Samvaad: Exploring the Edge in Education
“You can’t solve a problem from the consciousness that created it. You must learn to see the world anew.” - Albert Einstein
Today I gathered with educators and students at the Acharya Tulsi Global Meditation Center just outside Delhi in Gurgaon to engage in a “dialogue” about the future of education. "Dialogue” in this context refers to “a way of exploring the roots of the many crises that face humanity today.” Below I’ve provided a paper about “Dialogue” that was used to guide our gathering. "Samvaad" means conversation in Hindi and the idea for the gathering came from collaboration between Heritage School, Mount Madonna School, Vasant Valley School, and the School of Inspired Leadership. My friend, Ward, a master teacher at Mount Madonna in California invited me to the “dialogue” and in his invitation he wrote: “The positive transformation of our learning institutions may indeed, as Albert Einstein said, depend on the transformation of our personal awareness and practice as educational leaders.” Our goal was simply to engage in dialogue—not to come up with any answers but only to really “listen” to what others have to say and “explore essential questions that must occupy our minds as educators if our schools are going to provide the learning that will move our society forward…What does it mean to educate in these times? What can we do to support the development of citizens that the world needs now? What are the essential competencies and capacities to live a productive and meaningful life? How must we as educators change to meet the true needs of our students and our society?”
The conversations were so rich and inspiring and I felt blessed to be part of such a moving gathering. Undoubtedly, the best part were the students! One 11th grade girl named Pooja shared, “We are manufacturing people to increase the productivity of the nation.” It was also so wonderful to hear a 12th grader named Abhishek define "spirituality" as "thinking about WHY I am doing something" and "essentially understanding myself." Students questioned traditional notions of “success” in the outer world, pleaded to have “extra curricular activities” given as much importance as academics and spoke freely about the pressures they feel to perform because their parents have “invested” so much in them. A lot of emphasis was placed on “authenticity” in the classroom and the importance of keeping “curiosity and wonder alive.” “Freedom” was a recurrent theme as was the spiritual/emotional development of the teacher. One Principal said, “It’s not about designing curriculum, it’s about who the teacher is.” What really struck me was the idea that “The more vulnerable you are as a teacher, the more open you are to experimenting knowing that you may fail miserably, the more possibilities you have to really impact.” Bringing contemplative practice into the classroom is a perfect example of this!
The following Sangathan sutra taken from Rig Veda was given to all of us at the gathering. It signifies the essence of coming together with purpose and intent. It resonates with a deep sense of unison of thoughts, words, feelings & action.
Let us all tread together & elevate our words and voice in unison
Let us make an endeavor to understand each other.
Let us take cue from our predecessors &
strive to understand each other
As they realized that deep discernment of each other
is the only way to bring about progress.
Let us take an initiative from them in our pursuit towards evolution.
Let the essence of our words be compatible
& our heart & feelings be the same.
For this, we will surely bring about togetherness
& progress by alleviating our sufferings.
