Microcosm

“You work that you may keep pace with the earth and the soul of the earth For to be idle is to become a stranger unto the seasons and to step out of life's procession that marches in majesty and proud submission towards the infinite.” Writes Khalil Gibran on work . In Montessori schools - every activity the child choses to engage with is referred to as work. Children take pride in doing work and derive meaning from a job well done. Building a work ethic and pride in ones work is not something restricted to school or home alone. The problem with homework today - is that it is made out to be a chore. Work is joyful as long as there is motivation to work and buy-in from learners, when work is mandated it could become drudgery. When a teacher threatens to assign unfinished school work as homework - the students start to dread the word. Parents complain and schools start to adopt a no homework policy. The problem is not home-work - it is with the mandated nature of it, the

While we are one the essence of each adds to the beauty of the whole Education should be such that while it imparts common knowledge, it instills in each learner the ability to trust their instincts. To me, the most important role of personalization in education is to help each child fully develop and express their creativity. Personalization in education is an intention - that educators/parents need to be mindful of and can be exercised in various forms, to varying degrees. Self-directed/free-schools have a high degree of personalization. Even within the structure of a more traditional school - personalization can bring in elements of self-directed learning. Personalization can have several aspects to it - you can personalize what somebody learns, when they learn, how they learn. Personalized attention from the teacher/parent helps understand the whole child and curate a learning plan that best suits them. Technology has definitely helped by making so mu

Intention is life inside-out that which waits to sprout grow, seek truth, manifest . Since we moved to Austin my little one has been attending a school called Sankalpa. Sankalpa in Sanskrit means intention - a determination that stems from the heart and the mind. Tapping into our highest intention helps us stay true our mission and navigate the everyday. Intentions are usually more abstract and goals more concrete. Intentions are higher than goals - they help us determine and develop our purpose/higher calling in life. They help in setting goals and adjusting goals if they are not inline with our highest mission. Intention helps us shed ego, look at the big picture and collaborate in spirit to operate holistically. Relevance of intention to Learning At the highest level all of us aspire autonomy to live life to our fullest potential. How each person views - living life to his/her fullest potential varies. Tapping into student intentions can be nuanced - especially for you

Exploring a balance between the individual and collective microcosm and macrocosm knowing, doing & being knowing the world and  knowing oneself in education. Buddha prescibed a eight fold path for liberation. He called this the middle path or the middle way. One that called for a balance between indulgence and austerities. The merit in the middle path is awareness — of the biases and realities in both ends of the spectrum. Such awareness is even more important for parents and educators because we are not making choices and decisions for just our selves. We are making desicions and creating a view of the world for another individual, decisions that will impact the course their life journey takes. The spectrum that is education today The landscape of education today is rich, diverse and complicated - from traditional Public Schools, Private Schools, Religious schools, Prep Schools to Montessori Schools, Waldorf Schools, Free Schools, Democrat