Letter from Jenny

It's time that we returned to the great questions of human growth and learning:

• How can we help each child reach his or her true potential?

• How can we inspire each child and adolescent to discover his or her inner passion to learn?

• How can we honor the unique journey of each individual through life?

• How can we inspire our students to develop into mature adults?

If educators lose touch with these questions in their mad dash to boost test scores, then culture as we know it may truly cease to exist some day. [The hope is] that such a day never comes, and that we instead regard the optimal and natural development of children and adolescents as our most sacred duty as educators and our ultimate legacy to humanity. ~ Thomas Armstrong

Dear Springhouse community,

I have been reading some new material on holistic and eco-centric human development recently. One of my dear mentors is a retired professor in human development, and he introduced me some time ago to models that address the whole human being and situate human beings in the web of life, not over it. I have returned to some of the books he recommended years ago and I am finding them very affirming of the work we are doing at Springhouse.

Many years ago, I remember talking with the mentor I mentioned above on the phone as I drove to lead a community dance with about 100 12-13 year olds at a Unitarian conference. I was dreading it, and I called my mentor for support. I shared my trepidation with him for a few minutes, then waited to hear what kind of wisdom he had to offer me. He responded by asking me a question that has stuck with me over decades. He asked, “What was middle school like for you, Jenny?” After a moment or two, I responded, “Not good.” It was actually one of the most painful and confusing times in my life. My mentor suggested that my dread related to working with middle schoolers might have something to do with my own experiences in middle school. He wondered if there might be more healing for me there. The answer almost immediately for me was yes, there was definitely more healing for me there...