Thirteen years ago I attended Sathya Sai Institute of Education in Human Values (EHV) in Lopburi Thailand. There I had ten weeks of first hand experience in a school that incorporated mindfulness and human values into the foundation of their education model. As a school we convened for mindfulness practices every morning at 5 am. The school emphasized the importance of human values which included Love, Non-Violence, Peace, Right Conduct, and Truth. Their approach to education goes back to the root of the word, “educare” meaning to draw out from within. The ideology is based on the belief that every human has the capacity to live with compassion, honesty, and peacefulness, and that through education we can facilitate the development and expression of these values. I took workshops and attended lectures on how to teach human values education, and I designed and taught both English and Education in Human Values classes to the students.
It was this experience that solidified my interest in becoming a teacher. At this school I developed my vision for the power of education beyond content knowledge. While I have always been inspired to share knowledge and skills to empower others, I realized that an education can provide that and so much more- it can help students discover who they are and how they want to relate with others and their environment. I was starting to envision a new approach to education that could perhaps revolutionize our culture of assimilation and consumption, and support a culture of connection, compassion, and creativity.
At SSEHV I attended daily workshops and lectures while integrating myself into the fabric of the school. Along with other teachers, I organized the school’s sports day, and It’s a Small World parade and event. I MC’d the school assembly where we took the students on a virtual trip around the world, teaching them about our various home countries. I taught both English and Human Values classes at this K-12 school, and I also volunteered teaching English at a public school in Thailand.
For my final project at Emily Carr, in a career course, I decided to research human values in education in Vancouver right now. I was curious to learn from teachers and education representatives: What did they see as being universal human values? What would education look like if it were based on such values? What trends, projects, or initiatives do they see happening in Vancouver public schools to support such values? How can we implement the changes needed to fully support human values based education? I discovered many ideas and approaches to education which focused on a variety of human values.
During my Bachelor of Education ten week practicum, I decided to incorporate mindfulness practices in the classroom, including lessons on the parts of the brain, their functions, self-care and mental health, classroom meetings, silent sitting, and optional lunch hour yoga sessions. I also encouraged students to take time to sit quietly if they were unsettled about something, guiding them to observe and acknowledge any emotions that were arising inside.
We had the Second Step program as part of our weekly schedule. I worked closely with our trained guest teacher to deliver the lessons.
In addressing healthy communication techniques, I have been influenced by and draw from Marshall B Rosenberg’s ideas for Life-Enriching Education and Non-Violent Communication.
While I was a Teacher on Call in Fort St. John I attended the professional development seminar focusing on the FRIENDS program. I enjoyed learning about this program and received valuable materials to support human values education in the classroom.
I would like to develop my experience in this area by collaborating with other staff members and developing a strong school community that honours the social and emotional potential of our students.