History
Challenging ungrounded ideals, the bright-eyed and attentive, or wriggling and competing for attention, behaviors or my young and exacting guides has nudged forward the development of child-friendly approaches. One pivotal breakthrough was to capture the attention of my prime competitor for the group’s attention by weaving information into the twists and folds of a story . . .
Throughout this collaborative venture with children, ongoing research and fresh insights have fostered further innovations leading to a replicable, child-approved process.
Heart Wings
After attaining AMS certification from the American Montessori Society and a Master of Arts in Education, Vicki Johnston founded the Robert Muller School on the inherited estate in Fairview in 1986. Her work with children and dreams of creating an ideal setting for their development nudged her to continue researching brilliant breakthroughs in childhood learning and development.
THE FOUR HARMONIES
In 1992, at a workshop at the original Robert Muller School in Arlington, Texas, Vicki learned of Robert Muller’s World Core Curriculum – a philosophical outline for the world’s children to experience learning in terms of each individual’s intimate connection with our living planet and human family around the globe. During Dr. Muller’s 40 year sojourn at the United Nations he outlined the Four Harmonies of the World Core Curriculum:
- The miracle of individual life
- The human family
- Our planetary home and place in the universe, and
- Our point in time
The Four Harmonies became a pivotal point of consciousness for the developing Harmonies Way process.
A HERITAGE OF GREAT THOUGHTS
Meanwhile, the journey of discovery into experiential learning to encourage individuality and inspire enthusiasm led from the writings of John Holt (unschooling), Rudolph Steiner (Waldorf), John Dewey (cooperative learning), Leo Tolstoy (non-coercive relationships), Don Holdaway (whole language), and Howard Gardner (multiple intelligences), to accounts of Native American child-rearing, especially the Hopi. The wisdom and experience of these and many other sources offered fresh insights into environments for flourishing children.
STORIES TO SYNTHESIZE ART, SCIENCE AND ETHICS
A gestalt of complementary elements for engaging high interest emerged, with storytelling as a core contributor. Contrary to western civilization’s custom of passing along factual information in dry textbooks and reserving stories for fiction and fantasy, the Harmonies Way Stories and Books with Art evolved to engage both left and right brain, imagination and intellect, and, importantly, heart intelligence. Universally children love stories, which at their best can inform about the world, invite curiosity, evoke a sense of wonder, and stimulate the heart’s virtues.
CHILD/NATURE RESONANCES
More recently science has confirmed resonant exchanges between children and nature. The term Deep Ecology aptly describes the health-giving benefits of wild nature for the body/emotion/mind/spirit complex. Nature’s fruits and vibrant spaces bring therapeutic healing for a growing number of disorders evidenced precisely because of birthing, feeding and schooling practices that are removed from nature and therefore antithetical to healthy childhood development.
THE COMMUNAL EMBRACE
In addition a new paradigm is gathering momentum which restores the feminine essence to her rightful place. In no arena is this need more apparent than the modern institutions called schools, in which the children have been orphaned from the Mother’s embrace. The Feminine Essence waits at the gate to restore immersion in the arts, replace coercion with inspiration, upgrade learning from left-brain minutia to whole-brain stimulation, and embrace our children with communities of caring, insightful models and mentors.
A HEART-CENTERED APPROACH
Similarly, cutting edge research has proven the heart to be the center of intuitive, compassionate intelligence, which is in direct communication with the frontal lobes. Called the most human part of the brain, the prefrontal cortex is the seat of innovative, creative and behavioral intelligence based on empathy. This heart/brain system promotes the ethical genius that seeks expression through our children. Heart to heart relationships appreciate uniquely individual proclivities and life paths.
Three key harmonics commingle in this emergent approach which we call the Harmonies Way: Nature, Community and Heart.
