Is your child an introvert?

Is your child an introvert?

Rainbow Community School has always been a safe haven for introverted children.  In a world where social aggressiveness has be glorified, especially in the competitive public education model, Rainbow has always had a way of understanding and honoring the power of the introvert.

Three insights from Rainbow on educating introverts:

1.  Provide “in-breath and out-breath” time.  At Rainbow, we have active and “outward” times of day; but unlike most schools, those are balanced with “inward” times.  Every day has moments of silence, such as when we take three breaths together at morning centering, or when we watch nature, or when we decide to have a meditational lunch.

2. Provide many speaking opportunities where introverts can share about something they are passionate about in a safe space — with their classmates.  That eventually builds up to speaking in front of the whole community.  However, if they are actually terrified, allow them to “pass” until they are comfortable.  It takes time to build trust.

3. Allow introverts to find a role they are comfortable with.  Instead of forcing a terrified child to sing in a performance, a Rainbow teacher might ask them to take on another role, such as being in charge of costumes or props.  Such a role actually makes them a leader in the eyes of their peers, and builds confidence.

How Parents And Teachers Can Nurture The ‘Quiet Power’ Of Introverts

The Happiness Index and More

The Happiness Index and More

jeffrey-sachs-croppedJeffrey Sachs, one of Time’s “Most Influential People,” is the world’s most important economist.  He works for the UN and countries around the world to promote sustainability, and he is on a life-long mission to wipe out poverty.  Dr. Sachs is the originator of the Happiness Index — the concept that we should be quantifying a nation’s success on the measure of their happiness rather than their GNP.  I was fortunate to meet Jeffrey Sachs when I was at Harvard this summer for the Future of Learning program, and was so inspired that I am going to be taking on online course with him beginning in a few weeks called the Age of Sustainable Development.  Columbia University is offering the course free of charge, and it is open to anyone who desires a deep holistic understanding of how to move into the future sustainably.  To resister for the course, go to https://www.coursera.org/course/susdev.  If you are a teacher, Dr. Sachs and Columbia’s Earth Institute are allowing teachers to use the course materials to incorporate into their own instruction without copyright infringement.  They are on a mission to spread the message.  ~Renee Owen, Rainbow Community School