“The best way for me to demonstrate what I’ve learned is through a standardized test — said NO child ever!” – Chicago public school student activist, 4/24/2013

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There are lies afoot in our schools. Teachers, students, parents, and school administrators know it…and yet the lies continue to throw our children to the curb, burn out our educators, and de-fund our schools every year.

There’s the lie that our children are raw material that standardized factory schools turn into quality products for the job market….

The lie that standardized tests guarantee product quality by identifying and punishing flaws in the factory….

The lie that the goal of education is a standardized job in a standardized system.

And students have had enough of the lies – they’re standing up and walking out, by the hundreds!

It’s time for us as parents, teachers, educators and administrators to offer our children something better – but what is the alternative?

Where is the system that will encourage their natural curiosity, support their character development, introduce them to the joy of learning and growth, teach them to think and make wise decisions…help them to discover what it means to be human?

The answer is as close as your phone…and you can start to get involved right now!

Wisdom Education: A Holistic Approach to Re-imagining Education

Five two-hour teleclasses,
Thursday evenings,
May 9 – June 6, 2013

Imagine a program that empowers our children to transform themselves, their communities, and the world…
…that offers elders as mentors and guides to support them in discovering and pursuing their passion…
…that affirms them in expressing their inner wisdom and the wisdom of their world…

Imagine a program that helps our young people to find their unique vision and mission…
…while empowering them to apply their creativity toward building a more just, sustainable, and compassionate culture.

Does it sound like an impossible fantasy, too good to be true?

Here’s the good news: This thriving, (r)evolutionary program – the Youth and Elders Learning Laboratory of Ancestral Wisdom Education (YELLAWE) – was created by radical theologian/educator Matthew Fox in Oakland, CA, and has been changing the lives of youth since 2007!

And in just 10 hours this spring, you can learn how to apply its principles and practices to bring hope and purpose to the students of your community.

Introducing Wisdom Education: A Holistic Approach to Re-imagining Education

This 5-week telecourse draws back the curtain to show the inner workings of YELLAWE and its thriving offshoot, the Chicago Wisdom Project… programs that have inspired countless students with hope, purpose, inner strength, and love of learning.In five two-hour teleclasses, we’ll explore the most essential questions for a new vision of education …questions such as:

• How can our young people form an identity and become educated without buying into the prevailing cultural beliefs and values such as racism and consumerism?
• How do the stories our civic and religious leaders and our media tell us, the stories we tell ourselves, shape the way we as parents and teachers train our children?
• How do these cultural stories, beliefs, and values inhibit our ability to radically re-imagine education?

Experience Wisdom Education for yourself….

Guided by Chicago Wisdom Project founder/executive director Theodore Richards, Ph.D., we’ll immerse in the core Wisdom Education processes and practices that have transformed the lives of YELLAWE and CWP students:

• Intellectual discussion and exercises in critical thinking
• Spiritual practices such as meditation and rites of passage
• Embodied practices such as martial arts and yoga
• Outdoor experiences such as nature retreats and permaculture gardening
• Hands-on creative projects

With our minds, bodies, spirits and souls affirmed and challenged, we will emerge from the course certified as “Wisdom Teachers” through the Chicago Wisdom Project, with the knowledge and tools to put our training into practice in our communities today.

 

Learn from a pioneering Wisdom Teacher with a global perspective

Theodore Richards, PhD, has worked with inner city youth on the South Side of Chicago, Harlem, the South Bronx, and Oakland, where he was the director of YELLAWE, the groundbreaking program for teens in Oakland created by Matthew Fox. Bringing the principles of Wisdom Education east, he is now the founder and executive director of The Chicago Wisdom Project.

A long time student of the Taoist martial art of Bagua and hatha yoga, he has traveled, worked or studied in 25 countries throughout the developing world., he is an ordained interspiritual minister, poet, religious philosopher, and scholar with multiple degrees, serving as a dean and lecturer on world religions at the New Seminary. He is the visionary author of four books, including Cosmosophia: Cosmology, Mysticism, and the Birth of a New Myth and Creatively Maladjusted: The Wisdom Education Movement Manifesto, which radically re-imagines education. Theodore lives in Chicago with his wife and daughter.

Interact with your classmates from the comfort of your home

Hosted by CSource Wisdom Education, the telecourse uses the MaestroConference conferencing platform, which allows you to ask questions of Theodore during class and connect with other students one-on-one, in breakout groups, and through an online classroom. You will need a telephone with a good connection to call in to the sessions and a computer with Internet connection to access the online classroom. Your call-in number and PIN will be provided upon registration.

 

Invest in the future…for yourself and the next generation

If your mouse-finger has been itching to click the Register button – but you just haven’t found the final compelling reason yet, you’re likely asking some variation of these questions: “What does it cost? What do I receive for my investment? And what is this course worth to me – really?”

The tuition for these 10 intense class hours is just $199 – about $40 per two-hour session – and those hours are packed with value. In addition to the calls and class time interaction with Theodore, you receive benefits to change your life and the life of your community:

• A radical new philosophy of education through the required readings:
  • The AWE Project: Reinventing Education, Reinventing the Human by Matthew Fox
  • Creatively Maladjusted: The Wisdom Education Movement Manifesto by Theodore Richards
• The experience of visioning and completing your own creative project
• A healing or meditative practice of your choice
• Practical tools for working with youth in an embodied and experiential way
• A sample curriculum
• A recording of each class for catch-up listening or later reference
• Ongoing connection with your classmates through the online classroom
• Guidance and support in identifying ways to apply your knowledge as a Wisdom Teacher in your community
• A solid cohort for support and networking during and after the course
• (When you complete the requirements of the course) A certificate from the Chicago Wisdom Project, recognizing you as a Wisdom Teacher…one of a small and growing tribe making a difference in the school systems of America.

The greatest benefit, though, is the inner shift you experience in moving from helpless frustration and outrage to purposeful, informed action. From being an observer, you step into the role of a participant…a knowledgeable resource…a community change agent making an impact for good.

Students are looking for change in schools now…and we’re offering you a special gift for taking action today!

You don’t need to read the headlines to know that our children need advocates for change in the educational system now…the student protests are one more sign of an accelerating crisis. And you have it in your mouse-finger to respond to their need with your creativity, passion, and vision.

Please join us for those five weeks, May 9 – June 6, and learn how to make the difference. There truly is no time to waste.

 In fact, to give you a running start, we will give you Theodore Richards’ groundbreaking e-book, The Chicago Wisdom Project Training Manual as our thank-you gift, so you can start exploring this new approach to education as soon as you complete your registration.

With this energizing manual in hand, you’ll be able to begin visualizing your role in bringing humanity, compassion, creativity, intellectual challenge, and social justice to the system that is failing our childen so badly today. And you can refine that vision when you join Theodore and your classmates in the telecourse.

And to ensure that you have support in your growth as a Wisdom Teacher after the course, we are making it easy to build your network…with a 25% discount on your tuition when you enroll with one or more friends or colleagues!

 But don’t wait….the excitement is building, spaces are limited, and time is passing quickly! Register today, download your Training Manual, and become part of the change!