Unveiling Deep Insights in Education

A Call to See and Serve Revelations in Education 1

Thriving is our Natural State Education and Learning are as natural to us as breathing! Learning occurs in the soul of every human being. "Thriving" is our natural state of life. We are meant to work and our purpose is to thrive. If the purpose of education is to live outside the walls of school, then how can we teach in ways that go beyond Language Arts and Math content, purposefully seeing the unique innate intelligence and the emotional quotients of every student? Flourishing inside our schools, as teachers and students, begins with a call 'to see and to serve.' 2

What happened to these kids? To begin, observe- but on an intuitive level. No checklists, no notes, no histories- just watch him. Watch him watching his world. Go silently behind his eyes to see his world. When you see what he feels, you will have learned all that you need to know Then begin ! ( L. Tobin ) 3

Power of Service and Perspective Assessment Common Core Standards Charter Schools verses Public Schools No Child Left Behind Race to the Top Teacher Evaluations Impoverished Environments Failing schools /No excuse cultures Hopefulness Resiliency Optimism Doing our best Experiences changing the brain structurally and functionally Engagement Enthusiasm Questions: What do you need? How can I help?

The Context We Teach In There can be no keener revelation of a society s soul than the way in which it treats its children. Nelson Mandela Our privilege and responsibility is to envision what our students cannot see just yet. - Lori Desautels 5

Indiana2011 Education in Indiana Annual expenditure per prisoner $19,479 Annual expenditure per public school pupil $8,929 Percent of public school fourth graders: unable to read at grade level 66% unable to do math at grade level 58% Percent of public school eighth graders: unable to read at grade level 68% unable to do math at grade level 64% Number of high school students who drop out of school annually 26,772 (For data sources, please visit www.childrensdefense.org/cits) 6

Hearts and Brains Daily experiences we provide in our classrooms and homes can structurally and functionally change the brain Emotions and cognition are intimately connected for deepened learning and service How do we create feelings and strong emotion tying the content to life experiences?

Soil or Dirt Are we cultivating dirt or soil? Most things will grow even under poor conditions and they too can be beautiful.... but with soil that is tended to... nurtured if you will.... these same seeds will flourish. http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQxQ3Upa_wyeBAtszvw-wZfKyS9HwCbuKpKC_Ai-2_wegAQNLfwkQ

Cultivating Generosity Thru Service! Love cannot remain by itself- it has no meaning. Love has to be put into action and that action is service. Mother Theresa Service in our classrooms, 8th grade graduation and second semester senior year

The student is infinitely more important than the subject matter. ~ Nel Noddings, Caring