On Sustainability

Inherent in the Montessori approach to education is the “prepared environment” as an essential tool to promote the auto-education of the student. Also inherent within the Montessori philosophy is the idea that children should develop a “global vision” and an understanding that all things are connected and interrelated. Because of these ideas, we believe that our sustainable guidelines and integrated curriculum should direct our operating strategies and development in a way that students and facilitators can utilize the facilities and grounds as learning tools within an expanded learning environment. Our location must provide opportunities for us all to fall in love with the natural world, learn about Earth’s natural cycles, and gain an understanding of humanity’s relationship with Earth’s life and its inhabitants.

~ adopted from the Montessori School of Maui, Study on Guidelines of Sustainability

In the spring of 1996, a handful of people associated with Montessori School of Maui (MOMI) met to discuss developing an outdoor learning environment on the school’s campus.  After several meetings, the group decided to pursue the concept of a Living Classroom.  New World Leadership Children’s Academy has adopted this similar concept and is committed to the development of an Earth Education Program.  MOMI has graciously made their Guidelines for Sustainability available to all on their website (www.MOMI.org).

In a broad sense sustainability is defined as the capacity to endure.  For humans it is the potential for long term maintenance of wellbeing, which in turn depends on the wellbeing of the natural world and the responsible use of natural resources.

New World Leadership found it important to secure a location that modeled in its construction the values we teach in the child’s development.  New World Leadership Children’s Academy utilizes these strategies to integrate the teachings of nature’s life cycles.  By providing an atmosphere that shares a love and respect for self and the environment and drawing correlation to the life that exists in nature we foster the beginning of teaching them the skills that will help them to create/sustain the environment in which they live.

Components of Curriculum

We feel that in order to understand sustainability (both from a teaching and learning perspective) the concept should gradually become part of our daily reality over the years.  We also believe that a ’sustainability curriculum’ should not only unfold slowly, but it should also recognize the stages through which each child’s relationship with the natural world progresses.  Finally, we see that our sustainability curriculum – along with any other curriculum – is best when it is experience-based and internally-driven by the learner.

Our beliefs about how to best introduce sustainability to children is comprised through three core components: 1) consideration for the developmental stage through which children progress in the world around them, 2) the use of stories and 3) the use of emerging questions (inquiry).  So, in the primary classroom there is strong emphasis placed on the learning of love and respect for the environment through the teaching and use of empathy.

For more information on our approach to teach Sustainability, follow our blog site as we expand on these principles at:

New World Leadership Children’s Academy – Blog

For additional information on Guidelines for Sustainability and Sustainability Consulting see:

Montessori School of Maui (www.MOMI.org)

Eco-Life Consulting (www.EcoLifeConsulting.com)

 

New World Leadership Children’s Academy is one of the very few schools in the nation to fully incorporate and embrace sustainability into the curriculum.  Recently, NBC San Diego featured NWL, highlighting the truly unique features of this school and it’s environment.  Click on the link below and enjoy!

NBC story – It’s Never Too Early to Go Green

We are thrilled to share that on Wednesday, September 9, 2009, New World Leadership Children’s Academy opened its doors as a 501(c) 3 non-profit in the private educational sector originating with a Primary classroom serving children ages 2 – 5 years of age.  On opening day, parents and children were invited to come and meet the staff of New World Leadership, introduce themselves to the environment and see/interact with the materials of the classroom.  Over the next two days, parents and children had the time to make their transitions at their own pace and in their own style.  The approach was incredibly effective and the children were amazing with their courage and ability to be self-reliant.  Watching a child step away from their mother or father for the first day of school and knowing they are entrusting themselves to your direction or care comes with an immense responsibility. We recognize that we are becoming a partner to the family that is entrusting us to become an extension of their family beliefs and values.

We closed the opening week’s activities on Friday evening, September 11^th at Swami’s Beach in Encinitas, California during sunset for a Peace Blessing.  The children and their families brought flowers and threw them into the ocean as we offered a Prayer of Gratitude for our week.  And what a week of memories it was.

The following week we moved into our regularly scheduled days with drop off/pick up, scheduled activities/lessons and community lunches.  This week was filled with lessons around the NWL 4-Cornerstones of Montessori Academics, Emotional Literacy, Sustainability and Spiritual approach activities.  The children arrived and were introduced to their morning through an opening circle, engaged in their academic lessons of Mathematics, Language, Sensorial and Practical Life.  These lessons led to many others associated with learning about emotions, taking turns, leadership and followership.  Concepts about respect and taking care of our Earth and the environment in which live have been introduced.   The children have engaged in activities such as planting plants on the property and wondered why roly-poly bugs tickle when they walk on you.  They shared about what it felt like to be ‘left out’ versus included as they prepared snack together.  They had fights, and made up.  The children learned songs and how to sign them in American Sign Language (ASL).  They had conversations about God and what God meant to them; and who they call on for help and support.  Each day they closed with a prayer and a song.  We continue similar routines every day and focus on following the child, which brings curiosity, potential, new desires and the human spirit. The dream of the school has arrived!

In our next articles we will be continue our review of the Four Cornerstones and incorporating examples of each now that the school is open and the children are living the foundational principles and cornerstones of New World Leadership Children’s Academy.

In our originating article “The Guiding Principles of our Philosophy” we outlined our belief that in order to facilitate the child’s ‘whole’ development a community approach is required.  Instrumental to this approach is the ability to create a common language and common learning techniques among the relationships that influence the child and to align the child’s learning environment at school and home.  This approach is reflected in our focus on the relationships that develop between the Children, the Guardians and the Elders.

To assist in this environmental alignment of school and home and to create the development that will enable the potential of the ‘whole’ child, New World Leadership Children’s Academy (NWL) has created a curriculum that we call the “4-Cornerstones”.

• These cornerstones begin with the broadest vision of the child’s unlimited, innate potential that is found within their own Spirituality.
• From there the child discovers the world around them; its beauty and resources that provides every ‘coming of life’ required to solve any problem they introduce to it. In this way, they develop respect for its Sustainability.
• Next, through learning Emotional Literacy they learn to master their emotions. The more they master the language and understanding of their emotions, the more in charge they become in the world they are creating.
• And finally, we focus on skill development that is required for the masterful execution of their potential, using the foundation of the Montessori Academics.

This article will briefly outline the direction of each of these cornerstones. The next four articles will go into depth on each one.

Cornerstone #1:  Spirituality

Some may want to categorize New World Leadership’s “spiritual approach.”  To do so will immediately limit the potential and possibilities we are inspiring within our students.  The NWL “spiritual approach” is simply an understanding that we are all citizens of the universe; as we master our Oneness through the infinite power of co-creation we more fully see the expression of our love.  Each child is a magnificent being created in God’s reflection and has a unique ‘gift’ to contribute to humanity as a whole.  Our spiritual approach is to assist children by developing their mastery to take their God-inspired and intuitive ideas and bring them into something tangible. Through these actions they will see and feel the expression of their love as well as feel the contribution to their peers and their society.

Therefore, no matter what religion a child/family studies or what culture they may belong to, they have a beautiful opportunity to align their family’s beliefs and values, utilize them in their child’s creative process, and inspire their child’s expression of love.  Many religions and spiritual beliefs have tools that will support this process.  NWL intends to expose children to many cultures as a means of understanding the essence of Godliness in each belief and the gift that diversity has to offer. 

Cornerstone #2:  Sustainability

David Soul once said “children need to love the Earth before they can be asked to save it.”  New World Leadership believes this statement very provocative for two reasons.

First, it is clear the statement advises us that when you love something you develop compassion and care for it.

Second, when you have an understanding of both your environment and your needs in that environment, it is then that you can most effectively determine how you want to change the environment around you.

New World Leadership is implementing a program of Sustainability – originally developed by Montessori School of Maui – where the classroom is moved outdoors. It has often been said that when there is a problem for humanity the Earth comes forward with a ‘coming of life’ that begins to create a solution for the problem.  Children can learn to understand the way the Earth works and learn to love and respect her.

Sustainability is embedded in the Children’s program as well as with the Elders. The children will work on projects such as recycling, composting, organic gardening and more. The leadership of the Elders is aligned through our organizational strategy in the sustaining of our facilities, material use and meeting goals for energy utilization. The goal of the school is to become Energy Star Certified.  We are being coached through the direction of board member Jim Simcoe, President of EcoLife Consulting.

Cornerstone #3:  Emotional Literacy

We call this area Emotional Literacy because we feel strongly that understanding our emotions and the influence our emotions have on our desires, our work and on others is as valuable as the academics of reading and writing literacy.

For example, if a child can learn that the emotion of frustration is a reaction used as a sign of their lack of understanding, they can then use that awareness as a warning signal.  In this awareness, the warning signal can direct him to decide to step back, re-group and re-apply himself.

Imagine the possibilities that remain available to the child that has that level of understanding about their emotions!

The same emotion can be a signal for identifying the feeling of resentment when they give up on themselves or what they want.  It may signal difficulty in a relationship, with mom or dad, a sibling or other influential role model.

These important signals provide the ability to keep conversations truthful, relationships in-tact and the aspirations of dreams alive.   The more inspirational emotions such as love, joy and peace can then be used more effectively to keep relationships enriching, work more effective and dreams coming to fruition much sooner.  These are only a few of the reasons why the Academy is committed to create a common language and common techniques for communication, behavior, emotional development and understanding.

We utilize coaching approaches and Redirecting Children’s Behavior techniques to let the “children lead the way” by maintaining accountability and responsibility for their feelings.  We facilitate children to learn and understand:

• What are feelings?
• Where do they feel them?
• What are their feelings telling them?

From this understanding children make decisions that keep them inspired and encouraged, communicating what their needs/wants are and therefore learning to cooperate and assist others in getting what they want, including their Guardians.

Imagine the skill and influence this literacy is creating in our children’s leadership for tomorrow’s New World!

Cornerstone #4:  Academics

It may seem odd at first that Academics are fourth in the placement of our cornerstones.  But, from our perspective, it is actually giving far more purpose and value to the well rounded and skilled discipline of the Academic structure.  NWL’s approach to Academics is presenting children with awareness, creativity and a love of learning; enabling life-long learners with a world of possibilities.  If a child fully understands their own purpose and contribution to a dream or a project, they will more fully understand the need for the development of their skills and other mental capabilities.

The Academic approach is based on the work of Maria Montessori – the belief that each child is unique and each has unique learning styles.  Through the use of multi-aged classrooms it is a flexible approach that allows for individual, peer and community learning.  The multi-aged classrooms provide beautiful opportunities for children to receive their individual lessons from their classroom facilitators and also provide the older children opportunities to develop leadership skills by teaching and guiding younger children in their classrooms.

Each learning tool is used to equip children with not only a skill but an understanding of their learning process.  When children understand their process for learning they understand their learning.  When they understand, they feel a part of their development which begins to foster a love of learning.  It makes learning purposeful and also provides an approach that is integrated for their application.

Next: We break down in more detail the curriculum objectives that are associated with each of the New World Leadership Children’s Academy 4-Cornerstones of Curriculum.

Do you believe that if you free the child’s potential, you will transform her into the world? Do you believe that if you free the child’s potential, the world will be transformed? These are the guiding principles for the New World Leadership Children’s Academy, scheduled to open in Encinitas, CA on September 9th, 2009.

The New World Leadership Children’s Academy Mission is to:

• Provide families with a common language, common learning techniques and common learning pace that will enable each child and family to develop in their own style
• Know and celebrate their unique gifts
• Experience community from the perspective of service and contribution.

New World Leadership Children’s Academy intends to enhance family values by bringing together participatory approaches and collaborative programs that

1. Enhance the development of relationships children will look to as their influential role models (both academically and spiritually) and
2. Provide a platform for the expression of these relationships to make their contribution to the community, human evolution and our world.

This relationship triad is the foundation of the New World Leadership Children’s Academy and its governing principles. We have coined this design and its developmental curriculum “The Trinity”. It embodies the relationships that exist between The Child, The Guardians (Parent and other influential role models) and The Elders (The Leadership and Wisdom that has come before them). We believe these critical relationships facilitate the child’s ‘whole’ development.

“Education should no longer be mostly imparting of knowledge, but must take a new path, seeking the release of human potentialities…mankind can hope for a solution to its problems, among which the most urgent are those of peace and unity, only by turning its attention and energies to the discovery of the child and to the development of the great potentialities of the human personality in the course of its formation.” — Maria Montessori

The Elders Program

The Elder’s Program truly embodies the New World Leadership value of ‘wisdom of the whole’. Teachers, facilitators, visiting faculty and all governance associated with the Children’s Academy embrace a ‘knowing’ that individually we do not hold the full body of wisdom needed to create the sacred learning environment and sustain the community contributions necessary for the evolution of our world. The leadership understands that when individuals come together and contribute the significance of their individual voice, the synergy of the passion behind all voices will raise the vibration of the group as a whole to a higher evolution.

The Guardian Program

The Guardian Program is focused on the day to day parenting of the child. Children – no matter what age, what socio background, what environment they are brought up in – look to their siblings, peers and adults around them to mimic and model the practical life, behavior and moral decisions they will make for themselves. Therefore, New World Leadership views not only parents/partners but grand-parents, sitters, extended family to include step-families, neighbors, teachers and others who spend significant amounts of time with our children as those that will influence the practical, moral and spiritual make-up of those children.

For this, we have extended this view of it being a parent’s responsibility to raise their kids – to being the responsibility of the ‘village’ – the responsibility of all ‘guardians’ that interact and touch the lives of children daily. Given that children are influenced by the world around them, we recognize the need to develop a network of a common purpose, language and developmental techniques to align the developmental environment for the child.

How exciting would it be to have everyone – Guardians and Elders – work in partnership in a powerful, collaborative relationship with a spirit of mutual commitment to YOUR child!?

New World Leadership Children’s Academy is grounded in the parenting program Redirecting Children’s Behavior created and developed by Kathryn Kvols, Founder of the International Network of Children and Families (www.incaf.org). It is based on the developmental philosophies of Rudolph Driekers which simply stated that the decisions we make as children, typically by around the age of seven, end up becoming the decisions we base many of our life-long beliefs on. These beliefs have a significant amount of power to influence the decisions we make as adults and therefore impact our life-long learning abilities. Therefore, we believe it is imperative to create environments during this critical time that encourage children to be “life-long learners” desiring a world of awareness, higher consciousness and acceptance for directing their desires and dreams.

The Children’s Program

Finally, the Children’s Program begins with a Montessori foundation. Dr. Maria Montessori suggested we “follow the child” – observe each individual to find out how to best serve that child to reach her innate potential. The New World Leadership Children’s Academy classroom and study begin with this profound view. We expand on this sensory awareness philosophy to embrace the learning that occurs when intuition, faith in self and in the world around us is explored and consciously utilized. Think of it as the tools used by the mind and heart that enable the child’s potential to consciously create the world they envision. We have incorporated these concepts into 4-Cornerstones of Curriculum – Montessori Academics, Sustainability, Emotional Literacy and Spirituality, which will be explored in future articles.

New World Leadership Children’s Academy is the training ground that creates the environment and the village referred to above. It is a community of children supported by the Guardians and Elders around them. Using the eternal wisdom of those that have gone before them, they master the tools to create the vision and potential of their dreams. Come join us as we make this dream a reality!

Evolution is not yet complete; God’s purpose has not yet been achieved, and the mission of human life is to give expression to the formative forces within us that are yearning to complete the cosmic plan. We are called to work in partnership with the Divine. This understanding of our existence places all our endeavors – our cultural, political, economic, and even our most personal strivings – in an entirely spiritual light.” – Maria Montessori

The New World Leadership Children Academy is a non for profit Children Academy that is designed to create a holistic community where each and every child can fulfill their Divine Potential.

To accomplish this goal, we focus on the educational needs of the child as well as their spiritual development so each child will embrace the learning that occurs when intuition, faith in self and in the world around us is explored and consciously utilized. We create this holistic environment through the development and implementation of three programs – The Children’s Academy, the Guardian Program and the Elder Program.

To support our efforts, this blog is being created to serve as an educational platform for all who are involved in the Children’s Academy in various roles from around the world. We will use this blog to publish educational and background information and will center around Four Cornerstone topics:

• Academic Programs
• Sustainability Curriculum
• Emotional Literacy
• Spirituality

We will draw from our own articles and updates, as well as incorporate thoughts and content from other organizations and leaders that support these four cornerstones.

It is our hope that you enjoy this blog, and feel free to comment and/or contribute!

In Love and Peace,

Kraig