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    Teaching from the Heart: 100 Meditations for Teachers
    Teaching from the Heart: 100 Meditations for Teachers
    Teaching from the Heart: 100 Meditations for Teachers
    Ebook116 pages1 hour

    Teaching from the Heart: 100 Meditations for Teachers

    By Jonti Marks

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    About this ebook

    "Teachers are givers: generous with their time, their care and their attention. They hold dear the values that society as a whole often forgets or abandons but which are the ones that make us and keep us fully human..."

    'Teaching from the Heart' is a series of 100 inspirational messages for teachers and all those involved or interested in the education of young people. Written by a teacher with nearly 30 years experience, it comes from a place of real understanding and from an educator who has genuine respect, compassion and love for Teachers and Students alike.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherJonti Marks
    Release dateSep 3, 2014
    ISBN9780954874377
    Teaching from the Heart: 100 Meditations for Teachers
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    Author

    Jonti Marks

    Jonti Marks was born in London and grew up partly in England and partly in Kenya. He was a school teacher for 27 years and worked in Zambia, Kenya and the UK as an English and Drama teacher and also as a Head. He left teaching in 2013 to devote himself to his writing full-time. Jonti became a Freemason in Nairobi in 1990 and has always been interested in the deeper, spiritual significance of the Craft. His Masonic writings aim to illuminate these hidden depths and to help make Freemasonry relevant, useful and inspiring for Masons and non-Masons alike. Jonti's non-Masonic writings are largely informed either by his experiences as a teacher or by his life in Kenya - and often by his life as a teacher in Kenya! Jonti's book,' Teaching from the Heart:100 Meditations for Teachers' follows the format of the Masonic books and offers 100 inspirational messages for teachers, parents, policy makers and educationalists in every sphere who do so much to determine the well-being of our society and the future of the planet. It was written as a parting gift to the profession and is the distillation of a 30-year philosophy of education that appears increasingly important and even urgent in today's moral climate. 'The Bhagavad-Gita in 18 Sonnets' also reflects a lifetime's interest and a deep connection with the spiritual teachings of India. Jonti has been familiar with the Gita for all of his life and was moved to try to capture some of the essence and spirit of this sacred text in a wholly poetic form. You can find out more about Jonti at: www.jontimarks.com

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      Book preview

      Teaching from the Heart - Jonti Marks

      Jonti Marks.

      Copyright Jonti Marks 2014

      This edition published by Jonti Marks at Smashwords

      The right of Jonti Marks to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

      This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favourite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

      teachersmeditations@gmail.com

      Introduction:

      I was a teacher for 27 years and so you could say that this book has been 27 years in the making. I’ve taught different curricula in different countries. When I did my teacher training, there was no National Curriculum in the United Kingdom. That came later and, by then, I was gone, first to Zambia and then to Kenya.

      In Zambia I taught the Zambian National Curriculum. In Kenya, a modified British Curriculum with a local bias and by the time I came back to England, there it was: the National Curriculum with its attendant SATs, Key Stages, Attainment Targets, etc., etc.

      What I learned from all of these changes was that, first of all, good teachers are infinitely flexible. They have to be because, ultimately, the content of their teaching is determined to a great extent, by other people. Secondly, I came to realise that what made a good teacher was not anything to do with content. Obviously, the older the students we teach, the more expert we need to be in our chosen field, but, actually, the thing that makes us really good is to be found in our character, in the way in which we relate to and encourage and see our young people. It is found in our hearts.

      I believe that teaching is the noblest of professions; that the best teachers are the best of society. But I also know how difficult it can be for us to remain true to ourselves as we struggle to hit the ever-growing number of targets imposed on us by a system that relies for its success on our ability to forge deep, meaningful, honest relationships but is, itself, both impersonal and distant. This book is a series of inspirational thoughts and messages to teachers - and to anyone involved in the education of young people - inviting them to consider the importance of what they are doing - its value and its contribution to society as a whole. It invites them to reflect on what it was that led them to become teachers in the first place and the vital role that they play in helping our young people to grow up to be happy and fulfilled, valued and valuable citizens in a world that, through our efforts, will become increasingly safe and sane for all of us and for all the generations to come.

      JAM

      Sept. 2014

      Dedication:

      To all the teachers I’ve worked with who have taught me so much and been so generous with their time, their expertise and their care.

      To all the young people I have been lucky enough to teach who have given me so much joy, many of whom are now considering the best ways to educate their own children.

      To my own children, as ever: Malaika, Jesse and Sami.

      And to Jo, of course, for her matchless love and support.

      Contents:

      Title page

      Copyright

      Introduction

      Dedication

      Contents

      1 Not everything that counts can be counted...

      2 I hold that the aim of life...

      3 Character is the most precious gift...

      4 Creativity now is as important...

      5 I have never let my schooling...

      6 Education is the most powerful weapon...

      7 Children must be taught how to think...

      8 The point is to develop the childlike inclination...

      9 [Kids] don't remember what you try to teach them...

      10 Educating the mind without educating the heart...

      11 The mind is not a vessel to be filled...

      12 Learning happens in the minds and souls...

      13 Prejudices, it is well known...

      14 Children, like adults, learn what they want to learn...

      15 The intuitive mind is a sacred gift...

      16 In real life, I assure you...

      17 Ideally, what should be said to every child...

      18 Without education, we are in a horrible and deadly danger...

      19 Education is our passport to the future...

      20 The educated differ from the uneducated...

      21 Many highly talented, brilliant, creative people...

      22 Try not to have a good time...

      23 It is the supreme art of the teacher...

      24 Anyone who stops learning is old...

      25 Self-education is, I firmly believe...

      26 Education either functions as an instrument...

      27 I think the big mistake in schools...

      28 Earth and sky, woods and fields...

      29 Education is what remains...

      30 Imagination is the source...

      31 ...nothing that is worth knowing...

      32 The advancement and diffusion of knowledge...

      33 Real learning comes about...

      34 Education breeds confidence...

      35 The principle goal of education...

      36 To me the worst thing seems to be a school...

      37 For they have been taught to know...

      38 Imagination is the source of every form...

      39 Human history becomes more and more a race...

      40 There are few things more pathetic...

      41 The secret of education...

      42 One should guard against preaching...

      43 Only the educated...

      44 The purpose of education is to replace an empty mind...

      45 There is no system in the world...

      46 The very existence of obligatory schools...

      47 My own criterion of success...

      48 The example of great and pure individuals...

      49 It is time that we were challenging...

      50 We can’t measure what’s important...

      51 Knowing is not enough...

      52 Schools with the most imaginative and creative approaches...

      53 Our task is to educate their (our students’) whole being...

      54 No man can reveal to you aught...

      55 We are all born artists...

      56 We should spend less time ranking children...

      57 One had to cram all this stuff into one's mind...

      58 New generations must be given the chance...

      59 A second major illusion on which the school system rests...

      60 I believe this passionately...

      61 The most important motive for work in school...

      62 Creators learn what they want to learn...

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