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Subject:
News from Living Values Education Org - Nov/Dec 2008
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Vol 2, Issue 5 |
November/December 2008 |
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Quotes:
We clasp the hands of those who go
before us,
and the hands of those who come after us;
we enter the little circle of each other's arms,
and the larger circle of lovers
whose hands are joined in a dance,
and the larger circle of all creatures,
passing in and out of life,
who move also in a dance,
to a music so subtle and vast
that no one hears it except in fragments.
--
Reach out and hold these hands today'of those who came before and
those who
follow you. Let each breath become a gesture of receiving and
of radiating
inspiration and strength. Remember, no one make this Journey
alone!
Wendell Berry, Healing |
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President's Newsletter
Value Focus: Silence, Reflection and Simplicity
How quiet is your school?
Often students (and teachers) do not like "having to be
quiet" in school. Many say that "dynamic classrooms
are not quiet." It may seem more of a constraint on
their fun or an attempt to repress a child's energy. Yet most
teachers and students want peaceful and organized classrooms.
The relaxation - focusing exercises included in the Living Values
Education Program are designed to help students enjoy the good
feelings associated with values. Teachers report that doing
the relaxation-focusing exercises in class helps students quiet
down, be more content and concentrate successfully on their
studies. Young children enjoy being "peaceful
stars", while visualization and "being silent
inside" helps spark artistic, literary and scientific
creativity in older children. The important thing is that
quiet not be used as a "punishment" but as an opportunity
to become still, focused, reflective, and appreciative of one's own
inner qualities.
Each LVEP unit also contains reflection points that can help
students and teachers think about and experience a value. For
example, "Respect is knowing that I am unique and
valuable." Students can discuss what respect means, why
respect is important, and how they feel when they have respect for
themselves. Generally, when we do good things, we feel good
about ourselves. This type of reflection has many
benefits; it "enables us to evaluate experience, learn
from mistakes, repeat successes, revise, and plan" (Swain
2002). Research in nearly every discipline has confirmed
these results.
The Living Values Education Program is unique in its emphasis on
relaxation-focusing exercises and reflection. These are
essential keys to creating a learning atmosphere where all
participants feel respected, valued, loved, understood and
safe. Wouldn't it be wonderful if every school in the
USA
were like that?
Kathleen A.
Shea, Ph.D
LVEP President
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A
Great Article on Mindfulness in the Classroom
Mindfullness
in the Classroom
Mindfullness in the Classroom
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WE HAVE
A NEW
PHONE NUMBER:
(888) 589-5837 |
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Upcoming Events
NORTHWEST
AREA
Living
Values Support Group Meeting in the
Seattle
Area
The above support group will be meeting every 2nd Friday of the
month. Teachers who are using Living Values in their schools and
parents who are interested are welcome. Meeting will be held at
various
Seattle
schools or homes as people volunteer. For more information and
meeting place, please call Mari at 206-524-6258
SOUTHEAST
Living
Values Parent Workshops:
Aventura
City
of
Excellence
School
Aventura, FloridaLiving Values Education Program, Inc.
Parent
Workshops at ACES: November 26th and December 17th
Living
Values: An Educational Program, Inc. Corporate Meeting, December 6
2008 Annual
Meeting-Miami
,
Florida
DECEMBER 5-7, 2008
The board of directors will be meeting and
welcome quests to give input and offer direction for upcoming
years.
We welcome your participation and feedback and
suggestions. Please contact: us @livingvalues.net to submit your
ideas and wishes or would like to attend.
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We would love to hear that you want to honor
an
educator or special community member with a gift donation
to Living Values Education Program at the end of the
year. Let us help you.To donate with PayPal.
Just
click the button below:
Paypal
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Inspiration
Surrender Gracefully
We are surrounded by graceful surrender.
The geese surrender to the first autumn chills, and think of flying
south. The flower surrenders to the night and shuts up shop as the
setting sun surrenders to the horizon of another day. A mother
surrenders to the needs of her baby, and the child surrenders to
the wisdom of the father. These kinds of surrender are sweet and
natural. They are graceful movements in a dance to the subtle
symphony of life. While we may find moments to surrender to such
grace and beauty, if we are not careful, we also tend to allow
ourselves to surrender to our appetites, to envy, to greed and then
to self centred lifestyles in which we serve only ourselves. No
grace there - only the disgrace of self-inflicted slavery. Whatever
we surrender our minds to, will eventually shape our character and
define the quality of our life. Be careful what you surrender your
mind to, even if it's only for a day, or an hour.
We need to stop.
Just stop.
Stop for a moment...
Before anybody
Says or does anything
That may hurt anyone else.
We need to be silent.
Just silent.
Silent for a moment...
Before we forever lose
The blessing of songs
That grow in our hearts.
We need to notice.
Just notice.
Notice for a moment...
Before the future slips away
Into ashes and dust of humility.
Stop, be silent, and notice...
In so many ways, we are the same.
Our differences are unique treasures.
We have, we are, a mosaic of gifts
To nurture, to offer, to accept.
We need to be.
Just be.
Be for a moment...
Kind and gentle, innocent and trusting,
Like children and lambs,
Never judging or vengeful
Like the judging and vengeful.
And now, let us pray,
Differently, yet together,
Before there is no earth, no life,
No chance for peace.
-- Matthew Joseph Thaddeus Stepanek
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Character Education Partnership National Forum
Nearly 800 people attended the The
Character Education Partnership's National Forum on Character
Education in
Washington
,
D.C.
in late October.
This event attracts educators, community leaders and decision
makers who come to learn about best practices in character
education, the latest in research and to network with colleagues.
Anne
Rarich and Kathy Shea had a
successful and enriching opportunity to present a workshop at the
Character Education Partnership meeting! The title was: Do
You Know Where Your Parents Are?
You can see some "conference highlightshere"
:http://www.character.org/2008conferencehighlights
Conference Highlights
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National Schools of Character $10,000 Grant
Win national recognition for your character education
initiative. Apply to be named a
National
School
or District of Character by the Character Education Partnership
(CEP). Every year, CEP names approximately 10 schools and/or
districts (K-12) as National Schools of Character (NSOC).
The purpose of the award is to honor these exemplars and facilitate
their leadership in the field. Award winners receive up to $10,000
to fulfill their role as ambassadors of character education.
They present at the Character Education Partnership's National
Forum on Character Education and provide staff development and
mentoring for other educators. National Schools of Character
receive an engraved award and banner at the Character Education
Partnership's National Forum on Character Education. They also
receive national and local press coverage. CEP features the
National School of Character in an annual publication and on its
website.
Visit www.character.org/nsoc for details. Applications are due
December 8, 2008.
Initative Details
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Living
Values Education Org | Peace Village, PO Box 415 | O'Hara Road, Haines Falls,
| NY | 12436 |
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