Tag: spiritual development
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What is a Human Being?
What is a human being? This question has occupied philosophers, scientists, and religious seekers for millennia. It is the core essence of our seeking as people. Every single student I’ve worked with has wanted me to tell them what I see in them. It’s fascinating. Underneath every human desire is the wish to know, “What…
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AI and Critical Thinking in Education
Listen to this post: How do we conceive of AI and critical thinking in education? Increasingly, schools are importing the new technology to help reduce teacher burnout and tailor lessons to individual student needs. According to School AI1, 37% of teachers are now using AI to create lessons, reducing their workload. As a Waldorf teacher,…
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How to Talk to Our Children about AI
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is taking the world by storm. Many predict it will change human life as much as the Agricultural and Industrial Revolutions. Today’s youth are using it like wildfire. Just think of the temptations. They’re not only using it to do their homework, but they are asking it life advice and even in…
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Growth Mindset in the Ancient World
Growth mindset was known long before renowned researcher Carol Dweck elaborated it around 2006. 2500 years ago, Pythagoras was testing to see whether potential initiates for his mystery school had it. Entry into the prestigious Academy was a high honor for the ancient Greek. If admitted, he or she (yes, they admitted women which was…
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Don’t Praise Your Children
Don’t praise your children. Well, don’t praise your children for what they are but for what they do. So many of us trap ourselves in the habit of telling our children, “You’re so smart. You’re so good at this and that, etc.” Research and experience, however, show this is the wrong way to praise our…
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Growth Mindset in Education
How do we ensure our children will succeed in life. The key to unlocking this mystery starts with asking, what is the difference between a stone and a plant? Stop and consider that for a moment. A stone is inert and has no will of its own. It makes no choices, has no ability to…
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Fourth Week of Advent: Human Being – Wisdom
In the fourth week of Advent, we honor the human being, a being of wisdom. We humans are said to have the other three kingdoms of nature within us. We share a mineral body with the stones. With the plants, we share the ability to grow, respirate, and heal. Together with the animals, we have…
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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…