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The task of transforming education as it is currently being discussed addresses only half the issue. Of course it is a major step forward to bring spiritually-based, learner-centered education to the world. But as soon as we proffer this new model, the question must be asked: In what context can the student actualize his or her purpose, experience connectedness, develop meaning, exercise collaboration, and show competence? The answer can only be found in the environment outside the school walls. And that environment is created and reinforced by the social consciousness of the larger community.
I do not believe that school reforms will ultimately be successful without simultaneously addressing the consciousness of the community within which that education takes place. We cannot, for example, address compassion and collaboration without also reflecting on how our families and neighborhoods function. Children will immediately see the discrepancies, and will long to reconcile them. Parenting education and support and "EQ" education are therefore critical because the dynamics of the horizontal dimension of the Heart Light model is first inculcated in the home.It comes as no surprise to any of us to hear that our world is at the precipice; theories and political positions wilt in the face of the illness, pollution, poverty, hunger, disenfranchisement and despair that are visible everywhere. It is clear that bold visions are needed to turn the tide of fear, violence, and domination that is rampant in all of our social institutions. We need a radical new educational vision that tears down the walls separating schools from community and nature. However, most public schools are crushed under the weight of age-old paradigms (aptly described in Bill Spady’s books, Paradigm Lost and Counterfeit Reforms), and so cannot adequately address the needs of modern students, or of the communities in which we live. If we are to succeed in our quest to transform education, it must not only attend to the self-directed growth of students, but enlarge its view to encompass the socio-political environment that surrounds students and mediates their ability to bloom and flourish. With a broad-based initiative that can potentially reach into every community, we can help change agents from all walks of life to promote community dialogue and transformation. Only then will our efforts to honor the uniqueness of every student have any impact. Only then will our children experience deep meaning and authentic connection. Only then will they be able to come out of the caves and down from the towers, to live and breathe and joyfully co-create our communities and our world anew.
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John-Michael Dumais
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