Holistic education is a philosophy of education based on the premise that each person finds identity, meaning, and purpose in life through connections to the community, to the natural world, and to spiritual values such as compassion and peace. Holistic education aims to call forth from people an intrinsic reverence for life and a passionate love of learning.  Wikipedia.

What if we take holistic education even further into allowing open curriculums in schools that allow each child to use and nurture their innate strengths?  Sir Kenneth Robinson, an expert on  creativity and innovation asks the questions, says schools kill creativity.  See www.Ted.com.  Rather than allowing children to find and use their gifts, we make them conform to an educational system that requires everyone to be the same, conforming, and excelling in standardized tests.

Recently a friend, who recently entered a Masters Degree program in holistic education, discussed her views with me.  her voice vibrated with passion as she discussed what she thought were opposing ideas:  the professor’s idea that change will be made through changing our internal intentions versus my friend’s premise that change will be made when the language is create a new paradigm.

After listening intently, it became clear that both ideas would work.  Embracing one without embracing the other would be like throwing the baby out with the bath water.  Change could perhaps be effected more efficiently by creating a new language that reflects a new intention.  Spiritually a core change must be reflected in the material world.  Language is part of the material world.  The conflict arose between my friend and the professor were but growing pains.

The growing pains of conflict are but the labor pains attendant to every birth.  The new thought leaders in education and even the educators of the old paradigm are but midwives birthing a new system of education.

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Language is the means of getting an idea from my brain into yours without surgery.  ~Mark Amidon