OCTOBER

Week 3. Communal Life and Simple Living Material and Tradition Elements for this Block.

EDUCATION

Online Article by Bill Gates, A Quiet Revolution (full text below). Proverbs 1:1-6 These are the wise sayings of Solomon, David's son, Israel's king Written down so we'll know how to live well and right, to understand what life means and where it's going; A manual for living, for learning what's right and just and fair; To teach the inexperienced the ropes and give our young people a grasp on reality. There's something here also for seasoned men and women, still a thing or two for the experienced to learn Fresh wisdom to probe and penetrate, the rhymes and reasons of wise men and women. (The Message Bible)

The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows. Sydney J. Harris Intelligence and compassion, knowledge and love, head and heart together and only together will lead us all safely home. On the eve of Indias independence and in face of nearly insurmountable challenges, when Gandhi was asked what he feared most, he replied, "hardness of heart in the educated." Steven J. Privett SJ, President, University of San Francisco Objectives.
To reflect on ones own education and learning experiences To identify learning objectives and expectations each person has in regards to their community and their places of service To explore the disparity of resources facing children in local schools

Background for Facilitator.

Many volunteers will find themselves in the position of teaching and learning simultaneously. Others are in a position where they are seeking wisdom. They may be asking how they will grow this year or what lessons they will learn. This lesson invites people to look at the importance of education and identifying learning objectives in order to take steps in that direction.

For this session, please plan to spend 90 minutes together. Materials You Will Need.
Newspaper with articles about local education Straws, tape, any variety of basic office supplies

Copies of Newsweek article for everyone

Presentation of The Material. 10 min.

Online Article by Bill Gates, A Quiet Revolution A Quiet Revolution, By Bill Gates During my first year working full time in philanthropy, I met a variety of brilliant people, including AIDS researchers, agronomists developing drought-tolerant crops, and teachers trying to find new ways to inspire students. These people all have different jobs, but they have at least one ambition in common: a desire to innovate. As the world struggles back from the recession of 2009, it's hard to be hopeful about the future. But because of our constant search for progress, I am very optimistic. It's our ingenuity that makes the difference between a bleak future and a bright one. If we project what the world will be like 10 years from now without additional breakthroughs in health, energy, and food, the picture is quite dark. People in poor countries will continue to die from preventable diseases, energy costs will escalate, and the world's population will overwhelm the land available for farming. But innovations will allow us to avoid these bleak outcomes, improving lives in the U.S. and around the world. With better access to vaccines and drugs, health in poor countries will continue to improve. With better seeds, training, and access to markets, farmers in poor countries will grow more food. With a clean way to produce cheap electricity, we will reduce emissions and avert the worst effects of climate change. But unfortunately, society does not generally invest enough in innovationespecially in areas where it would help the poor (who aren't an attractive market) and where there isn't an agreedupon measure of excellence. In the U.S., that means we have not invested nearly what we should in innovation for education. Our education system has been fundamental to our success as a nation, but the way we prepare students has barely changed in 100 years. If we don't find ways to improve our schools, making them more effective and more accessible, we won't fulfill our commitment to equal opportunity, and we will become less competitive with other countries. It's amazing how much a teacher in the top quartile can help a struggling student. But when it comes to feedback, many teachers lack the guidance to help them be great. Instead of specific reviews that discuss their performance, they often get a checklist of basics, like showing up on time and keeping the classroom clean. We need a new system of evaluation, one that delves into specific weaknesses and suggests ways for teachers to work on them. Such a system must also be predictable, of course, so teachers won't fear that it's capricious. It also needs to incorporate things like feedback from students, parents, and fellow teachers, as well as time spent reviewing actual teaching. In pursuit of this new system, our foundation has pledged more than $300 million to districts in Tampa, Memphis, Pittsburgh, and a coalition of charter schools in Los Angeles. Teachers in these cities will be among the first in the country to receive incentive pay that is based on effectiveness. We have also set aside $45 million to study fair, reliable measures of effectiveness. If most of the teachers in these locations like the new approach and share their

positive experiences, then these methods will spread. Our goal is for them to become standard practice nationwide. Another crucial innovation in education involves using interactive technology to deliver highquality materials for teachers and students. Now that watching videos is a standard part of the Internet experience, we can put great lectures online so that everyone can benefit from the best teachers. (Personally, I like the online physics and chemistry courses from MIT.) Alternatively, software can also be used to tailor lessons to individual students, so kids can stop spending time on the things they already know and focus on the areas they are confused about. While it won't replace face-to-face teaching, it could make remedial courses far more effectivehelping students move on to the next phase of their education instead of discouraging them into dropping out. That's the kind of innovation that can lead to a brighter future for everyone.

Gut Response. 5 min.

Give participants two to five minutes to get initial responses to this material down on paper. Encourage them include intellectual and emotional reactions, what their favorite bit/quote is, and anything in between.

Engagement of the Material: Group Activity. 30 min.

Activity: Taking Flight Briefing Ask participants what was best about their experience in the education system, and what was most challenging and frustrating about school. Where did they find the most powerful learning experiences? Inside classrooms? In labs? In the community? On a sports team or band or other performance team? Activity The exercise involves the participants creating the best vehicle for reaching a desired learning outcome. Have a paper airplane on hand to demonstrate (maybe made from newspaper, with an article highlighted that focuses on a local education story, so you can reinforce the idea of getting to know the local community by reading the newspaper). Hand each participant materials for creating a paper airplane. That airplane will represent the vehicle for education, for inspiring young people to take flight in their lives and begin a trajectory toward a meaningful life of work and service. Have a bulls-eye target on the wall, and give each person (or maybe have them work in pairs) the materials, but give some participants or pairs more and better materials than others. Give them a time frame for making the airplane, and then see which plane can come closest to the reaching the bulls-eye.

Group Reflection. 15 min.

Talk about what worked well in the activity, and what was most challenging, and shift the conversation into what insights they can translate from that activity into their work and life together, as they seek to be both learners and teachers in their common life during the year. Talk about how their experience in living and serving community together for a year can be a powerful learning experience. Talk about how the different qualities of materials the different planes had represents the disparity of opportunities different children have when it comes to education.

Pillar Signature: Community Mapping. 15 min.

Have a map of the wider community (the city or town or county) up on a wall, and have a color of sticky notes (the narrow ones) representing where the schools are - flag the highest performing schools and the lowest performing.

The Tradition. 5 min.

These are the wise sayings of Solomon, David's son, Israel's king Written down so we'll know how to live well and right, to understand what life means and where it's going; A manual for living, for learning what's right and just and fair; To teach the inexperienced the ropes and give our young people a grasp on reality. There's something here also for seasoned men and women, still a thing or two for the experienced to learn Fresh wisdom to probe and penetrate, the rhymes and reasons of wise men and women. (The Message Bible) -- Proverbs 1:1-6

Synthesis. 10 min.
In a time of journaling, ask participants to reflect on the following: - Make a list of all the people in your life that you have learned valuable lessons from. - What are some nuggets of wisdom that you continue to use in your life today? - Identify one question that you are seeking wisdom and discernment about.

Prayer. 1 min.
All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. 4 Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. 5 God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. 6 So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son.[b] 7 He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. 8 He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding. -- Ephesians 1:3-8 (NLT)

** additional resource materials/web links**

Waiting for Superman Documentary: http://www.waitingforsuperman.com/ Paulo Freire: http://www.paulofreireinstitute.org/ If teachers were mere baby sitters, pay them accordingly Here a relevant Speaking of Faith radio program from the archives, which can be accessed also as a podcast. It is on Learning, Doing, Being: The New Science of Education Heres a link on 25 Incredible TED Talks for Educators

Inaugural address of Fr. Steve Privett, Educating for a Just Society