WHAT WE ARE LEARNING IS A WAY OF LIVING IN THIS WORLD.

These years of formation are an orientation for our students, effectuated by the demonstration of their mentors' understandings about the means human beings employ to occupy their time in life. One of the tenets we presently offer from our studies is that there is no single right way to live a life. We hold that the principal learning activity of childhood is discovering what sort of lifestyle coincides with the interests and predisposition of the developing individual.

In this education process we seek to guide our pupils by demonstrating how we use these three resources:

OUR TIME

The earliest lesson of infancy is that of a daily routine. These experiences are so powerful that they shape all subsequent perceptions of our situation in life. Everything in our environment contributes to reinforcing these lessons until the routines become embedded not only in the individual but also in the entire social fabric of the culture. Changing a routine is resisted fiercely, not only by the psyche, but by the physical organism as well.

Intellectual disciplines are addressed soon afterward. Communication develops in a reciprocal fashion until the emerging mind perceives a separation between its "self" and its environment. Skills are learned and practiced in a free interchange of call and response. An individual emerges which must be recognized by the new being and by its mentors as well.

Over time, the culture imparts lessons that explain to the individual its understanding of how the world works, and how human beings work in the world. In contemporary Western societies certain skills are formally taught to enable a growing mind to develop and expand this understanding.

Ours is a culture that "goes by the book". Consequently the primary emphasis falls upon reading, and secondarily on writing, as critical skills to be acquired in order to function as a part of this culture. A course of initiation is mandatory before one can participate in this sector of life. A powerful priesthood controls this path of instruction, but any strongly motivated individual can determine independently the requisite behavior. Basically this can be characterized as:

READING

The acquisition and development of language skills becomes increasingly important in a world where instantaneous communications are virtually ubiquitous. Fluency is required not only in the mother tongue. The diversity of peoples calls for adaptive skills in language usage.

Another mind discipline is abstraction. Today, mathematics is most widely used to express concepts relating to human beings and their world. For anyone wishing to participate in the contemporary material world an understanding and facility with this form of expression is mandatory. All forms of modern science rely heavily on the language of numbers for the development and operation of the technologies upon which we rely for our sustenance and security.

It is no wonder that the educational institutions of our civilization place such emphasis upon these mental disciplines, for they are the underpinnings of the entire social and intellectual structure erected over the course of historical time. But the question arises, "Are these preoccupations truly requisite for the healthy development of humanity?" From the outset it is apparent that this schema for education neglects our other resources.

Our contemporary world is powered by generation techniques that ignore the planetary rhythms, and focus on the 24-hour daily potential for growth, gain, and especially, profit. As we bring up our children we tend to force them into the mold of clock-time instead of encouraging them to discover the natural cycles of their bodies and their environment. We teach control and then wonder why such psychological devastation occurs when children, or even adults, discover that there are universal forces lying beyond human power. As part of our orientation we emphasize instead the ebb and flow of strength, attention, and motivation within the individual, demonstrating how a feeling of well being can be maintained when these influences are recognized and heeded. Physical education, in the classical Greek sense, is an absolute requirement in our too cerebral culture. Athleticism has been substituted for physical culture. As a result attention is no longer focused on the inner being but rather on the culturally derived goals of fame and fortune.

Our programs are oriented toward allowing the student to experience the functioning of these natural rhythms. By allowing the individual to orient itself in a flow of greater forces we provide the opportunity for discovering the delight of self-mastery, and increase the potential for success in whatever undertakings may follow.

Above all we rely upon respect for the ability of a developing being to recognize and seek out attitudes and techniques contributing to its individual inclinations and abilities. With confidence we seek to live authentically, trusting that our students will learn from the examples we provide. By listening and responding to their queries and demands we discover more about them and about ourselves, enabling all of us to continue the profound investigation of this world of ours. Is this not what we are to do with

OUR TIME

In this place we call, for the present, home?

© 2001 by David G. Plank

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