Holistic Education

FRI., DEC. 8, 1989, 6:47 AM
FARM, STUDY

The thesis that was discussed yesterday was that there is merit in holistic education – about health and about community development. Then last evening you completed a class in quite a holistic fashion, in contrast to the one in the afternoon. How do I, the Holy Spirit, feel about this kind of education? Hear as I tell you, as you look out at a snow-covered landscape.

As you well know, My basic concern is with spirit, but I also urge you, and many other humans (but not all), to balance spirit with the other aspects of your humanity. You shall “have much time” to function as pure spirit in other realms, so take advantage of your mind, your emotions, your body, your relations with others and with other creatures and the earth. (As spirit you shall not have the kind of relationship you have with your little dogs now, for example.)

Education is the guiding of the learning process. In your culture the emphasis is on the intellectual and the learning of facts and processes. You are in a field with many facts, but I say that the concepts and ideas are of more importance. And, as you know from your learning of old, concepts can be learned but cannot be taught directly. Therefore you must develop and use a variety of approaches to learning… and not just variations in the intellectual process, even as this is important.

The class evening here was an holistic experience. It was in the setting of your home, both around the table and around the fireplace. There was food, and the comraderie of eating together. But you must go back to your most holistic approach and have a class, in groups, decide on, bring, and prepare the different portions of the meal. This emphasizes spirit more, as the food involves them as a temporary social group. You do this well in the summer. Know that it can be done in this season also.

The class portion was a sharing of observations, perceptions, and convictions, from experiences. In the context of life and death there was much freedom to talk about spirit and about God. This was an affirmation of holistic education, for if I am excluded the “picture” is far from complete. There was no evangelizing (though that can be part of the holistic experience, too)… just personal experience told and testimonies. This amounted to a joint affirmation that the course was truly worthwhile. Though this was done earlier in your afternoon class, the last day for them was far from an holistic experience. I realize the logistics are sometimes difficult, but don’t compromise unless you really have to.

A more holistic way to give a final would be to have two or three students work together on it, students of differing abilities and commitments, who would not ordinarily work together. You know the value of role-playing, but you let the difficulties in carrying it out override these values. Your exam questions are generally a good compromise, with some good holistic elements.

Do not shirk the organization of your courses for next term. Keep the good organization, activities, and assignments. Consider new, more holistic additions or variations. You know you shall have to do much of this this next week. It cannot wait until you return.

In your introductions to your courses talk about holistic education. Tell them that you are increasingly committed to this, and it will be their’s to experience. Develop more group work. Continually emphasize spirit, in a variety of ways. Particularly emphasize it in relation to the environment.