“How Would You Like Your Day To Be?”: The C.H.I. Revisited For Children

October 26, 2014 5 Comments

Rod Newton’s simple question:  “How would you like your day to be?”, helps you to focus your energy and desires.  Moreover, this question could be asked to children to help them clarify what they want in their day and to help you as a parent gain cognition of their wants.  A simple question, and yet, not so simple.   To craft one’s day requires a special kind of building materials;  those of the mind and heart.  When we put this question to children, it shows them we give importance to their desires and that we recognize their uniqueness as human beings.  How often children get lost in the hurried shuffle of everyday affairs.  To begin each day with this simple question is to give our children a feeling of power and direction, which is often lost in a world dominated by adults and their needs.  Let’s not forget that it was only in the 19th century that child psychology came into being.  Alice in Wonderland, published in England in 1865 was the first children’s novel to investigate a child’s mental world, and it also foresaw identity crises, and denial, now commonplaces in the field of psychology.  Until then, the child was often an object of neglect, tyrannical abuse, work exploitation.  Rod’s simple question brings the child into focus, and gives it a dignity and respect, which it was denied for thousands of years.

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The C.H.I. Exercise And Goal Setting

April 27, 2014 10 Comments

“What is it you really want, Veronica?”  Scooter from The Saddle Club Series 2

In the above quote, Scooter confronts Veronica with a fundamental existential question:  “What does one want out of life?”  Veronica has put on a series of masks that enable her to dodge this crucial question.  Her parents have instilled in her their values of wealth, position, and consequent prestige, but are those values what she really wants?  In our commercialized American society we are told how to look, to smell, what to eat, what pills to take, what cars to drive, what constitutes romance, what constitutes beauty and what love is about.  Our parents give us their own values, but what do we really want?  For some people that question remains unanswered and unexplored.  The Chi exercise is a means for approaching this problem.

Rod and Brooks Newton of the Hidden Springs Wellness Center in Ashland Oregon have developed brief morning and evening chi exercises to put the mind in a receptive state for deep thinking.  They begin the exercise by asking you to be aware of your life energy and your heartbeat.  Then, you take three deep breaths and let go of any remaining tension.  This clears the body and mind for concentration.  They then ask you to focus on a candle flame, which grows brighter and brighter until it fills your whole body with light and energy.  The energy takes you to your creating workshop, and you are asked to invite your creating guide, who is a source of intense energy.  Together you try to create the kind of day you want to have.  Two questions arise:  “What has your life really been about?” and, “What do you really want out of life?”  Not easy questions to answer, but essential if you are to lead the most fulfilling life possible.  By increasing your ability to concentrate and by intensifying your energy level, you are more likely to clarify issues that prevent you from answering these questions.  Once you can truly state what you desire out of life, you can begin setting goals of how to get there.  Remember that a major part of life’s magic is process and the surprises that may occur when you take that first crucial step towards getting towards your goal.

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Pine Hollow: A Magic Space For Education

June 17, 2012 Leave a comment

Bonnie Bryant, author of the Saddle Club books, has created a magic space for education:  Pine Hollow.  Surrounded by horses and vast fields, this space is truly what Ukrainian educator, Vasilii Sukhomlinsky called the school”under the blue sky.”  It is interesting to note that Russians have two words for education:  “vospitanie”(upbringing, but a better translation would be moral and social education, and “obrazovanie”(formal education.)  It is clearly the former that has the most significance at Pine Hollow.  However, a few situations concerning formal education do occur:  Lisa Atwood’s problems with geography and her mother’s threat to expel her from her riding classes at Pine Hollow Stables if her grades don’t approve, and Lisa Atwood’s advice to Rafael the gypsy to complete his school work so he can compete better in the “real world.”  But there is no joy in formal education here.  It is simply a requirement one must reconcile oneself to.  On the other hand, the unforced learning that comes from experiences at Pine Hollow is often a source of joy and wonder.  The teachers not only include the people that supervise Pine Hollow, but nature itself:  the expansive fields, the creeks, the mines, and surrounding wildlife.  The girls learn the importance of chores by mucking out stables and taking care of horses.  The girls learn to be more sensitive to other people’s feelings as well, which includes the often commanding, condescending Veronica di Angelo.  In essence, all the adolescents of Pine Hollow are taking steps towards learning”how to care, and be cared for”, a tenet from Stanford educator, Nel Noddings, so they can be wise and understanding parents in the years to come.  The girls are also learning how to express and recognize the different aspects of their personalities.  According to Rod Newton, Director of Hidden Springs Wellness Center in Ashland, Oregon, a healthy human being needs to come to grips with the different characteristics that make up his/her personality.  In the episode, Scooter encourages Veronica to do just that.  Veronica tries to behave like an adult and refers with derision to the “juvenile nature of The Saddle Club.”  She struts around with an impatient air of importance giving orders(like an adult.)  But her attitude causes her to be isolated and inwardly unhappy.  Scooter challenges Veronica to look into herself, and not suppress the carefree, playful child, which is also a part of her.  Throughout the series we witness Veronica’s struggles, climaxing in an intense inner dialogue.  Scooter’s probing question, “What is it you really want, Veronica?” reminds all of us to focus on what is truly meaningful in our lives.

Filed under Children's Literature, Education, Literature, Nature, The Saddle Club, Ukrainian Education Tagged with , , , , , , ,