Photo by Jason Fassl
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Philosophy of EducationStories hold a healing function. The use of the word “myth” has been hijacked to mean “a lie,” something false. Rather, I teach myths are sacred stories that have the wisdom of the ages encoded in their symbols and metaphors. Mythology is the language of the Earth, how she speaks to us. I have a certification in ecopsychology that helps me connect healing to Nature because it is so intimately connected. Returning students to their rich, creative, and imaginal life, while teaching the healing function of personal narrative is the gift I bring as an educator. I build my classroom as a learning sanctuary and safe space. It is decolonized, equitable and anti-racist. It is also rooted in a deep love for the natural and super-human world. There is no equity without environmental justice. What we most desperately need in this critical time of climate change is a return to right relationship and a shift in the collective narrative. The focus of my work as a mythologist is deeply tied to the landscape and indigenous wisdom. I encourage service-learning and activism by reawakening the creativity that K-12 education tends to stifle. The healing power of creativity is a function we are all born with and it helps to self-regulate our emotions, gives voice to our human experience, and provides incredible pathways toward building community resilience. Teaching this framework during a pandemic has been an incredible honor. I don’t just teach stories, I offer an experience of the power of myth, ritual, and activation. Reconnecting students to their inherent tools of introspection, self-care, and authenticity is what I refer to as teaching to individual genius and gifts, as opposed to standards. I am a longtime facilitator of mindfulness and yoga and I know that healing cannot fully happen in the head or psyche alone, it must be also addressed in the body, as we store trauma in the body. As a trauma-informed care ambassador, I also insist on 15-minute interviews at the beginning of the semester with all my students. This baseline of trust also establishes clear lines of support: it enables me to help guide my students to persist and finish strong not only in my class, but in their college careers. I help them bless failures as great teachers. Therefore, I do not believe in punitive grading. Students always can edit, revise, and grow with their work. I encourage them to explore, to fail, and try again. I welcome feedback on how I can improve as an instructor, and I allow them to co-create the learning experience, honoring their unique and wonderful wisdom. Finally, everything I teach is through the lens of Eros. I lead through fostering deep connection to community and foster compassion for self, others, and planet. |
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