DO YOU HAVE CHILDREN? THEN THIS IS THE BLOG FOR YOU!!!

THE ART OF WISDOM

Mission Statement 

The Art of Wisdom School is a place of belonging and empowerment for children. So they can make loving and compassionate choices, so that each child can reach their full potential and become a responsible and caring adult.

Vision Statement

          It is not just an idea for a new type of school, or even just a passion which it is! It is a “Movement.” The Art of Wisdom School is not based on any religion. It is based on the teachings of our greatest spiritual philosophers and visionaries, and the idea that when our children are taught that the traits of human kindness, empathy, forgiveness and love come first and foremost then everything else will follow, it is that simple.

The Art of Wisdom feels the two greatest words in our world are “Intention” and “Connection” This is why we follow the Tao Te Ching philosophy very closely we try to take the lessons from the Tao and apply them to our schools philosophy. Our school offers a humanistic, constructivist, and mindful program for the "whole child," inspired not only by the Tao but also by the best and the beautiful abundant nature of Waldorf, a Non Violent (Compassionate) Communication. Our school is also inspired by other forward-thinking philosophies, including Wayne Dyer, Deepak Chopra, Eckhart Tolle. And drawing on principles from leaders in child advocacy our School facilitators are compassionate and loving, inspiring a cooperative and joyful environment.

          One of our greatest Leaders of mindfulness and peace is not only Mahatma Ghandi, who encourages us to ‘question everything.’ But our ultimate inspirational leader is Jesus Christ. In all of Jesus’s teachings specifically ‘The Sermon on the Mount’ is where we draw most of our lessons for our school from.

          Our school is community based, offering not only a pre-school but also after school art classes, a summer art camp and other community based programs. Wherever you go, it is the staff that makes a school what it is.  And the staff at The Art of Wisdom are all grounded in the same philosophy — that of nonviolent communication, and mindfulness.  

          We follow the most current practices in Early Childhood Education: we embrace and nurture the “Whole Child,” and allow each child to learn at his or her own pace.  We believe an environment that provides children with the elements listed above is best suited for every child.  Any person feels good in an environment that empowers them. Most importantly, I believe that each person is born with at least one special, particular gift, and an environment that allows them to focus on what enthuses them is best suited to help those individual gifts emerge and become honed and developed.

          Our curriculum covers Art, so our children can explore the many mediums that art has to offer. Our school creates projects from recycled objects from the world around us always encouraging the child’s imagination. It includes Music so our children can embrace their inner soul & express their joy for life through singing & instruments. It includes Cooking & Gardening so our children can learn how to create beautiful healthy meals through growing their own organic vegetables. We make salt dough from scratch, which our children experience, the joys of every step of creation. The first level from the mixing of the flour, salt & water. Then the molding it into their own creation & cooking it, till the last step where they paint it. Our children enjoy Dance & Yoga not only as a form as exercise, but also as a mindful exercise for their full body & soul.

          Our school teaches our children about karma and the consequences that result from karma, every action has a reaction. That when you hurt someone you also hurt yourself, but when you’re kind to someone that kindness comes back one hundred fold.  

"Even a 1,000 mile journey starts with a single step" Lao Tzu

As Plato said:   ”Do not train children to learning by force and harshness, but direct them to it by what amuses their minds, so that you may be better able to discover with accuracy the peculiar bent of the genius of each.”

          We emphasize kindness and just behavior, always remembering to have respect for each other. Everybody has an opinion and everybody’s opinion counts. You will notice that every interaction between child and adult has a consistent and tangible feeling of respect and compassion.  

          And when any conflict occurs, it is a true learning moment, and teachers are on hand for the children to resolve their own conflicts. We do not rush to a resolution, but simply follow the child’s lead.  Sometimes children can take a while to sort a conflict out to a place they deem to be “fair”.  And we give them space to take the time to do that, while offering support, and helping them keeps bodies and hearts safe.  We pay particular attention to where we are during the conflict.  We stay on the sidelines.  We don’t jump in reactively.  If we notice our voice becoming louder, then that’s a signal to us to take a step back and let them have their own emotions about the conflict at hand.  It’s pretty tricky, and it keeps us more awake as people.  It is an incredibly magical thing to witness a couple of small children figure out a workable solution to their volatile dilemma…and then walk away laughing together, more emotionally and socially intelligent than before.

“The softest thing can overcome the hardest,
Formless, it can enter where there are no gaps or space”  Lao Tzu

To Conclude

          Our School is mainly child-directed.  In other words, the teachers at our School meet the children where they are.  Not just physically, by getting down on the same level when we speak, but also energetically, by being in the moment, and celebrating in their successes, and joining them in the joy of creation.

          The children leaving our program understand more than just 1 + 1, they understand that 1 weighs less than 2.They are well developed in all realms, cognitive, emotional, and social; they are able to resolve their own conflicts peacefully, are well-grounded, sure-footed, confident, understand themselves well, and are able to self-regulate, and have incredible critical thinking skills.

“A Teacher takes a Hand Opens the Mind and Touches the Heart”

theartofwisdom@yahoo.com                                                     www.theartofwisdomandlearning.com