z-hub.org > society > school |
school, inspiration, education (Also, explore more about education at z-hub's school website.) 1. SCHOOL. School is the place, time, and process of education. To be well-educated means to have been immersed in the local society, local culture, and the local outdoors; to have direct experience with and be deeply knowledgeable about the local society, local culture, and the local environment (habitats, plants, animals, terrain, water, seasons, and phenology); to have learned through living and playing, to have thoroughly lived and played with family and friends to connect with local society and to have thoroughly lived and played in the local outdoors to connect with local nature; to understand that social elements and environmental elements are connected; to be able to share local natural resources with the local society and local wildlife; to have the broad wisdom, skills, and experience needed to shape and uphold a culture that sustains a healthy local society and thriving local environment; to have the broad wisdom, skills, and experience needed to harvest local resources and to make all necessary supplies (food, clothes, shelter, tools, art); to be able to speak the local language; to have had fun (being joyfully creative and having healthy simple fun (not reckless, destructive, vicious, wasteful fun)); and perhaps also to be somewhat familiar with the habitats, plants, animals, and terrain of places for up to 1000+ of miles beyond the local vicinity. Also, (since world maps, science books, and history books are so prolific today) if one knew the basic geography of the whole world, basic history of the formation of the universe and the earth, and a basic brief history of humanity, it might be useful. Some reading and writing might be helpful too. Knowing how to live sustainably on local land is generally more important than knowing world geography, reading, writing, etc. particularly in that if too much world geography, reading, writing, etc. are distracting people from learning about what’s most important (such as local social studies, the geography and science of local habitats, gathering and making necessities, making art, having family and friends, and expressing moral & spiritual qualities (such as kindness, caring, honesty, and courage)). It’s fine to know some world geography, reading, writing, and etc. However, if we don’t know how to sustain ourselves, the focus of world geography, reading, writing, etc. becomes deadly to us. In current times, some knowledge of world geography, reading, writing, etc. might be important to help us learn to become sustainable again. For instance, we might want to be able to read a book on local wildlife if we are not with people who are knowledgeable about local wildlife. Math is essential, especially the math that naturally occurs when a person is understanding and being involved in local society, the geography and science of the local environment, gathering and making necessities, and making art. A great school is an educational resource (of local society & local nature) and inspires people to learn the knowledge and skills to help grow and sustain a thriving environment and to help shape and uphold the greatness of society’s health, economy, education, freedoms & government, art, and values. 2. Overview of conditions that affect school. Providing children with a great education depends on numerous social elements and environmental elements being optimal. Such social elements include having a well-functioning family and having deep friendships; having a healthy daily routine of work, rest, and play; having a healthy society; being in a healthy and sustainable economic situation (having adequate food, clothing, shelter, tools, art); having enough freedoms; having art and creativity; and having morals and spiritual qualities (kindness, honesty, courage, etc.) and practical values. Such environmental elements include clean drinking water; unpolluted air to breathe; the fertility of soil and the vigor of habitats to provide people with natural resources for food, clothes, shelter, tools, and art); the vigor of habitats to supply people with serenity, excitement, inspiration, and a deep culture. The vigor of both social elements and natural elements are required for there to be an adequate education on the connections between all social elements, the connections between all natural elements, and the connects between the social and natural elements. Everything is connected to everything; thus, an optimal education is most likely achieved when everything is optimal, when all social elements and all environmental elements are optimal. 3. GREAT SCHOOL. Various examples of doing things and experiencing things during a great education at a great school. A child is likely is having a good education if living, learning, playing, direct experience, and active involvement are one and the same process; if the child’s body is healthy and the child’s mind is alert, inspired, joyful, and good-humored; if the child is directly experiencing, touching, interacting with, deeply connecting to, and learning about his or her local society, local culture, and local nature, and the connections between them; and if the child is engaging in and helping his or her local society (such as family and friends) to shape and uphold a culture that sustains the local society and local habitats. A great school relates the child to his or her home, local society, local culture, and local nature. A child’s teachers include beloved familiar people (such as family, friends, and neighbors) who the child will regularly interact with throughout many years, not strangers. The local outdoors is also a teacher. Furthermore, a child’s unique interests naturally guide him or her to be educated. A great school allows a child to have a healthy and educational routine 24 hours a day, 7 days a week; education is non-stop and includes a healthy night’s sleep. A great education includes living with morals, expressing spiritual qualities, and having deep friendships & kinships help keep one’s mind alert, inspired, joyful, and good-humored. Also, part of a great education includes learning to live together with family and friends and learning about morals & spiritual qualities. Hiking and walking in the natural outdoors with family and friends helps keep the body in good shape and kinships & friendships in good shape. Plus, talking goes with walking. A great education includes having great deep conversations with the dearest friends and loved ones. Furthermore, while hiking in the natural outdoors, children simultaneously exploring, having fun, and learning about the outdoors. Naturally, children are born to be eager explorers and learners and to have fun. A great education feels natural and is fun and inspirational to a child. Children gain inspiration while they spend time in the natural outdoors. The outdoors is big, vast in multiple directions, complex, changing, dynamic, exciting, calming, and mind-opening. The outdoors provides a marvelous space for children’s minds to be imbued with greatness. A great education includes children learning from where natural resources come. The outdoors is from where people obtain natural resources; thus, the child need to be spending time outdoors to live, play, learn and connect with the outdoor natural resources. A great education includes the child actively gathering and growing local resources for supplies (food, clothes, shelter, tools, and art); the child should be practicing to sustain their local resources and a good economy so that there will be resources for many generations into the future; and the child should be actively and creatively making supplies (food, clothes, shelter, tools, and art) with the local natural resources. Simple local natural materials are enough to create deep and inspirational artwork. The best works of art is the mind using simple materials to creatively make deeply meaningful art. Children enjoy usually being active creators at school; they don’t enjoy usually being stiff and passive consumers of information at school. A great education includes the child learning to share and to have sharing be a practical and vital value. It’s supremely important for children to share natural resources with their local community and to have hardly any possessions. No one owns the natural resources; natural resources are for everyone in the local society and for all the local wildlife to share. A great education includes having the child practice a healthy daily routine. A healthy daily routine helps keep the body and mind vigorous, for instance, if it includes getting enough exercise, getting enough rest, and spending enough time outdoors to be excited, to relax, and to be inspired; a balance of work, rest, and play. While a child is in the best health, the child is learning the most and is most able to help his local society and local environment. Because nutrition is important to a child’s and a society’s health, a great education spends a lot of time focusing on food. A great education includes the child actively gathering, growing, and preparing their own food in a nutritious way. Part of the daily routine of a great education includes preparing one’s own food. Also, part of the yearly routine of a great education includes knowing phenology, hunting, gathering, and growing local food per appropriate season. Food is most nutritious when it is fresh; so locally-grown food is best and food that the child prepares for himself or herself is best. A society needs freedom to provide their children with a great education. A school needs to be free to furnish a great education. If a school is too restricted and overwhelmed by bureaucracies and tedious curriculums, likely the education is lousy and the child learns useless and or harmful behaviors. A great education happens as the child makes mistakes and learns from the mistakes. Mistakes are welcome. A great school is a school in which a child feels free and comfortable to try things and make mistakes. Failure is its own penalty and success is its own reward. A great school does not give extraneous rewards (certificates, stickers, trophies, high test scores, high report card grades) or extraneous penalties (low test scores, low report card grades) for a child’s successes and failures. A great school values students learning about all the social elements and natural elements and their connections. A great school emphasizes and celebrates family & friends, health, joy, sharing, inspiration, practical wisdom, freedom, sustainable economics, art and creativity, practical values, local society, local culture, the seasons, phenology, and the local environment; and not trophies, awards, report cards, test scores, money, college entrance, and professional careers. A great education can happen when the local environment has thriving habitats and ecosystems in which the child can live, play, and learn. Societies need intact habitats and ecosystems with which to connect and form a culture, from which to get necessary supplies to sustain the society’s health, and from which to get an enriching, exciting, and inspirational education. Without intact habitats and ecosystems, there would hardly be anything worthwhile to explore, to discuss, to make art with, or to be educated about. Everything is connected to everything; thus, school is related to all social elements (health, economy, government, art, values, etc.), culture, and all natural elements (habitats, plants, animals, water, ground, air, etc.). 4. LOUSY SCHOOL. Various examples of doing things and experiencing things during a lousy education at a lousy school. Likely, school is extremely lousy if all the elements are in dire conditions; for instance, if: grandparents, parents, and children are separated from each other for the bulk of most days; families spend a lot of time away from home each day; school’s daily schedule is too hectic; school subjects are divided up, too narrow, and too boring; if the homework is usually wasteful tedious busywork; many children spend too much time in tiny, mind-numbing, depressing, indoor spaces; many children lack the time to do enough exercising, being outdoors, relaxing, and resting; many children lack the opportunity to have deep friendships; the daily schedule lacks the time to have a great deep conversation; many people lack enough time to adequately engage in art; society’s health is poor; many people lack enough time to prepare food in a nutritious way; many family members, friends, and children are spoiled, tired, obese, and or are smoking, are alcoholics, and or are doing illegal drugs; fame, money, career, vain fashions, reckless parties, and shopping are valued more highly than kinship, friendships, health, spiritual qualities, and sustainability; intelligence is reduced to fragmented trivia; test scores are valued more than useful wisdom and professions are valued more than families; there are so many federal and state laws that no one knows all of them; the federal and state governments impose overwhelming restrictions and protocols on schools; teachers are disempowered; local public school teachers do whatever the federal and state government tells them to do; each social and natural element is popularly viewed as being separated from the other elements; the economy is poor; and the drinking water has toxic chemicals, the air is polluted, habitats are destroyed, and natural resources are depleted so that there is not enough for food, clothes, shelter, and tools. Everything is connected to everything; thus, if education is lousy (in that children are bored, depressed, narrow-minded, and destructive to themselves and others), likely many elements are in poor condition as well. If many elements are in poor condition, it’s logical that education is lousy as well. If many things are dire: freedoms are lacking, deep friendships are lacking, society is unhealthy, food lacks nutrition, culture is shallow, the daily routine is hectic and boring, water and air is polluted, there’s famine, biodiversity decreases, and habitats are destroyed, it’s no wonder that education is lousy. Everything is connected; it’s no wonder that societies around the globe have many education problems: boredom, depression, stress, humiliation, loneliness, greed, snobbery, bullying, drug abuse, violence, sexually transmitted diseases, attention deficit disorder, the focus of fragmented trivia, (and meanwhile the popular urgent concerns seems to be about meaningless things such as state standardized test scores). 5. IMPROVING SCHOOL. Various examples of doing things and experiencing things that will likely improve school and education. If education is lousy, improving education has a lot to do with improving all the social and environmental elements. Education will likely improve, for instance: as grandparents, parents, and children spend more time together at their home and in the local outdoors; as the daily routine becomes less hectic; as education becomes more practical and focuses less on trivial things; as kinship and friendships deepen; as each family makes their own food in a nutritious way; as local societies make their own necessities; as people learn how to make a broad range of necessities (food, clothes, shelter, tools, art) for themselves; as freedoms and autonomy increase; as people spend more time connecting with the natural outdoors for wisdom, inspiration, excitement, and relaxation; as water and air become less polluted; as soil organically becomes more fertile; as biodiversity increases; and as habitats and ecosystems flourish again. Everything is connected to everything; thus, school is related to all social elements (health, economy, government, art, values, etc.), culture, and all natural elements (habitats, plants, animals, water, ground, air, etc.). Explore more about education and school at z-hub's school website. Links: Imagine a School Southwest Michigan's Sustainable Pursuits Additional Sustainable Pursuits A Great Life, Great Culture Questions about Civilization and Uncivilization Nature Connections 100% Totally Sustainable Sustainable Design Supports Education: z-design Go to the social element Government. Go back to Society Home Page. |
© 2008-2010 Pocket Pumpkin Press, last updated April 2010
Three Oaks, Michigan, USA