This is a great quote with an excellent story. The last line resonates and echoes the words of Zen masters such as Thich Nhat Hanh and Senryu Suzuki.
Category Archives: Uncategorized
A beautiful scene that allows life to flow by with each moment fully captured.
Waiting for winter
ice cover and sparkling snow
life floating past slowly.
This post and the video are very important. What are we doing in our schools? I wonder? No one is particularly interested in my wondering; at least not those who are in positions of power. Creativity and innovation are the buzzwords of the early 21st Century, but are we more creative or innovative? We have more tools or weapons at our disposal, depending on our viewpoint, but is that the message in the video? I certainly don’t think so, but have been outvoted to date by a plethora of bureaucrats, autocrats, and technocrats who are more concerned with their job than the education of children. What is the next fad and what will it do to quash creativity?
Doing what you like is a very important key to success and to your state of balance. Do schools kill creativity? Not only is Sir Ken Robinson talking about serious things: how we educate (and unnecessarily medicate) our children, but he’s also being very funny. Remember that laughter boosts your immune system. Also remember that your approach to your children’s education may greatly affect their lives.
Excerpts from the transcript:
“If you ask people about their education, they pin you to the wall. Because it’s one of those things that goes deep with people, am I right?, like religion, and money, and other things.”
“But now kids with degrees are often heading home to carry on playing video games, because you need an MA where the previous job required a BA, and now you need a PhD for the other. It’s a process of academic inflation. And it indicates…
View original post 343 more words
What a wonderful way of seeing the world?
Here is a good, yet simple set of instructions to be thankful each day.
Thanksgiving is a holiday like no other – the food, the football, the family and friends. It’s a time to unwind, reconnect, and give thanks.
But according to a survey conducted by the John Templeton Foundation, don’t expect to hear many “thank you’s” at the office. As reported in the Wall Street Journal, only 10% of adults say “thank you” to their colleagues everyday. Ouch.
While I’m surprised by this statistic, I’m not shocked. Here is the good news though: there’s a major opportunity to build a culture of appreciation on your team or in your office. And it begins with you.
When You Give You Get
When you express gratitude, you acknowledge the benefit you’ve received from another person or a situation. You show humility by recognizing you’re not the sole source of your fortune.
The field of positive psychology continues to unpackage the science of…
View original post 384 more words
This is interesting after watching the Black Friday crowds and some of the lack of listening. This morning I watched a PBS show and was introduced to the work of Harvard neuroscientist, Rudolph Tanzi. His work is done under the rubric of contemplative mindfulness. Listening and being present, an essential component of mindfulness, work together.
According to NPR, the day after Thanksgiving is the National Day Of Listening. The concept stems from their highly successful StoryCorps Program, and the theory is that the most important way to honor someone is to listen to him/her. To hear a story with full attention, so intent that you could integrate it into a memory worth saving. Listening with your mind free of anticipated responses, shopping lists, wandering thoughts – can you quantify the value of such a gift? Can you imagine how much it would be appreciated?
Ask someone to tell you a story. If you are indulging in some quiet after the deluge of family and friends, listen to the silence. It too has a tale to tell. Our stories matter, they are our perspectives of personal history and seminal moments, unfettered joy and unhealed wounds. They define us far more than adjectives. They shape us far…
View original post 72 more words
A great quote for a Friday. This is a great goal for every day; every moment.
“Always aim at complete harmony of thought and word and deed. Always aim at purifying your thoughts and everything will be well.”
~ Mahatma Gandhi
Today is American Thanksgiving. This was a great way of looking at being thankful; celebrate daily life. It reminded me of Thich Nhat Hanh’s teachings about seeing the extraordinary in the ordinary. It also fit with yesterday’s post about celebrating education. What if I celebrated that most immediate around me daily?
Gratitude is a constant attitude of thankfulness and appreciation for life as it unfolds. Living in the moment, we are open to the abundance around us and within us. We express appreciation freely. We contemplate the richness of our life. In life’s trials, we seek to understand, to accept, to learn. Gratitude is a continual celebration of life!
This is an interesting concept. It probably can be done on a daily basis and could be genuine if we all worked together. This would be a great way to reward those in the classrooms if it were done well. I mean celebrate the accomplishments of children and their teachers. Together, they share the potential of co-creating a new world in each moment.
“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”
Nelson Mandela
There are good people in all walks of life. In education there are some really good people, who have committed their lives to nurturing future generations to enjoy learning and continue with learning throughout their lives. As a nation, we celebrate sporting achievements and attend a range of musical festivals but rarely do we come together to celebrate education.
“It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.”
Aristotle
This weekend was the inaugural “London Festival of Education” at the Institute of Education. Over 1500 people attended this event, with both participants and speakers giving freely of their time and money. Spending time in the company of like-minded folk is rewarding in itself. Being able to share ideas without repercussions is always enabling and allows…
View original post 960 more words
In a day and age where we set on a precipice it seems, our future is in the hands of those who do not see the differences but embrace each other.
Teacher as Transformer 