An Excerpt from Tuning the Student Mind: A Journey in Consciousness-Centered Education by Molly Beauregard: The Walk We Take Matters On the day of President Obama’s first inauguration, I wanted to do something special. I had spent the year volunteering for his campaign and had a few invitations to revel in “our” success with my fellow suburban volunteers. I had noticed on the Obama campaign site that they were calling for inauguration day to be a day of service. The site listed local shelters, soup kitchens, and social service centers as places to bring donations or make financial donations. While I perused the site, I stumbled on one listing that piqued my interest: a Baptist church in Detroit hosting a celebratory community luncheon. The day of the inauguration, I went…
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On Fear
According to Jung, every culture lives by myth. The myths that affect culture most are usually the myths that blend empirical truth with fiction. The truth is, fear is a pretty good short term motivator. Nothing like a shark fin to clear a beach. That said, over time fear can change the way our brain processes emotions and non-verbal cues. Long term exposure to fear produces anxiety and impacts our thinking and decision making in negative ways. Fear leaves us susceptible to intense emotions, impulsive reactions and stress. Living under constant threat weakens our immune system and can cause long term health problems. Despite all these facts, fear as a motivating force remains a convincing myth. That kernel of truth – that we run when scared – maintains the power…
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Our New Year’s Resolution
Over 120,000,000 people voted in last year’s Presidential election. 96% of the individuals who voted did so in person. Our guess is that if you consider the commute to the polling location, standing in line and the act of voting itself, it likely took an average of an hour and a half to get the job done. We wanted to share a few thoughts regarding this reality. 1.) Voting is the lowest common denominator of true engagement. While voting is important, true responsibility of citizenship requires engagement beyond an hour and a half commitment. The very nature of voting implies asking someone else to do something for you, rather than figuring out what you can do for yourself and/or others. 2.) If those 120,000,000 voters mentioned above offered an…
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Is it Worth Fighting in a Generation War?
You’ve seen these two articles circulating social media. You know, this one and then in response, this one. Here’s my million dollar question: Are we really fighting a generation war? As someone who has been deeply interested in education and often inspired by the ever-changing educational paradigm, in my opinion, the dynamic of both articles is a step in the wrong direction. That is, if the right direction is toward creating meaningful and engaging learning experiences for young people to help them transition into happy and healthy adults. I have spent the last three years talking, blogging and filming about the importance of bridging the gap between my generation and the one before me. Bridging this gap is an authentic teaching method. It comes down to this, you have to…
