Philosophy
No two learners are exactly alike.
What worked yesterday may or may not work today.
Challenge is exciting.
Relationships are crucial.
There are many kinds of “intelligence.”
Music is magic.
These are just a few of my philosophies. I also have been inspired by great teachers, thinkers, therapists and organizers who came before me. Here are just a few of them:
What worked yesterday may or may not work today.
Challenge is exciting.
Relationships are crucial.
There are many kinds of “intelligence.”
Music is magic.
These are just a few of my philosophies. I also have been inspired by great teachers, thinkers, therapists and organizers who came before me. Here are just a few of them:
Jean Ayres
In the 1970s, Jean Ayres revolutionized the field of occupational therapy by coining the term “sensory integration.” Because of her, we now think of perception as a wide spectrum. No two people experience the world in the same way. Her theories taught me to see each person's unique sensory and learning needs as interconnected. I did my master’s thesis on sensory integration, and have collaborated with many occupational therapists. I adapt my therapy sessions and my classes to individuals' unique sensory needs, using visual aids, rhythm, music, touch, movement and mingling to maximize learning.
In the 1970s, Jean Ayres revolutionized the field of occupational therapy by coining the term “sensory integration.” Because of her, we now think of perception as a wide spectrum. No two people experience the world in the same way. Her theories taught me to see each person's unique sensory and learning needs as interconnected. I did my master’s thesis on sensory integration, and have collaborated with many occupational therapists. I adapt my therapy sessions and my classes to individuals' unique sensory needs, using visual aids, rhythm, music, touch, movement and mingling to maximize learning.
Paulo Freire
Paulo Freire, who grew up poor in rural Brazil, wanted to be a different kind of teacher: not a top-down teacher who feeds knowledge to passive students, but rather a teacher who learns alongside students, cultivates democracy in the classroom, and links learning to social action. "No one educates anyone else, nor do we educate ourselves,” Freire said. "We educate one another in communion, in the context of living in this world.” I have always advocated participatory, social learning, but when I intentionally put into practice some principles of his popular education approach - education by the people, for the people - attendance rates at our family engagement classes shot up! As Freire says, “If the structure does not permit dialogue, the structure must be changed.”
Paulo Freire, who grew up poor in rural Brazil, wanted to be a different kind of teacher: not a top-down teacher who feeds knowledge to passive students, but rather a teacher who learns alongside students, cultivates democracy in the classroom, and links learning to social action. "No one educates anyone else, nor do we educate ourselves,” Freire said. "We educate one another in communion, in the context of living in this world.” I have always advocated participatory, social learning, but when I intentionally put into practice some principles of his popular education approach - education by the people, for the people - attendance rates at our family engagement classes shot up! As Freire says, “If the structure does not permit dialogue, the structure must be changed.”
Stanley Greenspan
Stanley Greenspan, founder of DIR/Floortime, was a child psychiatrist who helped to revolutionize treatment of children with autism and other developmental differences. Scientific studies show that the brain “lights up” the most when engaged in social interactions that have emotional meaning. These social-emotional foundations must be in place before higher-level, “intellectual” skills can be acquired. DIR stands for Developmental, Individual, Relationship-based. I worked for two years in a DIR/Floortime clinic and received extensive training and mentoring in the approach. One of my favorite aspects of the process is helping families to become aware of how they can use their body language, facial expressions, voice, and timing in ways that keep their children calm, yet stimulated and engaged.
Stanley Greenspan, founder of DIR/Floortime, was a child psychiatrist who helped to revolutionize treatment of children with autism and other developmental differences. Scientific studies show that the brain “lights up” the most when engaged in social interactions that have emotional meaning. These social-emotional foundations must be in place before higher-level, “intellectual” skills can be acquired. DIR stands for Developmental, Individual, Relationship-based. I worked for two years in a DIR/Floortime clinic and received extensive training and mentoring in the approach. One of my favorite aspects of the process is helping families to become aware of how they can use their body language, facial expressions, voice, and timing in ways that keep their children calm, yet stimulated and engaged.
Audre Lorde
Writer Audre Lorde was one of our most eloquent speakers about intersectionality - the understanding that all our struggles are interrelated, though our identities may be different. “There is no such thing as a single-issue struggle,” she said, "because we do not live single-issue lives.” It is impossible to be an effective educator or therapist without recognizing how sexism, racism, and wealth inequality shape, and are shaped by, education and family life. A self-described "black, lesbian, feminist, mother, poet warrior," Lorde championed self-care, and spoke to the power of loving relationships to fuel social change. She has inspired and emboldened generations with words like, "When we speak, we are afraid our words will not be heard or welcomed. But when we are silent, we are still afraid. So it is better to speak.”
Writer Audre Lorde was one of our most eloquent speakers about intersectionality - the understanding that all our struggles are interrelated, though our identities may be different. “There is no such thing as a single-issue struggle,” she said, "because we do not live single-issue lives.” It is impossible to be an effective educator or therapist without recognizing how sexism, racism, and wealth inequality shape, and are shaped by, education and family life. A self-described "black, lesbian, feminist, mother, poet warrior," Lorde championed self-care, and spoke to the power of loving relationships to fuel social change. She has inspired and emboldened generations with words like, "When we speak, we are afraid our words will not be heard or welcomed. But when we are silent, we are still afraid. So it is better to speak.”
Howard Gardner
That kid struggling through English class might just turn out to be a brilliant mechanic, if only we gave him an engine to take apart. The student who dreads math might have a phenomenal gift for bringing people together. Our school systems are largely designed to teach only to specific types of intelligence. But according to Howard Gardner, people display at least nine varieties of intelligence: musical-rhythmic; visual-spatial; verbal-linguistic; logical-mathematical; bodily-kinesthetic; interpersonal; intrapersonal; naturalistic; and existential. If we look at the world through his lens of multiple intelligences, we can find strengths in every child, no matter how great their challenges!
That kid struggling through English class might just turn out to be a brilliant mechanic, if only we gave him an engine to take apart. The student who dreads math might have a phenomenal gift for bringing people together. Our school systems are largely designed to teach only to specific types of intelligence. But according to Howard Gardner, people display at least nine varieties of intelligence: musical-rhythmic; visual-spatial; verbal-linguistic; logical-mathematical; bodily-kinesthetic; interpersonal; intrapersonal; naturalistic; and existential. If we look at the world through his lens of multiple intelligences, we can find strengths in every child, no matter how great their challenges!
Grace Lee Boggs
Grace Lee Boggs, a Chinese-American co-struggler for black power and people-owned cooperatives and communities in Detroit, urged people to become the leaders they were waiting for. For Grace, conversations could catalyze transformation, and action was nothing without reflection. Her many why? questions inspired countless activists to probe deeper. Watch her render Danny Glover speechless in the film American Revolutionary, when she asks him to consider the true objectives of education. Grace said, “People have thought of revolution chiefly in terms of taking state power. But we’ve had revolutions, and we’ve seen how the states which they have created have turned out to be like replicas of the states they opposed. You have to bring those two words together, and recognize that we are responsible for the evolution of the human species. It’s a question of 2-sided transformation, and not just the oppressed against the oppressor. We have to change ourselves to change the world.”
Grace Lee Boggs, a Chinese-American co-struggler for black power and people-owned cooperatives and communities in Detroit, urged people to become the leaders they were waiting for. For Grace, conversations could catalyze transformation, and action was nothing without reflection. Her many why? questions inspired countless activists to probe deeper. Watch her render Danny Glover speechless in the film American Revolutionary, when she asks him to consider the true objectives of education. Grace said, “People have thought of revolution chiefly in terms of taking state power. But we’ve had revolutions, and we’ve seen how the states which they have created have turned out to be like replicas of the states they opposed. You have to bring those two words together, and recognize that we are responsible for the evolution of the human species. It’s a question of 2-sided transformation, and not just the oppressed against the oppressor. We have to change ourselves to change the world.”
Albert Einstein
Einstein once said, “Learning is experience. Everything else is just information.” I couldn’t agree more. I strive to make every learning experience active. Pretend play, hands-on experiments, meaningful responsibilities, social interaction, movement, and time spent outdoors are crucial components of a good education. Albert Einstein was also credited with this wonderful quote: “Not everything that counts can be counted. And not everything that can be counted counts.”
Einstein once said, “Learning is experience. Everything else is just information.” I couldn’t agree more. I strive to make every learning experience active. Pretend play, hands-on experiments, meaningful responsibilities, social interaction, movement, and time spent outdoors are crucial components of a good education. Albert Einstein was also credited with this wonderful quote: “Not everything that counts can be counted. And not everything that can be counted counts.”
