Wherever society's outliers give rise to our fears, the quiet and ongoing efforts of silent heroes worldwide - teachers, community members and young people - give rebirth to our hope for transformation. The new generation of humanitarians will apply their carefully practiced character strengths, creativity and practical skills not to destroy but rather to sustain life; not to dismantle civilization but rather to rebuild and unify it; not to become agents of despair but, rather, the agents of change in their generation.
In this newsletter, we invite you to meet a few of these radiant faces of change. May their efforts create bright spots, amplified by those of their 25,000 peers who have also been nurtured in Full-Circle Learning programs over the years. On their behalf, thank you for envisioning education as a light switch to empower these young luminaries. Thank you for being a part of the Full-Circle Learning Family.
Teresa Langness, Board President, for the Staff and Board
(Above: Piru Full-Circle Learning Preschool students; photo by Fabian Ochoa)
On the Horizon:
Teacher training in Contra Costa County - June 18-20
Training 10 Schools in Zambia - June 10-15
Rancho Sespe Summer School - July 8-August 2
Training schools in Papua New Guinea/Australia - September
Training trainers in Gambia - October
Expansion to 3 new counties in Liberia - Fall 2013
Opening of second Ventura County preschool - Fall 2013
Current Activity: Since the start of 2012, Full-Circle Learning has trained or collaborated with 372 teachers serving 12,000 students in 60 schools.
Hearts Connect Across the Globe
Jade Romain participated in the first Full-Circle Learning project as an elementary school student in Los Angeles in the 1990s. She has devoted herself to volunteerism and altruism and now studies speech pathology and audiology at a university in New Orleans.
Driven by her passion to reach out to a new generation of FCL students in need, Jade established a scholarship to pay a year's expenses for a student at the Blessed Vale School, in Zambia. The Zambian recipient, a 12-year old girl named Melissa, orphaned at age 5, wrote, "I was so happy when I received the blessing from you....I failed to believe it was true when my teacher Beauty told me...This makes me understand what I was taught at Blessed Vale School, that I should always have a positive mind..."
Jade was moved to tears when she read the heartfelt letter, but now her story has an even happier outcome. In the summer of 2013, she will travel with Antoinette Wright to volunteer at Blessed Vale, where she will meet Melissa face to face. She will get to advance her own research and to see how students in a community facing great obstacles are striving to become its change agents. Now, as a teacher instead of a student, Jade's service will come full-circle.
Sacrificial donors and on-the-ground collaborators have helped grow the African projects all around. Honorary board member Dr. Farzin Rahmani is working out a plan with the school to donate land for the Blessed Vale high school and Full-Circle Learning training center.
Upon receiving her scholarship from Jade (bottom) Melissa (top) said: "This makes me understand what I was taught at Blessed Vale School, that I should always have a positive mind..."
The Pillow Project: Creativity to Keep Girls in School
The Pillow Project funds youth reaching out to other youth! Full-Circle Learning Students at Tarzana Elementary School were the first to participate in this collaborative project of Full-Circle Learning, Barnett & Company Design, of Decatur, Georgia, and participating fabric stores in that region.
Here's how it works: students create fabric art that reflects their current habit-of-heart themes and cultures. They sew their work onto fabric patches for Margaret Barnett and her team to display on designer pillows. Retail stores will sell the purposeful pillows. Once sold, the pillow proceeds will benefit Girls United Liberia, a Full-Circle Learning project that helps girls publish creative works to encourage other girls to stay in school and avoid childhood marriage.
Full-Circle Learning volunteer artist/blogger Arlo Gordon led volunteers at Tarzana as they helped students create meaningful art. Arlo praised the designers, the volunteers, the teacher and the children. Click here to read Arlo's new blog!
Advocating for the Tiniest Among Us
Students advocated for the most vulnerable members of society - premature newborns - as part of their learning unit plan at the Full-Circle Learning Tarzana Habits-of-Heart Club in March. The project culminated with a field trip to the hospital to hold a special ceremony in honor of the parents and caregivers who work tirelessly to help the infants thrive. Teacher Miguel Pena helped the students prepare speeches, certificates and gifts. Full-Circle Learning Operations Director Hyla Douglas rehearsed their music with them. The overwhelming response from the honorees was captured by the hospital's representative, Michelle Schaubert, R.N. , who wrote in an unsolicited letter:
"Words cannot adequately express how very moved we all were by the presentation at Providence Tarzana Medical Center for our NICU caregivers and parents. The children in your program (Full Circle Learning) are an inspiration to us...the children displayed so much courage, sang to us from their hearts and spoke so eloquently about their feelings. Everyone played a role in the presentation; whether it was speaking and sharing feelings, or singing or drawing beautiful certificates about caring and heroes.
Personally, I feel great joy and much hope having experienced first-hand the character, compassion, courage and leadership that the children shared with all of us. I am looking forward to these same children, our future generation, to lead our country while embracing those very same qualities."
Students advocated for premature newborns at Providence Tarzana Hospital as a Full-Circle Learning unit culmination project. This Tarzana-based Full-Circle Learning project receives funding assistance from the Mona Foundation.
Youth Mentoring Youth
Sending Cross-Country Comfort
SANAD children in Pomona, California practiced the habit of empathy by expressing their mutual grief to the Sandy Hook school community. The parents and children could not seem to articulate the sadness, but the mood was somber at this Sudanese cultural preservation school. This inspired Katie Smith, the early childhood teacher, to provide students with an act of empathy... locally.
The children surveyed the teachers and students to calculate the number of hot chocolate servings needed. They also tallied those who did and did not prefer whipped cream. Once the data was collected, the students and teachers went to work, pouring and stirring the mixture. Students counted the cups and proceeded to deliver the offering. Students sang the Empathy song to bring them to a deeper understanding of the habit. They sent their picture and letter to their "brothers and sisters" in Connecticut.
Dear Sandy Hook Families and Community,
This letter comes to you from the preschool, kindergarten, and first grade children of SANAD Foundation in California. I volunteer with this organization that strives to teach habits of heart. Recently, we have been practicing the habit of empathy in our own community. When we heard of your sadness, we were unsure how we could express our empathy so many miles away. As a group, we wrote this letter to express our condolences, our empathy, and our love. "We want you to know that we are sorry for your loss. Today everyone at our school felt so sad. We wanted to cheer up our school, so we are giving everyone hot chocolate. We wish we could give you hot chocolate and a hug."
With Love,
SANAD
Universal Connectedness Through Science
Professor Marisol Rexach's Chapman University class won over fans not only on her campus this semester, but at King Elementary, the Santa Ana elementary school campus where the student teachers apply their learning. The professor explained:
"With the current shift to the Common Core State Standards, this approach to teaching and learning offers the opportunity to engage FCL's long-standing dedication to promoting critical thinking, creativity, and collaboration with a commitment to applying these skills to benefit all of humanity."
Marisol commented, "As they study various ecosystems, they clearly recognized the local and global implications of individual actions. They engaged in learning projects that allowed them to recognize the importance of connecting to a larger purpose. On the final day, we hosted a celebration. Over 50 family members attended the student presentations. Students and the Chapman soon-to-be teachers all sang the Questions song, a FCL song that emphasizes that all scientific inquiry begins with a question."
This semester, 28 students were enrolled in a Chapman University course called "Teaching in a Culturally Diverse World: Math and Science Methods," where Professor Marisol Rexach explained that they "applied their blossoming understanding of Full-Circle Learning's integrated education model." The Chapman student teachers then helped King Elementary students in Santa Ana express the habit of Universal Connectedness through a study of eco-systems.
Liberia Listens
Davidson Efetobore, the Full-Circle Learning Program Director for Africa, had just finished a successful meeting with the Education Ministry of Liberia, the Honorable Tarpeh, when a local radio show, Liberian Women Democracy Radio, called him in to spread news of the widespread success of Full-Circle Learning programs in the region. His companions, administrators of local schools, were Mrs. Dorbar and Mr. Cooper. They told stories of the transformation of their students and the increase of motivation on campus. One listener remarked, "This is what the country really needs now!"
A year of planning is underway to implement new trainings in three more counties. Davidson has videotaped some of the training workshops to make the process smoother. A private donor's sacrificial grant has made it more possible to reach the point where we meet the request for growth in Liberia.
One listener remarked, "This is what the country really needs now!" in response to the radio show about Liberia's growing Full-Circle Learning initiative. Mrs. Dorbar, Mr. Cooper and Mr. Efetobore answered listeners' questions.
A Lifelong Train of Thought
Piru Full-Circle Learning Preschool students started a lifelong habit of respect for elders this year. They practiced applications of the habit of respect and they studied all the places where the skill might be useful. Special field trips gave them experience using their polite words in public. When their integrated learning unit included a study of transportation, this skill became a community project suited for the annual parade.
Families, friends and neighbors helped them decorate a float on which to demonstrate their special skills for the community. The preschoolers enjoyed riding the Respect Train together. Out in Ventura County, where the Fillmore and Western has long served the public with railway service, the float was a relevant place to practice meeting and greeting elders on a train.
This Full-Circle Learning preschool is highly praised for its community involvement. The Respect Train project benefited from the donation of a tractor from a local citizen and from the creativity of Sugey Lopez and her teaching team. A tobacco tax through First 5 Ventura County and plenty of parent volunteers help make this program possible.
Photos by Fabian Ochoa
Messages from our Chinese Collaborators
Regarding the earthquake, we have received assurance from our friends at the Hangzhou Teachers College at Zhejiang University:
People are acting immediately and trying to do everything to help. Our government has been carrying out the rescue work continuously and effectively. Everyone, including the very young in the kindergartens, is doing something (such as making good wishes) for the people in Ya'an, Sichuan province. ...And we truly believe that with your heart-felt support and love, we'll finally conquer the crisis. We are sharing this belief, "Hold on, people in Lu Shan, Ya'an! We're together."
Thank you, our good friends. Our hearts will beat together forever.
Yang Congcong
Education, especially pre-school education, is important in this sense. The love of nature and of people, the altruism, compassion and empathy it teaches to children surely will help to reduce all the social and environmental tension in this world. I want to thank you [Full-Circle Learning] for bringing that thought of preschool education to Greentown.
Yu Shuigen
Poetry with a Purpose
Several students of SANAD Academy participated in the Orange County Young Author's Fair. The theme of "Green" made clear connections to the group's habit-of-heart focus, Empathy. Eighth grader Ehsan Hassabelrasoul articulated these sentiments with two poems demonstrating an understanding of actions tied to empathy and hope for our Earth.We end with these words of inspiration from a young luminary. Read Ehsan's first poem below. For the second poem, with artwork, please click here to read The Beautiful Tree.
Can't You?
By Ehsan Hassabelrasoul, SANAD Academy
Can't you hear it?
The sound of birds chirping
The sound of the worlds weapons falling, hitting the ground
The sound of harmony throughout all nations
Can't you smell it?
The smell of clean pure air
The smell of live healthy flowers
The smell of ripened apple trees
Can't you taste it?
The taste of clean fresh drinking water
The taste of that apple... off of a grown apple tree
The taste of the first bite of your meal, after knowing everyone else in the world has a meal, too
Can't you see it?
The sight of locking of hands from country to country, continent to continent
The sight of earth being green instead of brown
The sight of a full healthy human being instead of a brittle hungry one
Can't you feel it?
The feeling of unity between everyone doing this together
The feeling of achieving an impossible dream of making this world a better place
The feeling of a warm sun, instead of a hot sun caused from global warming
The feeling of the Earth being healed
The feeling of GREEN !
Mother's Day idea!
Your contribution funds schools, wisdom exchanges and teacher support, locally and around the globe. Please help by donating online or by sending a check to Full-Circle Learning, at Box 996, Topanga CA 90290.
Thank you!
Thank you to EDI/EHG Fund, First 5 Ventura County, the Mona Foundation, Aspen Environmental and all our pledged donors, volunteers and supporters who help sustain the projects that make the difference for the next generation.
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