Daniella Schmidt
I entered the M.Ed program at the Institute for Humane Education (IHE) as a Master teacher and with a decade of experience. After many years of enthusiasm about my profession, my zeal had begun to wane. I struggled with the paradox that though I continued to love my work and constantly improved my practice, teaching in the public education setting became harder, not easier for me. Something was missing. It took introspection, emotional distance, time, and entering IHE, to finally understand my disillusionment with our public school system. Up until my journey with IHE, the highlight of my career was working at a school full of bright, energetic, and passionately committed teachers implementing the latest educational research. We taught the curriculum without textbooks by teaching through good literature and had plentiful training opportunities to learn how to infuse the curriculum with the fine arts and multiple intelligences. The excitement and joy of learning made the school a dynamic, creative place where teachers, parents and administrators worked together to support students. Though we still taught to national, state and district standards and assessed regularly, we could infuse our teaching with flexibility and originality.
Then, despite the enormous body of supporting research, bilingual instruction became illegal in the state. And another wave of new policies (No Child Left Behind) continues to affect our nation’s entire educational system. Trumpeting the buzz words of accountability and higher standards, our entire state adopted the same literacy and math program, with few exceptions. This scripted program led to the policing of teachers to administer each lesson in exactly the same way, regardless of the students’ diverse needs. We were no longer allowed, nor had time to utilize, our multiple training experiences. My school and many others serving underprivileged students were labeled “low performing.”
After a couple of years of these conditions, I became overwhelmed, anxious, depressed. I felt powerless. When I left my position to accompany my husband’s acceptance of a job abroad, I doubted that I would return.
Most of our school career from kindergarten to doctoral work teaches us to compartmentalize our world, discouraging diversity, imagination, and connection. Learning too often begins and ends in the classroom. And, teaching the way I was taught, I continued this cycle, until eventually I left my job feeling defeated. Global issues are in the public consciousness, but our current educational system doesn’t nurture the creativity, vitality, and ingenuity that we desperately need to meet our global challenges. So many young minds and talented teachers could use the world as the true forum of learning and accomplish so much more!
Until I began this degree, academic accomplishments were merely mental hoops to jump through, with little influence on my life; eventually, I lost interest. But, humane education has renewed my interest. For the first time ever, humane education connects to me to the world: from the food I eat, to the stores I shop at, to the people, animals and plants across the planet and all the future generations, that I will never know, but still think about today. Friends and family express surprise upon hearing that my thesis project involves action, not just research. Upon completion of IHE’s Master’s program, I plan to connect humane non-profit groups and the public school system by serving as an educational outreach consultant; this will allow me to facilitate relationships between non-profits and teachers who share the same values of humane educators, but lack the resources to implement a program with their students.
True teaching is an act of love. I have realized through my struggles that it is not enough to fill our students’ minds with information; we must also touch their hearts and connect them to the planet. Our species and all others are depending on it. I am grateful to learn from visionaries who set the standard higher for what humanity can accomplish through education.
MOGO Workshop - Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary (Willow, NY)
September 25, 2010 - 9:00 am | Location: Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary
Live your values. Change the world. Choose MOGO! Let your life reflect what truly matters to you. Discover ways to choose MOGO (most good), act on what's most important to you, and build a better world. Our life-transforming MOGO workshop offers you: Dynamic ...
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September 25, 2010 - 9:00 am | Location: Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary
Live your values. Change the world. Choose MOGO! Let your life reflect what truly matters to you. Discover ways to choose MOGO (most good), act on what's most important to you, and build a better world. Our life-transforming MOGO workshop offers you: Dynamic ...
Read More