Educating the Heart

Of all of the things education brings to children, which is the most important? What one thing can we give them that will prepare them best for a successful, productive, happy life?

I've been thinking a lot about these questions as we begin a new school year as a way to help me center my work. Mary, Anna and I traveled to Portland, Oregon this summer to attend a conference at Opal School. I noticed their dedicated, almost obsessive, focus on community. They took it a lot further than I ever had. In fact, I thought maybe they took it too far. It was in everything! Science and community, history and community, community, community, community. Did it leave enough room for the "important" stuff?

In the past I've viewed work on "how we treat each other in class" as a way to oil the classroom machine. Sure, I thought we should all be nice and caring but it was a foundation so that things would run smoothly so that we would have time for all of the "real" curriculum and so that we could all exist in the same space day in and day out.

The overarching theme for our school (preschool-8th grade) this year is Relationship. This decision has caused me to think the topic over more carefully. The more I processed what I saw at Opal and the more I talked it all over with Anna and Mary, the more I decided to explore.

For the past three weeks of school our literacy and project work has centered around the exploration of community. How do we want to feel in our class? How do we act when we are together? What role does the individual play in a group?

I sat down to watch a movie tonight. One had recently caught my eye on Netflix.  It was called Happy.

http://www.thehappymovie.com/ "Happy takes viewers on a journey from the swamps of Louisiana to the slums of Kolkata in search of what really makes people happy. Combining real-life stories and scientific interviews, the film explores the secrets behind our most valued emotion. "

What the science of happiness says is that we need to be teaching children care and compassion. Happiness is linked to close connections to friends and family and compassion towards others. One of the things scientists have discovered is most effective in improving one's happiness is to practice acts of kindness. The act of kindness releases a chemical called dopamine, the happy chemical, into the brain. The dopamine released in one's brain as a result of kindness is as strong as a mood altering drug like cocaine! It was interesting to be reminded that we have a great deal of control over our own happiness.

The findings are not necessarily shocking. It seems rather intuitive. This type of wisdom has been around for a long time. I just wondered if it has been around so long that we overlook it. Do we forget just how powerful it can be? And if it is so key to happiness, where does it exist in education? Does it belong in education? Is happiness in life a goal of education?  Do happier children learn better?

Can we really disconnect the brain and the heart?

I am curious to see where this year takes us. What changes will I see in the children? How will this year compare to years past? What impact will I see as a result of so much focus on relationship and community?

I have a feeling that at the end of this year I will be a changed teacher. In the end, will I feel like we spent too much time on the topic of relationship? I have a feeling that the opposite will be true; the more we explore the ideas of community, the more complex and valuable we will come to find this work. Our attention will feel insufficient for a topic so powerful.