without being forced, would be transformed.

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“The function of a child is to live his/her own life, not the life that his/her anxious parents think he/she should live, nor a life according to the purpose of the educators who thinks they know best… All crimes, all hatreds, all wars can be reduced to unhappiness….. When we consider a child’s natural interest in things, we begin to realize the dangers of both reward and punishment. Rewards and punishment tend to pressure a child into interest. But true interest is the life force of the whole personality, and such interest is completely spontaneous.” Shared A.S. Neill, Summerhill: A Radical Approach to Child Rearing

If we saw our children in wholeness and let their wonder lead their learning, we could figure this out together. Humans, particularly children, are extraordinarily resourceful, creative, cooperative, and ingenious. By living this way, we would live WITH rather than against. We wouldn’t need to own, for we have learned to share and trust. We wouldn’t need power, for inherent empowerment would be given to everyone. We wouldn’t need to improve or climb an illusionary ladder of success, for hierarchy wouldn’t exist. Science wouldn’t be used to manipulate, destroy or modify but would seek to understand the different aspects of actuality with an open mind full of wonder.

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We would live sustainably, living in balance with the wild and each other. We would not need control nor psychological defenses, for we would be free, living day to day, open to possibilities and learning and wonder, and not wanting materialism. We would develop an economic system that was ecological and egalitarian in nature. This is possible because it has been done before, as many indigenous cultures illustrated. And the potential is there for us to create a fresh new way of living.

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Children develop at different times. Each child is authentically unique. Children have different strengths and challenges, different interests, and different personalities. In this way, we must first and foremost listen. We must first and foremost see each and every child and understand and see who they are. We must give them the freedom to play because this is how children learn to relate and interact with their world. In his article, The Importance of Play in Promoting Healthy Child Development and Maintaining Strong Parent-Child Bond, Kenneth Ginsburg MD wrote, “Play allows children to use their creativity while developing their imagination, dexterity, and physical, cognitive, and emotional strength. Play is important to healthy brain development. It is through play that children at a very early age engage and interact in the world around them. Play allows children to create and explore a world they can master, conquering their fears while practicing adult roles, sometimes in conjunction with other children or adult caregivers. As they master their world, play helps children develop new competencies that lead to enhanced confidence and the resiliency they will need to face future challenges. Undirected play allows children to learn how to work in groups, to share, to negotiate, to resolve conflicts, and to learn self-advocacy skills. When play is allowed to be child driven, children practice decision-making skills, move at their own pace, discover their own areas of interest, and ultimately engage fully in the passions they wish to pursue.”

By providing children space to move at their own pace and have a voice and play in their own learning, we release the tiller of control and illustrate trust in who they are. By not focusing on external motivation and consequences to force them to learn but gently pointing the child back to themselves to be their own guides, they are given space and openness to learning. By mirroring openness, integration, and authenticity for the child, we reflect an openness to all we come across, an understanding of other perspectives, and how to deal with emotions in presence.

What would happen if we let go of controlling a child’s learning and trust in him/her? Trust….. If a child wants to learn, he/she will. If a child is struggling, we listen to understand his/her story and move with him/her to help her discover her innate wonder. We don’t need to force anything on the child. By forcing our own agenda, we only kill passion within children and make them change through fear and coercion. This develops hierarchical relationships and pushes down the voice and confidence of the child.

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This doesn’t mean there isn’t structure nor consequences for their actions; rather, through trust and understanding, we see their wholeness and can help guide each to meet the direct quality of who they truly are. Within structure is freedom. A child feels safe to learn and make mistakes by providing consistent structure and boundaries. When a child makes a mistake, this is not a time for punishment but guidance. If a child hurts another human or sentient being, then the child needs guidance to repair and heal with that other being. We are here to help provide loving, consistent guidance, yet in the dance, know when to pull away and allow them to figure out things for themselves. This is where listening comes in and trust.

There is a saying that this is our first rodeo when we have a child as if we have no experience raising a child. Our parents teach us, and this could have been dysfunctional many times. But I also see that deep inside us, like every mammal species, there is an inherent knowledge of how to raise a child when we are connected to our wholeness. We have been raising homo sapiens for at least a million years.

In wholeness, we will flow in our time with children and take time to see the wonder that happens when we are present, and in the process, we wouldn’t constantly be battling them to learn. As Rachel Carson wrote, “It seems reasonable to believe — and I do believe — that the more clearly we can focus our attention on the wonders and realities of the universe about us, the less taste we shall have for the destruction of our race. Wonder and humility are wholesome emotions, and they do not exist side by side with a lust for destruction.” In the long run, if we can begin to do our inner work and reignite our own sense of wonder, we will find happiness, joy, and equanimity within ourselves. And we will find the patience and fortitude to let go and trust. Here, we would mirror this to our children.

Imagine children who grow up surrounded by guides who imbue love and wholeness, have a joy for learning, and trust in and see each child for who they are.

Imagine a learning environment built for children and all that live within the community. A learning environment in which there are spaces for literacy, the arts, music, dance, sports, technical, engineering, math, and sciences, ecological connections, tracking and native food, herb, and medicine discovery, architecture, cooking, constructing, and design. Where there would be masters ready to teach and help, and children and community members can go to where their interests lie. A learning environment where there are also quiet spaces for people to go and meditate or work. This is possible.

Imagine children given space to explore, make mistakes, and follow their passions.

Imagine a child given an opportunity to follow their wonder, diving into learning, and thereby would not need testing and grades but rather just human guides who help lead her down the path to her limitless total potential. A child’s capacity for learning and wonder is endless if we simply give the child space and understanding. Here, we would build trust, deep relationships, community, and a real connection to all that is. We have this capacity, this potential within us. What are we waiting for?

Education’s purpose should be to help each child in their own journey of waking up, seeing that they aren’t separate at all, and begin creating a new way of living. Every teacher has the opportunity to help each child discover how to live in wonder, be awake, and be in wholeness. And as all children will be confronted with conflict, change, risk, and difficulties, a great teacher can be their guide. Joseph Campbell wrote, “Alas, where is the guide, that fond virgin, Ariadne, to supply the simple clue that will give us courage to face the Minotaur, and the means then to find our way to freedom when the monster has been met and slain?” The guide is entered into once we discover our way, our awakening, our wholeness, and once there can help guide our children along this path into their own awakening..

We need to transform the way we educate. To bring out the fullest potential of each of us, education needs to be focused on trust, on waking up to who one truly is, and seeing that learning is not an isolative process. Learning is not just contained in a school but lies everywhere and at all times. All children come into this world on a quest to learn. This is in our DNA! Children learn languages or many languages if those languages are spoken at home simply because they are interested. This is why children are constantly asking questions from a very young age. Questions lead us all on a journey of discovery, opening our worlds and understanding of all that is.

Learning is grounded in the present; one can see connections through the stepping stones of past and future possibilities. Learning is always present and alive, tapping into our senses’ openness. Education in this light is in our relationships and dances within our interactions. Education seen in this light is whole, free-flowing, and opens each of us into wonder and the very depths of oneself. Learning does not divide.

Education should focus on drawing forth what lies within each of us. Abraham Maslow understood. He said, “All the evidence that we have indicates that it is reasonable to assume in practically every human being, and certainly in almost every newborn baby, that there is an active will toward health, an impulse towards growth, or towards actualization.” If children had the opportunity to have their needs met, had opportunities to experience and be in contact with nature directly, and were trusted and seen completely, were given time to be in boredom and quiet, they would have the opportunity to follow their authenticity and awaken into the Wholeness of truth, into the true nature of themselves. For within all of us is the desire to discover our true essence. We wouldn’t need to coerce them to learn if we stopped trying to coerce them. We simply need to trust our humanity’s innate impulse to learn.

Learning does not come from the top down. Rather, learning is how we interrelate with the world around us. Play, and our sense of wonder guide us. Authentic learning happens when we feel connected with wonder. Learning is fully engaged and naturally occurs in that interaction in wonder. The fullness of learning takes place when we are awake and whole and thereby open to the experience. And here, we see that what we are working with is connected to us. The object disappears, and the problem begins to speak. It is like a riddle. To truly solve it, we must let go of our stagnated ideas and be in the place of being stuck. A child teaches us the magic of this if their wonder is still inherent within. A great teacher still sees wonder and allows the student to explore and take time in being stuck. Here a child doesn’t see being stuck as being stuck but simply a part of the full experience of learning about their world and themselves.

A young child is full of curiosity and has an innate love for learning. This will continue if the student is trusted and honored to follow their curiosities. If honored, they would probably feel like a student in this teacher’s class who gave this letter to her, “Hi, Mrs. G. I wanted to thank you for listening to me at lunch today. I appreciate how kind you are to all of your students, current and past; it’s very enlightening. There’s this indescribable presence about you that makes things better. Your joy is radiant and contagious; being around you makes being happy easier. Thank you for being able to make me happier on bad days, caring about me, educating me, and helping me when I need it most, even when you don’t realize it. Thank you for being someone I can look up to — for being one of my mentors.” The teacher/student relationship is beyond value, and when authentic, the student feels that she is seen holistically, understood, and is okay with who she is. Because of this, she begins to move toward her inherent health and potential. Her voice is heard, and she senses what she has to say is valued. Because of this, she wants to make sure she listens to others and looks for understanding, just as she felt the importance of that through her relationship with her teacher.

Learning centers would be where children would love to spend their time, where their voices would be heard, and where learning and play would blossom from every nook and cranny, every angle, every moment., where it would be a home away from home. These centers would be alive, interdisciplinary, and evoke the children’s presence.

Education would foster the development of health through open, integral relationships. The circle of relationships would begin with self and family and ripple outwards into friends, community, ecological landscape, and the universe. In openness, we would see that nothing is excluded from ourselves in wholeness. Education would foster cooperation and relationships. Educators and parents would take time to observe, understand, and see all aspects of each child. In doing so, each educator would be able to see their strengths and challenges individually, socially, and ecologically.

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Freedom and truth lie in the fullness of presence, in being awake to what is. The way is not easy because it confronts our sense of security; it pushes us to challenge ourselves, to be open to others, and to raise our voices against oppression.

If we are open to it, learning is all around us, everywhere, at all times. Learning flows when we are open, and we are full of wonder. What we remember is what we find meaningful and connected to. If not, we lose that learning soon after.

Education begins within, not without. Educere, the root word of education, means to bring forth. Our sense of wonder, curiosity, brilliance, and learning arises when we are in tune and awake to what is. When it is brought forth from a top-down approach, formalized externally, ignorance arises. “The teacher who is indeed wise does not bid you to enter the house of his wisdom but rather leads you to the threshold of your mind.” Said Kahlil Gibran. True education fosters awareness and wholeness. Education is awakening to oneself and seeing that the inner and outer are actually one.

Teachers and parents living in wholeness would provide the guidance and opportunities to help the child discover their own strength and ingenuity to face these challenges. They would give them the space to flow with as few transitions as possible so that their minds can go past boredom and be open to truly imagine and think. Frank McCourt wrote, “Just let them sit in the goddam sun. But the world won’t let them because there’s nothing more dangerous than letting old farts sit in the sun. They might be thinking. Same thing with kids. Keep ’em busy, or they might start thinking.”

Let us begin exploring together how we can educate in wholeness rather than fragmentation. What do you think? Let’s begin the dialogue together.