What is life about? While there are many goals in Integral Education related to development of the whole being – body, vital (emotions and character), mind, psychic (soul), and spiritual – there is an important overall aim in this philosophy of education. This is the aim to help children discover for themselves their life-purpose and develop the skills, knowledge, and self-discipline they will need to manifest that purpose. Life purpose is much more than the choice of a job or career in life. Rather, it represents the deeper reason for those choices. If you want to become something, why do want to do so? Do you want to earn money, obtain security and comfort, develop your highest potential, serve your family or community or humanity, or seek and serve a higher truth?
In Integral Education this self-discovery is of supreme importance. The Mother of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Mirra Alfassa, who first pioneered Integral Education, conveyed to the students of the Ashram School this important value to life when She said,
Une vie sans but est une vie sans joie. Ayez tous un but; mais n’oubliez pas que de la qualité de votre but dépendra la qualité de votre vie. Que votre but soit élevé et vaste, généreux et désintéressé; ainsi votre vie deviendra précieuse pour vous-mêmes et pour les autres. (Alfassa, 1950)
“An aimless life is always a life without joy. Everyone one of you should have an aim. But do not forget that the quality of your life will depend upon the quality of your aim. Your aim should be high and wide, generous and disinterested; this will make your life precious to yourself and to others.” [Translation mine.]
There are many reasons for the choices we make in life and, according to Reker and Wong1, depending upon our state of consciousness, our purpose can be motivated by the satisfaction of hedonistic pleasure, the realization of personal potential, commitment to social or political causes, or values related to cosmic meaning and ultimate purpose. In Integral Education, as stated by The Mother, our quality of life depends upon our aim, which ought to be directed towards higher values such as the discovery of ultimate purpose, service to others, and the manifestation of one’s full human potential.
For elementary and secondary students, Integral Education seeks to accomplish this aim by helping students become aware of their selves holistically, which is to say they must become conscious of all aspects of their being through self-knowledge, and becoming the masters of their destiny through personal mastery. Thus, program components such as regular meditation, the practice of Yoga and Awareness Though the Body, self-expression through the theater and creative arts, music, and the nurturing of culturally refined individuals become as critical to the overall educational experience as does academics. Academics and world-knowledge are important, but without self-knowledge and the wisdom it brings, such knowledge can lead to serious defects of character and cause one to do great harm in the world. Imagine looking at the academic records of Bernie Maddhof or Kenneth Delay. One can easily imagine that both excelled in academics, yet look at all the damage they wrought. Integral Education seeks to help children develop their truest and deepest potential so that they can become refined human beings who embody the highest and greatest good for themselves, their families, and their communities. For us, for the children, this is what life is about.
1 Reker, G. T., & Wong, P. T. P. (2008, draft). Personal meaning in life and psychosocial adaptation in the later years. In P.T.P. Wong & Fry, P.S. (Eds.), The human quest for meaning (2nd ed.). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
I think we have good teachers in school. They really help me learn, and I have fun in school.
The teachers make learning fun!I think they are doing a good job as teachers. I really love my drama class and my science class!
From:
Kai
2nd grade
Thank you, Kai. I also think all your teachers are awesome!!