People are important. The relationships we form and cultivate have the capacity to uplift, support, and even offer us freedom from mental anguish (that friend who is always willing to listen and hold your heart tenderly), and physical constraints (there are only so many hours in the day!). For the most part, we parents live really full lives: there is much to be tended to in our day-to-day. And this impacts our quality of life and that of our children.
A few years ago, I began to recognize a pattern of my mind showing me images of my nearest and dearest in my meditation practice. I got curious as to what was being shown to me, and why. In a literal sense, it’s common knowledge that “family is important” and when something is important, it makes sense to focus on it. Yet, I felt there was something bigger here than I was being shown.
So, as I let myself open up to this seemingly internal “mystery” — even though my logical brain argued that it wasn’t — I began acutely noticing more in my waking life: the undue stress on families today; families that were happy and what aspects contributed to their genuine happiness; thriving children; struggling children; the role of teachers in a child’s life and a family’s life; and the disconnect our culture has about teachers as whole human beings themselves.
As I sat with this, more and more became clear and I began writing things down. One thing led to another and I realized I had written a book, which eventually became The Whole Environment Educational Philosophy.
In a nutshell, there is a need for a place where the whole picture is truly considered: from the teachers as whole humans, to truly knowing and supporting the families, to nourishing each individual child and meeting them where they are through cultivating their unique gifts. Human beings are inherently whole — we are not only intelligent, or only emotional, or only task oriented. And yet we as a society continue to compartmentalize our wholeness, or even ignore it completely.
There’s a reason we are called “human beings” and not “human doings.” Being implies that we are more than what we do or produce, and our inherent worth comes from simply existing. Our children certainly understand this!
And we, as adult human beings, are tasked as gardeners of the future we wish to cultivate and see. Choosing what we plant, understanding the composting process, how and when to prune, daily maintenance in feeding and weeding all contribute to a thriving garden. A garden is diverse in species, needs, and capabilities, and yet all the plants work in symbiosis.
As a societal whole, I believe we need educational institutions that reflect the true diversity of our humanness. A place where teachers — an integral part of the world’s garden — are fully supported to be themselves and allowed to be truly innovative in their teaching. They go into teaching because they love children and teaching. So let us support that and celebrate this gift they bring to our families and the world!
Because if our teachers are truly seen, accepted and supported in the environment of the school -- this filters down to the kids into the environment of the classroom. A happy, empowered teacher has more fun, gets more creative, and therefore the kids feel really good. When kids are happy and relaxed, they learn more deeply and with ease.
Essentially, my goal with The Oak School is to put the heart back into the school environment. I believe a school is like a container -- and we all have the choice as to what we fill that container with—parents, teachers, staff, and students. Here at The Oak School, I’m choosing to fill our school “container” with deeply rich “soil” so that we can grow strong, healthy, connected, loving, and emotionally intelligent humans. Therefore, we as a community are contributing to positively impacting future generations and our planet as a whole.
Join us in making a positive impact for the future of your child, family, community and beyond.
“The creation of a thousand forests, is in one acorn.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson