Human Resources for Teachers?

"What do you think about adding more personal wellness for professional development specifically designed for teachers by teachers at your school?"   School has begun and I am no longer a part of it, although I feel like I am still involved to a large degree because I spend almost all my time thinking andContinue reading "Human Resources for Teachers?"

Building Curriculum

"It's not about the "A" I may or may not get on this "paper" I am writing, this new life I am building. It's about allowing the creativity to come and work its way through me, participating in the building without total control or clinging, and observing myself on the journey, noticing that I amContinue reading "Building Curriculum"

It’s Not About the Grades: Landscapes for Learning Beyond Schooling

About my manuscript in progress, It’s Not About the Grades: Landscapes for Learning Beyond Schooling (memoir of a high school English teacher)

Podcast 013: It’s Not About the Grades: INTRODUCTION

It's Not About the Grades: Love for Learning Beyond Schooling is very close to completion, so I am recording a reading of a few chapters for feedback, as a faster way of getting "peer review" before I write proposals for publishing the final manuscript. INTRODUCTION  Download Episode HERE I would LOVE your input, insight, constructiveContinue reading "Podcast 013: It’s Not About the Grades: INTRODUCTION"

Podcast 012: Preface, It’s Not About the Grades

It's Not About the Grades: Love for Learning Beyond Schooling is very close to completion, so I am recording a reading of a few chapters for feedback, as a faster way of getting "peer review" before I write proposals for publishing the final manuscript. THIS PODCAST IS A READING OF THE PREFACE, A LETTER TOContinue reading "Podcast 012: Preface, It’s Not About the Grades"

Podcast 011: Teri Almquist

  "Every student deserves a good teacher, every teacher deserves the opportunity to be a great teacher"  -Teri Almquist     Building an inner connection with yourself isn't easy. This union, or yoga, is hard work. It's about  trust--first in a teacher when you don't yet know how to trust yourself and you are overwhelmedContinue reading "Podcast 011: Teri Almquist"

Podcast 010: Nick Filth

Nick Filth grew up in an abusive home, dropped out of high school after ninth grade, was homeless for a time, and addicted to drugs, but ironically his experiences with THC and psychedelics sent him out of this world then back to his own life-- his truth, which is a place and point of viewContinue reading "Podcast 010: Nick Filth"

A learning life

Education is literally everywhere, online and in the world! Every morning I walk my dog and listen to lectures and conversations from amazing teachers. Today's class is with Seth Godin on the problems with compulsory education, CBT, bad writing, and the attitude that landscapes are for learning and so much more!

Tools FOR Inner Landscape Learning

I write a lot about how we need to encourage young people to travel the inner landscape FOR learning. Here's one way (Vipassana/meditation) And another way:    And, of course, my favourite way: 

Becoming a Teacher

On Becoming a Teacher When you find out who you are, you find out you are limited: by rules, norms, laws, other people, physically, mentally, psychologically, intellectually. Your mind limits you as does your body; your birth limits you, as does your environment-- all that is external to you, nature, and internal, by nature. LimitsContinue reading "Becoming a Teacher"

Don’t Let Anyone Tell You Who to Be or What to Do!

If you don't take responsibility for designing your own life by figuring out who you really are, then people will forever be telling you what to do and who to be, and you'll be miserable. I used Dr. Jordan B. Peterson's Self Authoring Program and the Big 5 Personality Test he recommended a while back,Continue reading "Don’t Let Anyone Tell You Who to Be or What to Do!"

Sticks and Stones

"Your personal, individual super powers live within your inner landscape. Stop blaming, whining, complaining and acting like a victim. You do have the power to choose. That's your responsibility. Put the phone down; put the drugs and booze away; stop eating crap; stop checking out by putting your attention and energy on other people whoContinue reading "Sticks and Stones"

Podcast Redux with Grace Tempany

Traveling Landscapes for Learning, Inside and Out, with Grace Tempany http://traffic.libsyn.com/landscapesforlearning/Grace2FINALFINAL.mp3 “One is never afraid of the unknown; one is afraid of the known coming to an end.” ----Jiddu Krishnamurti Traveling the landscapes for learning is a challenge for so many of us human beings, but Grace Tempany’s personality, disposition, and training in self-inquiry makesContinue reading "Podcast Redux with Grace Tempany"

Podcast w/ Myozen Joan Amaral on Zen, Zazen, Practice and Social Life

“The best way is to understand yourself, and then you will understand everything. So when you try hard to make your own way, you will help others, and you will be helped by others. Before you make your own way you cannot help anyone, and no one can help you.” ― Shunryu Suzuki   http://traffic.libsyn.com/landscapesforlearning/JoanAmaralfinal008.mp3Continue reading "Podcast w/ Myozen Joan Amaral on Zen, Zazen, Practice and Social Life"

About LFL Podcast

In this first podcast, I introduce myself and my purpose for the Landscapes for Learning podcast. http://traffic.libsyn.com/landscapesforlearning/001_ABOUT_LFL_PODCAST.mp3 I was motivated to create the Landscapes for Learning project to counter students' and parents' and schools' over-valuation of grades and competition for college acceptance as the key to "the good life." As a long-time educator, I sawContinue reading "About LFL Podcast"

Meta: Reflection on The Artist’s Way

The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron beautifully combines my interests in creativity, spirituality, and writing all in one little awesome guidebook for the responsible rationalists like me who have paid homage to the Inner Critic for most of our lives for one good reason or another. I have lived my life responsible for my childrenContinue reading "Meta: Reflection on The Artist’s Way"

Grounded Parents= Grounded Kids

ground·ed ˈɡroundid/ adjective adjective: grounded 1. well balanced and sensible. "the kids have money and a rock-star dad, but they seem grounded" 2. (of a pilot or an aircraft) prohibited or prevented from flying. "you don't taunt a grounded flier, especially after he's had a few beers" informal (of a child being punished) not allowed toContinue reading "Grounded Parents= Grounded Kids"

Podcast: A Parent-Teacher Conference

Solo Podcast: A Parent-Teacher Conference "A Parent-Teacher Conference about Values" is a solo episode about my book-in-progress It's Not About The Grades: Love for Learning Beyond Schooling which I hope to revise and publish in the coming months. I provide a brief, yet incomplete, overview of the book in progress and read an excerpt from aContinue reading "Podcast: A Parent-Teacher Conference"

Podcast: The Value of Silent Meditation with Allen Gaskell

ITunes Podcast: 006: The Value of Silent Meditation with Allen Gaskell "All of humanity's problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone" --- Blaise Pascal One of my goals with the Landscapes for Learning project is to draw more attention to the need for an explicitly taught wisdom curriculum for highContinue reading "Podcast: The Value of Silent Meditation with Allen Gaskell"

Dr. Peter Gray on Schooling

https://youtu.be/d_DJAZ-ByV0 "Everyone is way too concerned about grades and this concern is depriving young people of the freedom they need for true education.  There is good reason to believe that much of the increased suffering of young people comes from the increased weight and senselessness of schooling. Young people are spending more time than ever in school, goingContinue reading "Dr. Peter Gray on Schooling"

No Mud, No Lotus: A True Story about Limits

I was nine years old the first time I ran away from school. The nuns at St.Mary of the Annunciation had a strict rule: “the boys play with the boys and the girls play with the girls.” I ignored that rule, mostly because I thought of myself as more of a boy than a girl,Continue reading "No Mud, No Lotus: A True Story about Limits"

It’s Not About the Grades: Love for Learning Beyond Schooling

This is a hypothetical letter to high school students that I am using for the opening of my book-in-progress, It's Not About the Grades: Love for Learning Beyond Schooling. I am under no illusion that a high school student, a 14-18 year old, would likely be engaged in actually reading such a lengthy "text" such as this,Continue reading "It’s Not About the Grades: Love for Learning Beyond Schooling"

Love for Learning Beyond Schooling

A love for learning is much different than a love for school. My greatest concern during my tenure as a high school English teacher was kids' lack of understanding of and appreciation for learning. I don't mean that they did not appreciate or love my lessons (some did, some did not). I mean, they thoughtContinue reading "Love for Learning Beyond Schooling"

Education: Busy-Work or Authentic Learning?

"Authentic learning, inner wisdom, ought to be developed as soon as possible and it ought to be part of education for young people. Currently, it is missing from the public school curricula, or if it does exist, it’s drowned out by the noise of achievement and grades, or buried under the heavy list of moreContinue reading "Education: Busy-Work or Authentic Learning?"

Like a Flower Petal Blooming

"My book is  a story of the process of self-actualization, me as the central real-life character to whom others might also relate. It's about how yoga provided me this portal to enter to deeper consciousness of my own life, my self and therefore my purpose, my identity, my existence. It's also about how this portalContinue reading "Like a Flower Petal Blooming"

Podcast Episode 005: How to Be The Hero of Your Own Life Story

"You ARE the hero of your own journey, and [this course] is the most important course you will ever take. You should be at the center of your own curriculum and let the rest of your schooling experiences supplement this foundational study of yourself...This is a solo mission-- a private, individual, one-on-one class where youContinue reading "Podcast Episode 005: How to Be The Hero of Your Own Life Story"

Learning is Life

  "To see young people come alive is the reward of teaching" ---Joseph Cambell According to Joseph Cambell, famed author of The Hero with a Thousand Faces (1949), Myths to Live by (1972), and The Hero's Journey (1990),  the goal of maturity is to know oneself ---to understand the inner landscape-- to be the hero of one'sContinue reading "Learning is Life"

Educating Human Beings or Human Doings?

What kind of learning do you value and why? I value the kind of learning that helps people live qualitatively well as authentic "human beings" not just as skilful and knowledgeable "human doings." Unfortunately, our current American public schooling system continues to dedicate most of its attention, time, choices, actions, deeply-ingrained habits, and resources toContinue reading "Educating Human Beings or Human Doings?"

Restoring Balance: Too Much Schooling & Not Enough Learning”

Part of the this Landscapes for Learning mission is to draw attention to teaching and learning in a broader sense than schooling and to begin a new conversation about the kinds of learning we currently value in our American public schools. What I think is based on my own personal experience as a student, asContinue reading "Restoring Balance: Too Much Schooling & Not Enough Learning”"