-We live in forgetfulness, looking for happiness somewhere else. Thich Nhat Hanh.
-To become exemplary role models for the five Human Values, we will need to reprogram the mind.
-Peace, love, joy and all of the other noble virtues already lie waiting within us, in full force.
-Mindfulness: being aware of, or giving attention to, the present experience.
-Letting go is like putting down two suitcases full of old rubbish.
-Our mental/emotional habits, attitudes, likes and dislikes have well-established networks of neuronal activity in the brain. It will require diligent practice in our everyday lives if we are to neutralize these customary ways of thinking that limit our perception.
-We can trust that whatever another person says or does to us, it will be perfect for our personal growth and learning.
-The way to discover the deeper levels of our innate goodness and wisdom is to steadily live a more virtuous life in an increasingly mindful way.
-Where attention goes, neural firing occurs.
-As we begin to develop awareness of the mind, it witnesses without judgment and without comment.
-It is not enough for a teacher to impart information in an efficient manner without any consideration for the moral and ethical awakening of the classroom pupils.
-Whatever you do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Goethe.
Thursday, November 29, 2018
Handbook for teachers in Human Values Education by Ron and Suwanti Farmer. Quotes XVII
-The Human Values Education teacher will no be proselytizing about any religion or creed, but, rather, aiming to perfect oneself so that students might more readily become perfect themselves.
-We are all diamonds covered with mud. You are not the mud, your are the diamond.
-You are a King who has been asleep.
-One must always choose the path with heart in order to be at one's best. Carlos Castaneda.
-Our natural inclination is to be selfless, generous and loving.
-The process of education has to inspire.
-Present education is more about preparation for joining the workforce than about how to reach one's full potential as a human being.
-Quality teaching places more emphasis on student engagement with learning and less emphasis on linear and developmental notions of learning. Learning is then regarded as something to which students will gravitate quiet naturally when it is meaningful and when the learning activities allow opportunities for student input, discussion or collaboration.
-Learning is at its best when we are happy and content within our social relationships, when we ourselves have played a part in the choice of what is to be learned; when we can apply what we have been learning to real-world situations; and when our feeling of self-worth is enhanced by helping others with the knowledge we have gained.
-Instead of teaching curriculum content, it is more effective to provide conditions whereby the students can learn the material using more of their own initiatives, with assistance provided where necessary.
-The character strengths come into play when a teacher dares to run the risk of treating students as human beings with enormous human potential.
-If you serve without love, it is not service at all. Sathya Sai Baba.
-There is much to be gained from putting in effort in a neurological sense. Our brain develops neuronal circuits that can respond up to 3000 times faster when we strive to persevere and do our very best.
-Every part of the content of the curriculum can be utilized as opportunities for the Human Values to come alive in the students.
-We are all diamonds covered with mud. You are not the mud, your are the diamond.
-You are a King who has been asleep.
-One must always choose the path with heart in order to be at one's best. Carlos Castaneda.
-Our natural inclination is to be selfless, generous and loving.
-The process of education has to inspire.
-Present education is more about preparation for joining the workforce than about how to reach one's full potential as a human being.
-Quality teaching places more emphasis on student engagement with learning and less emphasis on linear and developmental notions of learning. Learning is then regarded as something to which students will gravitate quiet naturally when it is meaningful and when the learning activities allow opportunities for student input, discussion or collaboration.
-Learning is at its best when we are happy and content within our social relationships, when we ourselves have played a part in the choice of what is to be learned; when we can apply what we have been learning to real-world situations; and when our feeling of self-worth is enhanced by helping others with the knowledge we have gained.
-Instead of teaching curriculum content, it is more effective to provide conditions whereby the students can learn the material using more of their own initiatives, with assistance provided where necessary.
-The character strengths come into play when a teacher dares to run the risk of treating students as human beings with enormous human potential.
-If you serve without love, it is not service at all. Sathya Sai Baba.
-There is much to be gained from putting in effort in a neurological sense. Our brain develops neuronal circuits that can respond up to 3000 times faster when we strive to persevere and do our very best.
-Every part of the content of the curriculum can be utilized as opportunities for the Human Values to come alive in the students.
Wednesday, November 28, 2018
Handbook for teachers in Human Values Education by Ron and Suwanti Farmer. Quotes XVI
-Every child who pushes the button triggering impatience, agitation, disappointment or dislike, is actually a gift, provided there is not turning away from facing the storm yet again.
-Each time we persevered and tried again, our skill level rose significantly.
-We can regard all of our failures to become living examples of unbroken equanimity and pure love as essential for our growth and turn towards these high goals with renewed faith and perseverance.
-A very high standard for the students necessarily involves embracing mistakes, setting the bar higher each time so that the mountain might appear, to the logical mind, to be impossible to climb.
-Plasticity is a core feature of the brain throughout life.
-Children learn well when the teacher:
1. Has a warm and loving relationship with each student.
2. Ensures that each child feels safe and protected.
3. Creates a learning atmosphere that produces optimal feelings of well being in each student.
4. Takes account of and has empathy with the fears, self-doubts, and other negative emotions
-For a child to attain their own unique level of human excellence, they will need to have optimized learning in their physical, social, moral and spiritual spheres as well.
-If your emotional abilities are not in hand, if you don't have self-awareness, if you are not able to manage your distressing emotions, if you can't have empathy and have effective relationships, then no matter how smart you are, you are not going to get very far. Goleman.
-Happy children who feel listened to and cared about are more able to pay attention to, understand, learn from and remember what the teacher is presenting to them.
-This innate moral sense begins to be attenuated as the child grows older.
-Whenever you feel angry, think of Love, develop thoughts of Love in your heart. You will have Peace.
-Life is Love.
-If the thought is in harmony with the conscience and each one of the five Human Values, it is to be allowed to remain; if the thought transgresses any of these moral guidelines, it is to be let go.
-The heart has reasons that reason cannot understand.
-Spiritual Heart does exist.
-When Human Values Education speaks of Peaceful Mind, Open Heart, we are referring to a way of living that has the mind becoming the servant of the Spiritual Heart.
-Each time we persevered and tried again, our skill level rose significantly.
-We can regard all of our failures to become living examples of unbroken equanimity and pure love as essential for our growth and turn towards these high goals with renewed faith and perseverance.
-A very high standard for the students necessarily involves embracing mistakes, setting the bar higher each time so that the mountain might appear, to the logical mind, to be impossible to climb.
-Plasticity is a core feature of the brain throughout life.
-Children learn well when the teacher:
1. Has a warm and loving relationship with each student.
2. Ensures that each child feels safe and protected.
3. Creates a learning atmosphere that produces optimal feelings of well being in each student.
4. Takes account of and has empathy with the fears, self-doubts, and other negative emotions
-For a child to attain their own unique level of human excellence, they will need to have optimized learning in their physical, social, moral and spiritual spheres as well.
-If your emotional abilities are not in hand, if you don't have self-awareness, if you are not able to manage your distressing emotions, if you can't have empathy and have effective relationships, then no matter how smart you are, you are not going to get very far. Goleman.
-Happy children who feel listened to and cared about are more able to pay attention to, understand, learn from and remember what the teacher is presenting to them.
-This innate moral sense begins to be attenuated as the child grows older.
-Whenever you feel angry, think of Love, develop thoughts of Love in your heart. You will have Peace.
-Life is Love.
-If the thought is in harmony with the conscience and each one of the five Human Values, it is to be allowed to remain; if the thought transgresses any of these moral guidelines, it is to be let go.
-The heart has reasons that reason cannot understand.
-Spiritual Heart does exist.
-When Human Values Education speaks of Peaceful Mind, Open Heart, we are referring to a way of living that has the mind becoming the servant of the Spiritual Heart.
Tuesday, November 27, 2018
Handbook for teachers in Human Values Education by Ron and Suwanti Farmer. Quotes XV
-Every conceivable aspect of human functioning are all dependent upon neurons, each of which has a specific function.
-Mirror neurons have been identified as being responsible for imitation learning.
-When we observe somebody behaving in a particular way, our mirror neurons begin setting up patterns of reactivity that ensure we will mirror, mimic or imitate what our senses are taking in.
-When neurons in the brain are not used, if they don't fire off, not connected to other neurons, they die off, on great numbers, in the millions. Research shows that experiences help our neurons to fire and rewire in new adaptive and resilient ways.
-To the extent that we are teachers who inspire, students will continue to grow the neuronal pathways of living the Human Values they observe in us, each time they recall something we did or said, or if they imagine themselves emulating our good character.
-Fill the heart with Love, and distribute that Love to all. Love grows with every gift of Love.
-Your thoughts, words and deeds will shape others, and theirs will shape you.
-Your heart is inherently filled with Love. Every cell in the human body is filled with Love. It is this micro-cosmic Love that fills the entire Cosmos.
-The more we learn, the easier is to learn.
-A teaching style that is only concerned with the curriculum content, without any passion and enthusiasm for the subject, and lacking any depth and quality of relationship with the students, will be inhibiting students' potential for learning and recall.
-Although perseverance can be uncomfortable at first, students need to know that pushing on is also a skill to be developed and that, each time we try once more, it gets easier to persevere.
-Mirror neurons have been identified as being responsible for imitation learning.
-When we observe somebody behaving in a particular way, our mirror neurons begin setting up patterns of reactivity that ensure we will mirror, mimic or imitate what our senses are taking in.
-When neurons in the brain are not used, if they don't fire off, not connected to other neurons, they die off, on great numbers, in the millions. Research shows that experiences help our neurons to fire and rewire in new adaptive and resilient ways.
-To the extent that we are teachers who inspire, students will continue to grow the neuronal pathways of living the Human Values they observe in us, each time they recall something we did or said, or if they imagine themselves emulating our good character.
-Fill the heart with Love, and distribute that Love to all. Love grows with every gift of Love.
-Your thoughts, words and deeds will shape others, and theirs will shape you.
-Your heart is inherently filled with Love. Every cell in the human body is filled with Love. It is this micro-cosmic Love that fills the entire Cosmos.
-The more we learn, the easier is to learn.
-A teaching style that is only concerned with the curriculum content, without any passion and enthusiasm for the subject, and lacking any depth and quality of relationship with the students, will be inhibiting students' potential for learning and recall.
-Although perseverance can be uncomfortable at first, students need to know that pushing on is also a skill to be developed and that, each time we try once more, it gets easier to persevere.
Handbook for teachers in Human Values Education by Ron and Suwanti Farmer. Quotes XIV
-Identifying students' Signature Strengths and encourage them to maximize their practical expression has become an essential component of what Seligman now calls positive education.
-Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the thing I can and the wisdom to know the difference. R. Niebuhr.
-Resilient children shared three categories:
1. Character attributes of the child.
2. Family cohesion and warmth.
3. The use of external support systems by parents and children.
-The five C's of resilient coping:
1. Calm.
2. Clarity.
3. Connection.
4. Competence.
5. Courage.
-When we are present in interacting with another person, we give them our full attention and receive their communication openly, without judgment, and with curiosity.
-55% of all emotional meaning is conveyed through facial expressions and body language; another 38% is communicated through tone and rhythm of voice; only 7% is communicated through words. Mehrabian.
-If we can feel what another person feels, we can be more understanding, more loving, more compassionate.
-Benefits of high-quality service learning:
1. Student engagement.
2. Improves higher order thinking skills.
3. Develops important personal and social skills for young people.
4. Develops stronger connections with their schools, communities and society.
-The Seven Teaching Strategies of Human Values Education:
1. Quiet time.
2. Mindfulness.
3. Wise sayings.
4. Story telling.
5. Peaceful mind, open heart.
6. Service learning.
7. Unity of faiths.
-Our sufferings comes from wanting things of this world.
-Our social ans physical environment, what comes into us through the five senses, can change the function and structure of our brain, which in turn influences how we think and what we do.
-The more often we think and act in a virtuous way, the more will our brains be restructured so as to facilitate this more noble way of thinking and behaving.
-See what is good
Think what is good
Hear what is good
Talk what is good
Do only good
-Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the thing I can and the wisdom to know the difference. R. Niebuhr.
-Resilient children shared three categories:
1. Character attributes of the child.
2. Family cohesion and warmth.
3. The use of external support systems by parents and children.
-The five C's of resilient coping:
1. Calm.
2. Clarity.
3. Connection.
4. Competence.
5. Courage.
-When we are present in interacting with another person, we give them our full attention and receive their communication openly, without judgment, and with curiosity.
-55% of all emotional meaning is conveyed through facial expressions and body language; another 38% is communicated through tone and rhythm of voice; only 7% is communicated through words. Mehrabian.
-If we can feel what another person feels, we can be more understanding, more loving, more compassionate.
-Benefits of high-quality service learning:
1. Student engagement.
2. Improves higher order thinking skills.
3. Develops important personal and social skills for young people.
4. Develops stronger connections with their schools, communities and society.
-The Seven Teaching Strategies of Human Values Education:
1. Quiet time.
2. Mindfulness.
3. Wise sayings.
4. Story telling.
5. Peaceful mind, open heart.
6. Service learning.
7. Unity of faiths.
-Our sufferings comes from wanting things of this world.
-Our social ans physical environment, what comes into us through the five senses, can change the function and structure of our brain, which in turn influences how we think and what we do.
-The more often we think and act in a virtuous way, the more will our brains be restructured so as to facilitate this more noble way of thinking and behaving.
-See what is good
Think what is good
Hear what is good
Talk what is good
Do only good
Handbook for teachers in Human Values Education by Ron and Suwanti Farmer. Quotes XIII
-Regardless of the challenges facing us, we are safe if we can sit in our boat, regulating how we think, feel and move.
-Defusion lets us give less importance to our habitual thinking patterns, to distance ourselves from and to let go of unhelpful thoughts, beliefs and memories.
-We must not wish anything other than what happens from moment to moment, all the while, however, exercising ourselves in goodness. St. Catherine of Genoa.
-The what is is the most holy. Alan Watts.
-Acceptance allows us to make room for painful feelings, urges and sensations, allowing them to com and go without a struggle.
-If we can dare to live according to the values and virtues that resonate strongly within us, powerful things begin to happen.
-It requires conviction and courage to commit ourselves to living the values we believe in, wherever that path may take us.
-You have to ask yourself the question: Who am I? This investigation will lead in the end to the discovery of something within you which is behind the mind. Solve that great problem, and you will solve all other problems thereby. Ramana Maharshi.
-When we know what action needs to be taken, begin as soon as possible.
When we know what activity we should not be engaging in, cease doing it immediately.
When we are not sure what to do, wait.
-Our Signature Strengths are those of the 24 Character Strengths that we have rated as being the most prominent in our attitudes and behavior today.
-The 24 Character Strengths:
WISDOM
1. Creativity
2. Curiosity
3. Judgment
5. Love of learning
COURAGE
6. Bravery
7. Honesty
8. Perseverance
9. Zest
HUMANITY
10. Kindness
11. Love
12. Social intelligence
JUSTICE
13. Fairness
14. Leadership
15. Teamwork
TEMPERANCE
16. Forgiveness
17. Humility
18. Prudence
19. Self-regulation
TRASCENDENCE
20. Appreciation of beauty
21. Gratitude
22. Hope
23. Humor
24. Spirituality
-Defusion lets us give less importance to our habitual thinking patterns, to distance ourselves from and to let go of unhelpful thoughts, beliefs and memories.
-We must not wish anything other than what happens from moment to moment, all the while, however, exercising ourselves in goodness. St. Catherine of Genoa.
-The what is is the most holy. Alan Watts.
-Acceptance allows us to make room for painful feelings, urges and sensations, allowing them to com and go without a struggle.
-If we can dare to live according to the values and virtues that resonate strongly within us, powerful things begin to happen.
-It requires conviction and courage to commit ourselves to living the values we believe in, wherever that path may take us.
-You have to ask yourself the question: Who am I? This investigation will lead in the end to the discovery of something within you which is behind the mind. Solve that great problem, and you will solve all other problems thereby. Ramana Maharshi.
-When we know what action needs to be taken, begin as soon as possible.
When we know what activity we should not be engaging in, cease doing it immediately.
When we are not sure what to do, wait.
-Our Signature Strengths are those of the 24 Character Strengths that we have rated as being the most prominent in our attitudes and behavior today.
-The 24 Character Strengths:
WISDOM
1. Creativity
2. Curiosity
3. Judgment
5. Love of learning
COURAGE
6. Bravery
7. Honesty
8. Perseverance
9. Zest
HUMANITY
10. Kindness
11. Love
12. Social intelligence
JUSTICE
13. Fairness
14. Leadership
15. Teamwork
TEMPERANCE
16. Forgiveness
17. Humility
18. Prudence
19. Self-regulation
TRASCENDENCE
20. Appreciation of beauty
21. Gratitude
22. Hope
23. Humor
24. Spirituality
Saturday, November 17, 2018
Handbook for teachers in Human Values Education by Ron and Suwanti Farmer. Quotes XII
-Our behavior is determined largely by our thoughts.
-Use positive thinking and autosuggestion.
-We must repeat over and over our heart chosen thoughts and words.
-Three forms of the Wise Sayings teaching strategy:
1. Thought for the Week.
2. Prayers.
3. Others wisdom sayings.
-At Toogolawa Schools there are four prayers:
1. Prayer at the beginning of the Morning Quiet time.
2. Forbearance Prayer.
3. Prior to Eating Prayer.
4. Prayer to close the school day at Quiet Time.
-Peaceful mind-open heart are essential ingredients for any form of lasting happiness.
-Self-awareness assumes the presence of mindfulness but can be extended to include examining and reflecting upon how we think, move, speak, feel and act.
-The prime concern of Human Values Education is that each student and teacher moves ever-upwards towards manifesting their innate human goodness and excellence.
-Teaching strategies into more self-awareness:
1. Mindfulness practices.
2. Journal writing.
3. Self-monitoring.
-To regulate aspects of the self, our habitual (often unconscious) patterns of thinking, sensing, feeling and acting, the essential prerequisite is self-awareness.
-Self-regulation can be engaged in by focusing one one or more of three pathways: reflection, resilience, and relationship.
-Use positive thinking and autosuggestion.
-We must repeat over and over our heart chosen thoughts and words.
-Three forms of the Wise Sayings teaching strategy:
1. Thought for the Week.
2. Prayers.
3. Others wisdom sayings.
-At Toogolawa Schools there are four prayers:
1. Prayer at the beginning of the Morning Quiet time.
2. Forbearance Prayer.
3. Prior to Eating Prayer.
4. Prayer to close the school day at Quiet Time.
-Peaceful mind-open heart are essential ingredients for any form of lasting happiness.
-Self-awareness assumes the presence of mindfulness but can be extended to include examining and reflecting upon how we think, move, speak, feel and act.
-The prime concern of Human Values Education is that each student and teacher moves ever-upwards towards manifesting their innate human goodness and excellence.
-Teaching strategies into more self-awareness:
1. Mindfulness practices.
2. Journal writing.
3. Self-monitoring.
-To regulate aspects of the self, our habitual (often unconscious) patterns of thinking, sensing, feeling and acting, the essential prerequisite is self-awareness.
-Self-regulation can be engaged in by focusing one one or more of three pathways: reflection, resilience, and relationship.
Tuesday, November 13, 2018
Handbook for teachers in Human Values Education by Ron and Suwanti Farmer. Quotes XI
-It is better to become the master of the mind, instead of being the slave of the mind. Become a Mastermind.
-The mind is like a mirror in which we can see who we truly are. When we practice mindfulness, we are cleaning the mirror so that we can discover the peace, love and happiness that lie waiting within.
-Inside each one of us is something like a diamond. It is who we truly are. The diamond has five sides. These are the five Human Values. But this diamond is hidden under layers of mud. The mud is our sadness, our non-stop thinking, our anger, boredom and feelings of failure. When we practice mindfulness, we are washing the mud off our diamond, so we can shine, so that we can be at peace and happiness that we truly are.
-Each one of us is like a King who has gone to sleep. The King is dreaming that he is a useless beggar, a nobody, a failure, a fool. When we practice mindfulness, it is like waking the King up from his bad dream. Then, he remembers that he is a King, he is not a failure, he is not a fool; the King is extraordinary, amazing, beautiful.
-This body is like a wild horse. We have to learn to control it so that we succeed and don't keep ending up in trouble. To do this we use the mind. The mind is like the reins that control the horse. When we practice mindfulness we are taking charge of our mind, our body and our life.
-Mindfulness develops the following qualities in both students and teachers:
1. The ability to be calm and to concentrate.
2. The ability to listen inwardly and become more aware of our feelings and our conscience.
3. The awareness that happiness, peace and love come from inside and not from outside.
4. The creation of an inner world of positive images and feelings, building confidence in oneself and goodwill towards others.
5. The ability to identify with others, to expand the positive feelings to include all of the outside world.
-Whatever we plant in our subconscious mind and nourish with repetition and emotion, will one day become reality. Earl Nightingale.
-Human Values Education believes that we have to plant enough flowers in the garden of their young hearts so there is no room for these pernicious weeds to continue their infestation.
-The mind is like a mirror in which we can see who we truly are. When we practice mindfulness, we are cleaning the mirror so that we can discover the peace, love and happiness that lie waiting within.
-Inside each one of us is something like a diamond. It is who we truly are. The diamond has five sides. These are the five Human Values. But this diamond is hidden under layers of mud. The mud is our sadness, our non-stop thinking, our anger, boredom and feelings of failure. When we practice mindfulness, we are washing the mud off our diamond, so we can shine, so that we can be at peace and happiness that we truly are.
-Each one of us is like a King who has gone to sleep. The King is dreaming that he is a useless beggar, a nobody, a failure, a fool. When we practice mindfulness, it is like waking the King up from his bad dream. Then, he remembers that he is a King, he is not a failure, he is not a fool; the King is extraordinary, amazing, beautiful.
-This body is like a wild horse. We have to learn to control it so that we succeed and don't keep ending up in trouble. To do this we use the mind. The mind is like the reins that control the horse. When we practice mindfulness we are taking charge of our mind, our body and our life.
-Mindfulness develops the following qualities in both students and teachers:
1. The ability to be calm and to concentrate.
2. The ability to listen inwardly and become more aware of our feelings and our conscience.
3. The awareness that happiness, peace and love come from inside and not from outside.
4. The creation of an inner world of positive images and feelings, building confidence in oneself and goodwill towards others.
5. The ability to identify with others, to expand the positive feelings to include all of the outside world.
-Whatever we plant in our subconscious mind and nourish with repetition and emotion, will one day become reality. Earl Nightingale.
-Human Values Education believes that we have to plant enough flowers in the garden of their young hearts so there is no room for these pernicious weeds to continue their infestation.
Monday, November 12, 2018
Handbook for teachers in Human Values Education by Ron and Suwanti Farmer. Quotes X
-The real value of service, its most visible result, it that it reforms you, and reshapes you. Do service as a spiritual discipline; then you will be humble and happy.
-As our children discover the nobility and responsibility within themselves that bring lasting peace and happiness, so too will our society rediscover its essential goodness, truth, love and beauty as the young ones become its driving force when they move into their adult years.
-The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires. William Ward.
-It is as if the student, in being inspired by the teacher's example of virtue, catches a glimpse of their own inherent beauty and magnificence and yearns to bring that home.
-Teaching strategies and techniques in Human Values Education:
1. Quiet time.
2. Mindfulness (Silent sitting)
3. Wise sayings.
4. Story telling.
5. Peaceful mind, Open heart.
6. Service learning.
7. Unity of faiths.
-Prayers and rituals are an opportunity for the student to experience the sacred, the grand mystery and beauty that runs like an underground stream beneath all of life's surface troubles and joys.
-Why do we ask people to sit straight and to sit quiet in meditation? Because when the body is straight and quiet, the mind inside is also straight and quiet. If you cannot control your body, how can you control your mind?
-Teaching strategy as Mindfulness:
1. Sitting or lying still.
2. Focus the mind on the breath, body parts, etc.
3. Guided imagination of light illuminating different parts of the body, and then throughout the whole world.
4. Repetition of special words, either in time with the breath, or independent of the breath.
5. Visualizing being courageous, confident, happy, forgiving, and so on, in specific situations.
-As our children discover the nobility and responsibility within themselves that bring lasting peace and happiness, so too will our society rediscover its essential goodness, truth, love and beauty as the young ones become its driving force when they move into their adult years.
-The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires. William Ward.
-It is as if the student, in being inspired by the teacher's example of virtue, catches a glimpse of their own inherent beauty and magnificence and yearns to bring that home.
-Teaching strategies and techniques in Human Values Education:
1. Quiet time.
2. Mindfulness (Silent sitting)
3. Wise sayings.
4. Story telling.
5. Peaceful mind, Open heart.
6. Service learning.
7. Unity of faiths.
-Prayers and rituals are an opportunity for the student to experience the sacred, the grand mystery and beauty that runs like an underground stream beneath all of life's surface troubles and joys.
-Why do we ask people to sit straight and to sit quiet in meditation? Because when the body is straight and quiet, the mind inside is also straight and quiet. If you cannot control your body, how can you control your mind?
-Teaching strategy as Mindfulness:
1. Sitting or lying still.
2. Focus the mind on the breath, body parts, etc.
3. Guided imagination of light illuminating different parts of the body, and then throughout the whole world.
4. Repetition of special words, either in time with the breath, or independent of the breath.
5. Visualizing being courageous, confident, happy, forgiving, and so on, in specific situations.
Handbook for teachers in Human Values Education by Ron and Suwanti Farmer. Quotes IX
-Inspire kids to care.
-We are all kings and queens in disguise.
-Warmth is the vital element for the growing plant and for the soul of the child.
-When my class begins a new project, a new venture, we begin with a taste of excellence.
-When the school places values at the center of its work and purposely tries to live those values, the changes in students' and teachers' behaviors that follow naturally from this decision gradually edge them into quality teaching and learning activity.
-Human Values Education at its best will be evident when quality teaching is in play, for the two are intertwined, each fertilizing the other into new areas of growth, strength and vitality.
-Quality education, focusing on whole person development, insists on giving attention to such crucial factors as the school environment, one that focuses on the quality of the teacher-student relationship, the ambience in the school, the interconnectedness between the school and parents and community, and the example of moral and performance character displayed by the teacher. All of these influence the emotional state of the student.
-Happy children learn well; unhappy ones struggle. When children feel safe (in the playground, classroom and at home), feel recognized and affirmed by the teacher and have the opportunities and guidance provided where they can excel, these children rise to the occasion.
-Seven valuable guidelines for establishing quality class environments:
1. Teach as if relationships matter.
2. Use the power of a handshake.
3. Get to know students as individuals.
4. Use bonding to improve behavior.
5. Use the power of example.
6. Use a self-inventory to focus on role-modelling.
7. Invite guest speakers who are positive role models.
-Staff coordinators for the Student Action Teams reported that classrooms and schools as a whole became more peaceful, happy, safe and creative. This, in turn, the reports say, elevated both moral and performance character in students and staff. Student Action Teams help create a class and school environment that improves student engagement and wellbeing, and reduces truancy.
-We are all kings and queens in disguise.
-Warmth is the vital element for the growing plant and for the soul of the child.
-When my class begins a new project, a new venture, we begin with a taste of excellence.
-When the school places values at the center of its work and purposely tries to live those values, the changes in students' and teachers' behaviors that follow naturally from this decision gradually edge them into quality teaching and learning activity.
-Human Values Education at its best will be evident when quality teaching is in play, for the two are intertwined, each fertilizing the other into new areas of growth, strength and vitality.
-Quality education, focusing on whole person development, insists on giving attention to such crucial factors as the school environment, one that focuses on the quality of the teacher-student relationship, the ambience in the school, the interconnectedness between the school and parents and community, and the example of moral and performance character displayed by the teacher. All of these influence the emotional state of the student.
-Happy children learn well; unhappy ones struggle. When children feel safe (in the playground, classroom and at home), feel recognized and affirmed by the teacher and have the opportunities and guidance provided where they can excel, these children rise to the occasion.
-Seven valuable guidelines for establishing quality class environments:
1. Teach as if relationships matter.
2. Use the power of a handshake.
3. Get to know students as individuals.
4. Use bonding to improve behavior.
5. Use the power of example.
6. Use a self-inventory to focus on role-modelling.
7. Invite guest speakers who are positive role models.
-Staff coordinators for the Student Action Teams reported that classrooms and schools as a whole became more peaceful, happy, safe and creative. This, in turn, the reports say, elevated both moral and performance character in students and staff. Student Action Teams help create a class and school environment that improves student engagement and wellbeing, and reduces truancy.
Tuesday, November 6, 2018
Handbook for teachers in Human Values Education by Ron and Suwanti Farmer. Quotes VIII
-When students who achieve best at school are asked to nominate the most important qualities for a teacher to have, they overwhelmingly say things about care and trust.
-Mere observation of individual student-teacher relationships is not able to identify in a measurable way what it is that such teachers are doing, there are subtleties in the caring and trusting relationship between the elder mentor and student that, although not obvious to the outside observer, have such a positive impact upon the younger that they want to learn; they want to earn the recognition that the elder is already giving them.
-If you treat an individual as he is, he will remain as he is. But if you treat him as if he were as he ought to be and could be, he will become that he ought to be and could be. Goethe.
-It is only with support of a philosophy and practice that encourages us to see only good; think only good; speak only good; and do only good, that we can look for an bring out the best in a child.
-It is the student well-being that seems to be one of the most important requirements for optimal learning to take place, and the research indicates that it is the teacher who plays the major role in students feeling happy, confident, motivated, curious and persevering.
-Each exemplary teacher is looking to bring out the best in themselves and in their students.
-You can mandate tests and standards and curricula all you want, but it means nothing if you can't inspire kids to care.
-Each teacher must examine: Am I practicing what I am teaching?
-Mere observation of individual student-teacher relationships is not able to identify in a measurable way what it is that such teachers are doing, there are subtleties in the caring and trusting relationship between the elder mentor and student that, although not obvious to the outside observer, have such a positive impact upon the younger that they want to learn; they want to earn the recognition that the elder is already giving them.
-If you treat an individual as he is, he will remain as he is. But if you treat him as if he were as he ought to be and could be, he will become that he ought to be and could be. Goethe.
-It is only with support of a philosophy and practice that encourages us to see only good; think only good; speak only good; and do only good, that we can look for an bring out the best in a child.
-It is the student well-being that seems to be one of the most important requirements for optimal learning to take place, and the research indicates that it is the teacher who plays the major role in students feeling happy, confident, motivated, curious and persevering.
-Each exemplary teacher is looking to bring out the best in themselves and in their students.
-You can mandate tests and standards and curricula all you want, but it means nothing if you can't inspire kids to care.
-Each teacher must examine: Am I practicing what I am teaching?
Monday, November 5, 2018
Handbook for teachers in Human Values Education by Dr. Ron and Suwanti Farmer. Quotes VII
-For the flower of Human Values Education to blossom in children at school a special milieu is required, one that facilitates and strengthens the emergence of their innate love and wisdom.
-In the moral life of a school, there is no better opportunity for students to take on authentic responsibility than by helping to create a school of character. Students must be engaged as essential partners in that task. When students are in visible leadership roles, and when all students have a voice and a stake in the character education effort, adults will be far more effective in promoting good character than they ever can be acting alone. Lickona, 2004.
-Character development will be a higher priority in the minds of staff, students and parents if results are assessed. If character development isn't assessed but academic achievement is, should we be surprised that character recedes in importance?, Lickona, 2013.
-One of the ten components of the Comprehensive Assessment Plan (CAP) involves collecting school data on character-related indicators such as: school attendance, test scores, discipline referrals, bullying incidents, fights, number of students involved in community service, and so on. Lickona reminds us that, without such assessments, teacher are not able to make realistic decisions about how to improve on the school's character education program.
-Another valuable assessment tool published by the Centre for the 4th and 5th Rs is the Respect and Responsibility School Culture Survey with 29 questions rated 1 to 5 on an agree/disagree scale.
-The 8 Strengths of Character:
1. Lifelong learner and critical thinker.
2. Diligent and capable performer
3. Socially and emotionally skilled person.
4. Ethical thinker.
5. Respectful and responsible moral agent.
6. Self-discipline person who pursues a healthy lifestyle.
7. Contributing community member and democratic citizen.
8. Spiritual person engaged in crafting a life of purpose.
-In the moral life of a school, there is no better opportunity for students to take on authentic responsibility than by helping to create a school of character. Students must be engaged as essential partners in that task. When students are in visible leadership roles, and when all students have a voice and a stake in the character education effort, adults will be far more effective in promoting good character than they ever can be acting alone. Lickona, 2004.
-Character development will be a higher priority in the minds of staff, students and parents if results are assessed. If character development isn't assessed but academic achievement is, should we be surprised that character recedes in importance?, Lickona, 2013.
-One of the ten components of the Comprehensive Assessment Plan (CAP) involves collecting school data on character-related indicators such as: school attendance, test scores, discipline referrals, bullying incidents, fights, number of students involved in community service, and so on. Lickona reminds us that, without such assessments, teacher are not able to make realistic decisions about how to improve on the school's character education program.
-Another valuable assessment tool published by the Centre for the 4th and 5th Rs is the Respect and Responsibility School Culture Survey with 29 questions rated 1 to 5 on an agree/disagree scale.
-The 8 Strengths of Character:
1. Lifelong learner and critical thinker.
2. Diligent and capable performer
3. Socially and emotionally skilled person.
4. Ethical thinker.
5. Respectful and responsible moral agent.
6. Self-discipline person who pursues a healthy lifestyle.
7. Contributing community member and democratic citizen.
8. Spiritual person engaged in crafting a life of purpose.
Friday, November 2, 2018
Handbook for teachers in Human Values Education by Dr. Ron and Suwanti Farmer. Quotes VI
-Values education is a process of learning about the ideals that a society deems important. While this learning can take a number of forms, the underlying aim is for students not only to understand the Values, but also to reflect them in their attitudes and behavior, and contribute to society through good citizenship and ethical practice.
-Human Values within us will not shine forth unless certain conditions are met.
-How to create the ideal conditions for the development of both virtuous behavior and academic excellence... (It is the key)
-Character education is defined as intentional strategies within schools to foster children's capacities and motivations to act as moral agents, i.e., to do good in the world. Terence Lovat.
-Students need performance character (initiative, self-discipline, perseverance, teamwork, etc.) to do their best work and moral character (respect, fairness, kindness, honesty) to build the relationships that make for a positive learning environment.
-When Human Values are taught with the understanding that they already lie within every child in full measure, there is both a wish to remind the students of their true nature.
-Students who are clever academically yet lack the higher moral standards will never be an asset to society if they only know how to use their cleverness for their own benefit at the expense of the whole.
-We look always for the diamond.
-We are beginning to come out of a period when children were given free rein to develop their character as suits their whim, without any clear moral guidelines apart from the generally low ones displayed in movies, advertising and computer games.
-Creating a culture of caring, respect and responsibility in schools has positive outcomes for both students and teachers alike, and for the community in which they live.
-Human Values Education involves self-sacrifice of a special kind to become who they are rightly meant to be. It is our duty, our sacred task, to show by our example how this is to be done. If we can find our own gold, the students will follow, for it is the natural inclination of all human beings to become the best they can be, to be truly happy, peaceful, loving, self-reliant, resilient, accomplished and kind.
-Human Values within us will not shine forth unless certain conditions are met.
-How to create the ideal conditions for the development of both virtuous behavior and academic excellence... (It is the key)
-Character education is defined as intentional strategies within schools to foster children's capacities and motivations to act as moral agents, i.e., to do good in the world. Terence Lovat.
-Students need performance character (initiative, self-discipline, perseverance, teamwork, etc.) to do their best work and moral character (respect, fairness, kindness, honesty) to build the relationships that make for a positive learning environment.
-When Human Values are taught with the understanding that they already lie within every child in full measure, there is both a wish to remind the students of their true nature.
-Students who are clever academically yet lack the higher moral standards will never be an asset to society if they only know how to use their cleverness for their own benefit at the expense of the whole.
-We look always for the diamond.
-We are beginning to come out of a period when children were given free rein to develop their character as suits their whim, without any clear moral guidelines apart from the generally low ones displayed in movies, advertising and computer games.
-Creating a culture of caring, respect and responsibility in schools has positive outcomes for both students and teachers alike, and for the community in which they live.
-Human Values Education involves self-sacrifice of a special kind to become who they are rightly meant to be. It is our duty, our sacred task, to show by our example how this is to be done. If we can find our own gold, the students will follow, for it is the natural inclination of all human beings to become the best they can be, to be truly happy, peaceful, loving, self-reliant, resilient, accomplished and kind.
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