Category: The Inner Work of Education
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Secular vs. Spiritual Education
In this post, we discuss secular vs. spiritual education and what matters most in this conversation. First of all, Enkindle Academy offers a secular curriculum. That means different things to different people. What we mean by “secular” here is a non-religious, non-sectarian, curriculum inclusive of diverse worldviews. In other words, it does not pressure students…
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Mission Statement
In charting new directions for Enkindle Academy, we have begun asking ourselves a few questions. Whenever starting something new, we’ve learned to start with the end and work backwards. Thereby, the ends weave themselves into the means. We can’t imagine a more sure method to ensure success. Who do we serve? This is the first…
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The Meaning of Advent + Week 1: Stones, and Week 2: Plants
Advent refers to the four weeks leading up to Christmas. In this post we’ll explore the meaning of Advent. However, this is not intended for Christians only because the principles herein are universally applicable. I use the symbolism of Advent as useful imagery to make important points, but my intention is to speak beyond the…
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The Vital Role of Arts in Education
American society has long been questioning the role of arts in education. Are they necessary? As district budgets have tightened, arts have been the first to go in many cases. In fact, according to the Arts Education Data Project (AEDP), in the 2018–19 school year roughly 2.1 million U.S. public-school students lacked access to any…
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The Science of Gratitude
The science of gratitude is getting much research attention these days. In an era where increasing many are plagued by a meaning crisis, this is a blessing. In this post, we’ll explore the demonstrated benefits of a gratitude practice and what it means for your children. Herein, what we mean by “gratitude” is doing a…
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What is Educating for Freedom?
All parents want their children to become free human beings. Before we consider educating for freedom, however, we have to distinguish what human freedom is and is not. There are different definitions of freedom, some more outer and others more inner. (Although outer freedom from exploitation, racism, etc. is vitally important, it’s not the focus…
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How to Cultivate Creative Thinking in Our Students
In this post, we’ll continue last week’s thread by discussing the right approach for cultivating creative thinking in our students. The basis of creative thinking is intuition. New creation comes from what is unseen in the realm of new potential, possibility, and connections that have not previously been made. Intuition is exactly that which gives…
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Why Meeting Materialism in Education Matters
Materialism is woven into the fabric of society. Around every corner we find it in our economics, our adoration of the famous, our science and medicine, etc. It also seeps into our education. In the necessary separation of church and state, it has become the de facto assumption in curricula across the nation. Is this…
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The Meaning Crisis In Youth and What to Do About It
With all that modern life hath wrought for us, are today’s youth happier? Or, are they suffering from a great meaning crisis? The literature around the so-called Anxious Generation is clear: teens are more depressed and disoriented than any generation in which we’ve paid enough attention to measure it. How has this come about? At…
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Cultivating a Love of Learning in Children
Cultivating a love of learning is the most important thing we can do in children today. We can do this with every child if we know how to approach it. It matters because this can make or break a child’s future. Yet, it’s not so simple as making them love what they don’t love. That…