The Community

 

Immersing children in a community of vitally involved elders is analogous to cultural seed-dropping. . .  Immersion in the communal matrix stimulates the child’s growth toward his potential expressed in interwoven abilities, including language acquisition, the mathematical mind, skills mastery and the creative process.This is Nature’s way of stimulating the whole brain associations and connections that constitute true intelligence.

Heart Wings

The Harmonies Way Process is pioneering ways to capture both the essence of the village, and the insights of avant-garde science. Central to this evolvement is the commingling of the masculine and feminine as one heart.

THE HAPPY HOPI CHILD

Norman Mailer referred to Hopi children as the “happiest children on earth.” Among the Hopi, the Mother essence, working at the heart of the tribe, attracts by means of her interesting labors, whether she is molding clay pots or popping corn. The Father essence responds to the impulse to venture from the center to plant, hunt or explore. Together the masculine and feminine invite the children to join the creativity, the festivals and the ceremonies of the people. Punishment or chiding for childish missteps is practically non-existent. The tribe trusts the centrality of the heart, the modeling of the elders, each child’s process of self-correction and the natural urge of each to achieve his/her potential.

RESTORING THE FEMININE/MASCULINE BALANCE

When the balanced masculine and feminine energize free children’s work/play, healthy growth ensues. However, when the masculine and feminine are out of balance, as in early 21st century institutions, one excludes its counterpart. In this case, children become pawns in stifling systems of control.  

But in this modern world how do we restore the benefits of village life and the child’s freedom to express multiple intelligences (Howard Gardner)? The trend has been for parents to lose touch with their children. The busyness of sending them to school, taking them to lessons after school, and surrendering them to technology at home often precludes opportunities for mentoring. When a primary involvement, imposed by schooling, is homework drudgery, families endure an unpleasant subversion of natural relationships.

As for teachers, the system has crushed their creative, intuitive self that connects naturally with children. Instead they are required to become autocrats and evaluators, who send non-conformers for diagnostics generally leading to drugs.

MENTORS AND MEANINGFUL SHARING

To date the Center for Living Ethics has realized two primary ways to restore the benefits of the village. Invite parents to bring into the center, their skills, proclivities, and talents as models and mentors. Let the parents bring their woodworking tools, easels and paints, jewelry-making supplies, and knitting needles to work among and with the children. Let them plant and tend the gardens among and with the children. Let the children learn Spanish from a parent through immersion, while making tortillas or smoothies.

More recently the center has conceived of an extension of the model and mentor opportunities in Family Sharing Time. Of course, for this to be a happy, relaxed and interesting time, the activities have to spark the child’s enthusiasm and honor their proclivities and talents. The secret is to create opportunities for parents to support the children as resource personal, project facilitators, research assistants, and fellow explorers. It can take many forms such as going to the library or internet, gathering materials for a project, a mutually interesting discussion or watching nature programs together. The only requirement is that attractive invitations to meaningful work/play and responsive entering into the child’s realm render the sharing time enjoyable and enriching for both parent and child.

THE LIVINGNESS OF LIFE

The Harmonies Way Process, under development since 1986, combines several interrelated aspects to comprehensively nurture the fullness of childhood. Following the footsteps of humanity we realize reading, writing and ‘rithmetic were not developed as an end in themselves. Academics emerged from living life. Our children enjoy recapitulating humanity’s processes and achievements. They are not meant to be empty, compliant, imprisoned repositories of thousands of years of academic development. The livingness of life is their spur for learning about the world. As with the human family, their self-impelled mastery of academics arises from real and vicarious livingness–through their own feet-on-the-earth, hands-on-the-clay experience, and by taking flight on the wings of engrossing narrative.

Nature’s resonances  and communal relationships commune with the soul of the child, while innate potentials guide their steps and extend their reach.