When Caroline describes herself as an integrative teacher, she is laying down a fundamental premise that inquiry, whether academic, artistic, physical, or spiritual, carries a teaching component. How we learn to approach the world in which we live carries a live urgency which requires reassessment and reconfiguration of the “fundamental establishments that control the human realm: the political, economic, intellectual, and religious.” Thomas Berry’s words were prophetic in 1999 and still more critical today.
In her own words
If we’re to be about the business of transforming our human and corporate footprint in this world, then commensurate educational and spiritual formation has to begin early and continue through a lifetime. It’s not what we’re used to, yet the paradigms exist. My question is simple: what if these educational models caught fire? The answer I want to offer are the words of Elizabeth Lloyd Mayer who, in her book Extraordinary Knowing, undertook to put a scientific foundation around what she called “anomalous knowing”, the kind of core truth each of us carries, even when we don’t know it, can’t access it, or are frightened by it. In her words, “this changes everything.”
We need to be searching for the “this changes everything” opportunities to re-examine our basic anthropocentric assumptions and teach our selves (it’s really a remembering) how to live within and intrinsic to the earth community. The educational titles and URL’s I offer in the Resource section of this website are narratives of challenge, hope, promise, and joy. I will add to them as I find them.
Endorsements
It was a pleasure to visit your class today. Your format for the discussion was compelling…….. using your own thoughts, writings, the video and poetry, to stimulate class participants to become involved…..and they all did. Sharing your very personal experiences and thoughts was a catalyst for many to dig deeper into themselves and their beliefs. And again, they did.
Your careful planning and quality of resources that you prepared for everyone is impressive. I sense that this dialogue already has a life of its own and will hopefully continue through subsequent courses in the future. How can it not?
Van Crawford
It was wonderful to hear everyone join in the discussion with thoughtful, perceptive comments and a willingness to listen to what others had to say.
Julie Machen
A lovely poem – thank you for sharing it. I’d forgotten all about it being Earth Day!
You have quite an intellectual group in your class! LOTS of good discussions to look forward to. Obviously, folks are interested in what you have to share, which must be gratifying to you.
Janet Howe