Words from the Heart

Several times over the past few months, I have had various inquiries into just what Contemplative Education meant. It is actually much easier to understand than most people think. Contemplative Education is the art of teaching mindfully. It means being aware fully of your class, each child, the content of what you are teaching and its relationship to the world around you. It is looking at any subject through the lens of mindfulness or contemplation. It doesn't mean that you need to sit on a cushion and chant. While this is a contemplative practice, it is not the only contemplative practice offered. At the Center for the Contemplative Mind in Society, they have a wonderful graphic that explains the fact that contemplation has many forms. ( Click this link to view. http://www.contemplativemind.org/practices/tree.html Living life fully aware and mindful can be elusive. So much in our society works to crowd our minds with needless trivia. We are deluged with sights, sounds, smells, an...

A friend once asked me, several years ago, "When do you think you will be 'over the whelm'?" I laughed. "Probably not until I get 'under the whelm,'" I replied. Life is often overwhelming. However, who would want to live it if it was underwhelming? When I first began this blog, it was due to taking an online class called, "Blogging for Beginners" facilitated by educators around the globe. What with critical literacy, multiculturalism and contemplative education as my passions, I had to join. What an adventure! Each week we had assignments, online chats, virtual meetings, and all types of whiz-bang technological magic to attempt. I must say, I never managed the virtual meetings, but I did join one of the chat sessions. It was enjoyable talking to other educators from around the world. In six short weeks I learned so much! While I did not receive academic credit for this online course, I am actually working diligently on three master...