We are a very small school that deliberately keeps a low profile. All of our students hear of us by word of mouth. We don't advertise, we don't actively look for students. Our purpose is to serve our corner of the world, and to be flexible and astute enough to meet the changes in our community.
But we are beginning to reach out to other communities: the academic world, the Buddhist world, the many mindfulness practitioners, and so on. It is a cliche, but we do change lives. Many of our students come to us in a state of emotional and intellectual chaos. They graduate ready, more or less, for the many challenges of adult life. Most go to college. Almost all of them stay in touch with us, many continue to visit, seeking support and advice.
But we evolve rapidly, meeting the current needs of our students. I think that what we do would be of great interest to many in the psychology and education fields, but a small school requires a special degree of confidentiality. What, then, is of interest to the handful of people who check into this blog?
Please email us at pete@tinicumartandscience.org or comment here. I probably sent out notice to the listservs and my email list prematurely; after all, it would be great to have a snappin' robust blog happenin' here for all to visit. But at the moment this is a one writer affair, with a smattering readership. I need input!
Mindfulness is already becoming a shapeless, overused term. And it is only now entering the vast, burbling public consciousness. With TAS, we have a school based on the principles of self-awareness, exposure to the arts and sciences, and community coherence, all of which are reinforced by mindfulness and meditation. Good things are happening here, simple things that need to be articulated and passed along. Schools can work. They are natural social workshops for young people.
It is entirely possible that all the good results we get are the results of the quality of the relationships between teachers and students, and between the students themselves. Perhaps if we cut out the meditations and the mindfulness based counseling there would be no difference at all. What do you think? How can we investigate this question?
There is no question in my mind that the students have, over the years, contributed as much to the development of this school as anyone else. Perhaps it is time to put together a little history of the school. Should we post some history?
How does our teaching differ from other schools, if at all? What do our students say? Would you like to know?
Help me stretch out this blog by commenting and offering posts. And please, keep visiting. It is time for us to move out into the larger community.
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