Philosophy

I received an email from a coworker that was amazing, I would say even life changing in my view of teaching and being a mother. He and another co worker have started "The Compassion Project" with students in our school. In the most amazingly, moving, concise way he sums up a beautiful philosophy that I always want to remember so I am posting it here. That way it will end up in our family journal and I will be able to refer to it for years.

"Ian sent me an e-mail this morning regarding my comment on “School Spirit.” I would like to make it very clear that ALL of you at Brooks go above and beyond by creating an amazing atmosphere that clearly supports school spirit 100 percent. From the student council to the sports teams, to the theatre productions to the dances, everyone of you contribute to help create true school spirit! I want to thank all of you as I truly think you rock!

My comment had nothing to do with teacher contribution, but rather student accountability and how to inspire youth to reach their full potential. Furthermore, I think the school culture here at brooks is really positive, students feel safe and really enjoy their experience at Brooks.

Ian’s question - “But it begs the question: is "school spirit" still something students want?”

My thoughts on this subject are very philosophical in nature. Every moment is absolutely brilliant. Seriously, we are hurtling through space on a boulder going faster than any race car ever could, we all have subjective personalities which afford each of us the ability to choose how we perceive, and because of this individual uniqueness we are all essentially “making history” with each moment. In short, each moment we exist, breath and feel is absolutely amazing!

Then why is boredom and apathy so prevalent in our society? Who’s to blame? Well an easy target is the media, and be sure it has a huge influence on image, acceptance, low self-esteem and depression. Technology is also an obvious contributor by helping create a society of humans with short attention spans by completely distracting us through short media bites which deconstruct our consciousness. Texting has now become a way of communication which some people find more comfortable than actual human interaction. These are major problems; however the biggest one which I feel relates to “school spirit” is social conditioning.

I have always found this interesting, go teach a drawing unit at the grade one level and then go teach one at the grade six level and you will be astonished by the results. The grade one’s all love to draw and ENJOY the PROCESS of drawing. At the grade six level many have shut off the creative side because they have convinced themselves they are not artistic for fear of failure. The truth is everyone can draw and everyone is creative. So why is the internal critic so strong at such a young age?

As educators we must inspire students to believe in themselves and have a healthy sense of love for the self. If one believes in the self, then one begins to feel their subjective experience. If the experience is truly felt, then the individual explores and finds areas of passion. These areas of passion transfer over beyond the self, thus the individual finds meaning in connecting outward beyond the ego. When the value of ethical/moral responsibility is acknowledged humans begin to not only perceive life but experience life differently through a lens of authenticity. We all have the gift of perception. It is this very choice of perception which provides us with the potential to view every moment as completely exhilarating or utterly useless.

I think sarcasm is an easy out. Consistent sarcasm provides a framework for people to not take chances by diminishing how brilliant this whole human experience actually is! A joke is a joke and don’t’ get me wrong, I can fully appreciate the art of sarcasm. However what is currently happening is a progression from sarcasm to an underlying current of cynicism. It takes far more courage, passion, and soul to be consistently optimistic. This has been the intention behind the compassion project and the cool thing is the students really get this.

I have taught here at Brooks for five years using various frameworks of philosophy which help students believe in themselves and find the brilliance of the moment. I have found that this approach genuinely works because they tell me it works. I realize now that teaching students to believe in themselves by experiencing the process and by disregarding boredom and apathy is only the beginning. It is not until students see the value in connecting as a unified team by collaborating, creating and giving back to others will the real change happen."