The pandemic exposed pervasive societal fractures that have long been destabilizing our educational system. These imbalances and injustices that have compromised teachers, children, families, and communities have been enabled for decades. This watershed moment in our human story requires us to respond to these inhumane conditions with unprecedented commitment and action. At the heart of this book are questions and talking points that will spur us to reimagine schools as healthy, safe, sustainable, vibrant places.
Wendy Rosen, MEd, is an adjunct instructor at Pacific University and education consultant specializing in vision-related learning problems, metacognition, and environmental education. She is the author of The Hidden Link Between Vision and Learning: Why Millions of Learning-Disabled Children Are Misdiagnosed and Self-Smart: The Little Book with Big Ideas to Help Kids Thrive.
Foreword Acknowledgements Introduction Chapter 1: The Motivation ~ Humanity Is at An Existential Crossroads Chapter 2: The Rationale ~ The Unsustainability of Schools and Society Chapter 3: The Heart ~ The Underrated, Overwhelming Need for Healing Chapter 4: The Aspiration ~ A Crash Course in How to Be Human Chapter 5: The Approach ~ Towards a New Way of Learning and Living Epilogue: Humanity, Heal Thyself Appendix A: Community Weaving ~ A Blueprint for an Eco-Socio-Renaissance Appendix B: The Earth Speaks and We Listen, Finally Appendix C: Words from My Mother About the Author
Why is school a negative experience for so many kids?" In a book filled with vital questions, this is the one that reached out and grabbed me by the heart. In School ~ The Seedbed of Society, Wendy Rosen helps us to imagine the education children can and should have - and the kind of humane world that would result if they had it. Her vision is one of love and optimism, and it offers hope at a time when we need it most. -- Rae Pica, author, "What If Everybody Understood Child Development?"; www.raepica.com Wendy Rosen has written a beautiful, heart-warming gem, like none I have ever seen before. Her deep wisdom affirming why we need to treat children wholistically, and not just as academic performance machines, is so powerful. This message urgently needs to become common knowledge. Have you ever wondered why many children love to learn, but hate school? Wendy Rosen has the answers. -- Justin Ryan, Licensed Educational Psychologist, www.adhdTeacher.org Interspersed with beautiful poems and essays from her own life experiences, Wendy Rosen has woven a story of hope for, and to, humanity and a prescription for how we can get through by way of how we love, nurture, and educate children. Yes, the world seems at times to be in dire straits, but moments of joy, love, empathy, and compassion exist to tip the balance, if only we pause to notice them so we can learn from the wisdom and struggles of others, heal our own hurts, and share our stories so we can help each other heal. In a world that seems to hurtle forward at a million miles per hour, this book gives us permission to see what is possible if we only slow down enough to look. -- Emily Cherkin, MA, Ed., The Screentime Consultant, www.thescreentimeconsultant.com
