I just discovered your newsletter, and I'm happy to see a recent conversation about Moffett's work! Several of us who wrote chapters for the book will present at NCTE in Boston next week (Nov 2024). Thank you for contributing to Moffett's "re-emergence"! Here is an open-access link to his work, republished this year by the WAC Clearinghouse: https://wac.colostate.edu/books/landmarks/moffett/
Best wishes! --Cynthia Miecznikowski, University of North Carolina-Pembroke
Do you know the new book “Toward a Re-Emergence of James Moffett’s Mindful, Spiritual, and Student-Centered Pedagogy” edited by Jonathan Marine, Paul Rogers, Sheridan Blau, and Kathleen Kelly? It’s where my “open door” is. I had been holding Moffett’s book “The Universal Schoolhouse” close and now I am thrilled that I found people wanting to give his legacy more traction. Peace.
Sheryl, I am going to order a used copy of The Universal Schoolhouse, but I'll have to wait until I'm near an academic library to get the new book. It irks me when these academic publishers set the prices so high! $50 for the paperback!
Yes. That really surprised me. It’s actually the most expensive book I’ve ever purchased—wait now they were expensive at university book stores, too. I am not sure if I still get your feeds. I came across this message by accident. I would like to know what you make of James Moffett. I’ve been joining in a monthly call about him hosted by one of the authors of the new book. National Writers Project I think the platform is called. Peace.
I woke up in a cold sweat this morning, the dread of what we are leaving our children suffocating my ability to rest. The (un)school we are helping nourish into being here in rural Colorado, as one can imagine, is getting little support from the lords of empire that have deemed themselves the ultimate authority on who gets access to land and how "education" is to be defined. I often wonder if maybe what is needed now is more than imagination and Grief, but radical decay. Thankyou, as always, for the good work you do...
“Radical decay” leads to regeneration of course. And needs some intense imagination to relax into with grace. I’d love to hear more about what you’re doing, in practical terms, with unschooling.
Nice piece Jennifer! I think that how we listen to young folks plays a major role in supporting, "What is being called for now is imaginative innovation; a form of educational guidance that cultivates and gives free rein to young people's creative powers and helps them remember how to connect with the inner spiritual guidance that animates the dreaming core of every human being." Listening and responding in a way that sends the message that we guides are ready to learn from those we guide is central to supporting this kind of thinking and dreaming. Here's an excerpt from one of my blogs on this topic, "Yet, as an ecological educator, I do little teaching. Imprinting information onto others’ brains just never struck me as a thing to do. I also avoid curricula packaged in factories as I avoid food prepared that same way. On the other hand, I’ve always enjoyed conversations involving people really listening to each other. I also enjoy being a guide when I am in familiar territory and being guided when I am not, and sharing resources with others in both directions. Rather than teaching, I consider what I do as nurturing educational learning environments and communities."
I just discovered your newsletter, and I'm happy to see a recent conversation about Moffett's work! Several of us who wrote chapters for the book will present at NCTE in Boston next week (Nov 2024). Thank you for contributing to Moffett's "re-emergence"! Here is an open-access link to his work, republished this year by the WAC Clearinghouse: https://wac.colostate.edu/books/landmarks/moffett/
Best wishes! --Cynthia Miecznikowski, University of North Carolina-Pembroke
Thank you Cynthia, I will check this out! Glad to know about your work!
Do you know the new book “Toward a Re-Emergence of James Moffett’s Mindful, Spiritual, and Student-Centered Pedagogy” edited by Jonathan Marine, Paul Rogers, Sheridan Blau, and Kathleen Kelly? It’s where my “open door” is. I had been holding Moffett’s book “The Universal Schoolhouse” close and now I am thrilled that I found people wanting to give his legacy more traction. Peace.
Sheryl, I am going to order a used copy of The Universal Schoolhouse, but I'll have to wait until I'm near an academic library to get the new book. It irks me when these academic publishers set the prices so high! $50 for the paperback!
Yes. That really surprised me. It’s actually the most expensive book I’ve ever purchased—wait now they were expensive at university book stores, too. I am not sure if I still get your feeds. I came across this message by accident. I would like to know what you make of James Moffett. I’ve been joining in a monthly call about him hosted by one of the authors of the new book. National Writers Project I think the platform is called. Peace.
I woke up in a cold sweat this morning, the dread of what we are leaving our children suffocating my ability to rest. The (un)school we are helping nourish into being here in rural Colorado, as one can imagine, is getting little support from the lords of empire that have deemed themselves the ultimate authority on who gets access to land and how "education" is to be defined. I often wonder if maybe what is needed now is more than imagination and Grief, but radical decay. Thankyou, as always, for the good work you do...
“Radical decay” leads to regeneration of course. And needs some intense imagination to relax into with grace. I’d love to hear more about what you’re doing, in practical terms, with unschooling.
https://www.layinggroundwork.org/
Terrific! I hope this Groundwork moves into every region, it is so needed now!
You can borrow these online at archive.org
> https://archive.org/details/universalschoolh00moff (The universal schoolhouse: spiritual awakening through education 1994 by James Moffett)
> https://archive.org/details/isbn_2740295897272 (The one world schoolhouse : education reimagined 2012 by Khan, Salman, 1976- )
Nice piece Jennifer! I think that how we listen to young folks plays a major role in supporting, "What is being called for now is imaginative innovation; a form of educational guidance that cultivates and gives free rein to young people's creative powers and helps them remember how to connect with the inner spiritual guidance that animates the dreaming core of every human being." Listening and responding in a way that sends the message that we guides are ready to learn from those we guide is central to supporting this kind of thinking and dreaming. Here's an excerpt from one of my blogs on this topic, "Yet, as an ecological educator, I do little teaching. Imprinting information onto others’ brains just never struck me as a thing to do. I also avoid curricula packaged in factories as I avoid food prepared that same way. On the other hand, I’ve always enjoyed conversations involving people really listening to each other. I also enjoy being a guide when I am in familiar territory and being guided when I am not, and sharing resources with others in both directions. Rather than teaching, I consider what I do as nurturing educational learning environments and communities."