About ivonprefontaine
In keeping with bell hooks and Noam Chomsky, I consider myself a public and dissident intellectual. Part of my work is to move beyond (transcend) institutional dogmas that bind me to defend freedom, raising my voice to be heard on behalf of those who seek equity and justice in all their forms.
I completed my PhD in Philosophy of Leadership Studies at Gonzaga University, Spokane, WA. My dissertation and research was how teachers experience becoming teachers and their role as leaders.
I focus on leading, communicating, and innovating in organizations. This includes mindfuful servant-leadership, World Cafe events, Appreciative Inquiry, and expressing one's self through creativity. I offer retreats, workshops, and presentations that can be tailored to your organzations specific needs.
I published peer reviewed articles about schools as learning organizations, currere as an ethical pursuit, and hope as an essential element of adult eductaion. I published three poems and am currently preparing my poetry to publish as an anthology of poetry.
I present on mindful leadership, servant leadership, schools as learning organizations, how teachers experience becoming teachers, assessement, and critical thinking. I facilitate mindfulness, hospitality retreats. and World Cafe Events using Appreciative Inquiry.
I am writing and researching about various forms of leadership, how teachers inform and form their identity as a particular teacher, schools as learning organizations, hope and its anticipatory relationship with the future, and hope as an essential element in learning.
ivonprefontaine
Teacher as Transformer 
think I’ve been in all those places…”present” by far the best and calmest place to be 🙂
It is. We all go to the other two places. It is human nature.
It’s so true Ivon. Yet a part of me wonders about the young generation … where there is so much stimulus each moment through technology and the media. So different when we’re growing and finding ourselves.
The wisdom from sages is sound, not matter the millennium.
How to reach those, who need to hear these messages is a new dimension that we are now in.
💛
Val, I have met young people who are looking for something bigger than themselves. I( think there are some who do share your concerns. I agree social media and digitial devices can get in the way of finding that path.
This poem of Lao Tzu really characterizes him for me. I wish I could follow more closely. Still struggle with both depression and anxiety occasionally, but continue to try.
I walk every day and listen to music. It is my meditative space where I explore the present moment. It has helped immensely.
Sometimes I think it is easier to live that peaceful present life as we get older. There aren’t as many future things to get anxious about, and we’ve learned there’s nothing we can do about the past. Sure, we all have those moments, but not as frequently. Just my thoughts!
I think you are right. We look back more and find peace in our lives. At least we hope we do.
I completely disagree, 100%.
I take it to be that the present is transitive. When I accept this, I can find peace in each moment, understanding it will move on to the next. My fears, joys, sadness, happiness is transitive as well. I am not clinging.