Working in a remote location by the sea for the past 7 months with people who exist amidst cycles of abuse, violence and poverty in our cities has been inspiring and hard. One of the most important reminders for my teaching practice from this summer is to develop true, honest and deep listening skills. I think that in order to push for resiliency we have to truly know where we stand. In facilitating learning, that may mean continuing to develop an ever sharper acute sense of others. Their emotions, energies and the shadows and light they bring with them to each instance. Something that I will no doubt have to continue to hone along with skills at effective questioning as I grow as a teacher.
In summarizing the work of Swiss educationalist Johann Pestalozzi, the Scottish human ecologist Patrick Geddes said, “Good teaching begins, neither with knowledge nor discipline, but through delight.” From my experiences this summer and feedback from some young people, the Natural Learning Cycle and Coyote Mentoring are definitely effective tools for a better future but they need to be balanced with a complicated understanding of the cultural pressures and histories for each learner. To engage in deep learning one must sometimes start with the surface. Figuring out what delights or motivates someone and approaching learning through the context of that topic has been an effective engagement strategy this summer. The challenge is being genuine about others interests and creating effective and timely links to learning opportunities. Often this work takes place best through relational interactions and a gradual learning process in a similar way one would work through oppressions or a cycle of grief.
Over the next few months I will be travelling again. Exploring how various societies and communities in Europe and the Middle East engage with each other and live, learn, and make meaning before coming back to Canada.
Here are some quotes that have been intriguing me recently that I am taking with me to explore on my travels:
“A thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stabilty, and beauty of the biotic community. It is wrong when it tends otherwise” - A Sand County Almanac, Aldo Leopold
“Everywhere people ask: ‘What can I actually do? The answer is as simple as it is disconcerting: we can, each of us, work to put our own inner house in order. The guidance we need for this work cannot be found in science and technology, the value of which depends on the ends they serve; but it can still be found in the traditional wisdom of [humankind].” Small is beautiful - E.F.Schumacher
“If our thinking is Holistic, Healthy and Holy, then our resulting actions will bring about positive change...through the transformation and growth of our inner being and the liberation of the hidden Self, outer renewal will occur...” Rekindling Community: Connecting People, Environment and Spirituality, A Foreword - Jean-Paul Jeanrenaud
