deeprootcenter
  • Home
    • Contact
    • Our Story
    • Testimonials
    • Guiding Principles
  • About Us
    • The DRC Staff
    • Fees
    • Consultations
    • DRC-Canton Summer Program
    • Canton Afternoon Program
    • Resources >
      • Liberated Learners Network
      • OPT OUT!
  • Get Involved
    • Donate
    • Sponsor a DRC Kid
    • Thank you
    • Grant Funders & Sponsors
  • Blog
Picture

Whole Kids

11/4/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
This morning (Sunday) I experienced a revelation; I would actually refer to it as a fairly profound “a-ha moment.” As I put wood into the fire, I realized that I was feeling really good, awake, and productive. Within that thought, I also concluded that I had gotten out of bed (on a Sunday no less) at my normal wake-up time without the internal dialogue I have had to use recently to convince myself to leave that cozy nest. And I had even accomplished several items on the mental to do list before 9 am. The second thought was a question: Wow, what is going on here? Which was closely followed by the realization that we had “fallen back” last evening.

No, that alone was not the profound moment, and no, it wasn't the extra hour of sleep! I am a morning person: always have been and plan on being one till the end. Every late summer and early fall, however, I find myself dreading the beginning of every day. I drag my sorry butt out of bed and commence with the routine of yoga and getting ready for the day. But today is the day I finally made the connection! The nonsensical time change we persist on sustaining, even though its time of usefulness has been expired for quite a while (if it ever really had one), screws with my body big time, every single year.

I feel good this morning because we are back to standard time; the place my circadian timepiece is most comfortable. Okay, some would ask, why it has taken five decades for me to make that connection? I have always hated the change in time ; I just have never made the direct correlation between feeling blah and uninspired during August-October, with the stupid change in the clocks.

Now you are probably asking what my annual lethargy has to do with education, kids, or Deep Root Center, for that matter? Stay with me here while I connect the dots. Changing the clocks is a manipulation of time that affects our bodies. Most of us recognize that subtle “off” feeling directly after daylight savings time, but carry on. Some of us feel that shift more dramatically. To be honest, when we change the clocks in March, it throws me off balance for the duration of the summer and early fall.

Societal manipulations, food industry manipulations, media manipulations, etc. . . happen all around us all the time, and those manipulations affect us in one way or another. Our kids often feel the brunt of all of this outside negative influence, but don't recognize it as propaganda.

Society tells them they need to study and get good grades to get into college or get a good job. Their peers and media tell them they need to fit in with the crowd, have all the latest “do-dads,” and conform, conform, conform. These are messages based on fear. “If you don't do this, you won't be able to do that.”

How do we foster the whole kids they were originally designed to be? How can we support kids’ efforts to be themselves when everything around them is saying “follow us,” “look like us,” “do the same things we do,” and “you can be cool, too.” How do we counter that powerful message of fear?

They need to hear, in one form or another, the following positive, hopeful message daily: being well rounded, savvy, creative, empathetic, confident, respectful, and compassionate trumps everything else and always will. Our society needs whole kids who know who they are and who are not be afraid to express their individuality: children who are critical thinkers and can tease out the information they are looking for. We need youth who are problem solvers and open-minded, kids who are willing to take on the world.

The message that they are awesome and have fantastic ideas has to be loud and clear. Kids need daily assurance that they are not weird or strange because they choose to be individuals. Children need to learn basic guidelines and points of reference to be able to behave as equal members of society. They need to be treated with respect, so that they know how to be respectful of everyone. If children act out, they need to understand, through conversation, why it is wrong. Youth should have the opportunity to explore their world without rules or a “to do” list. They need to be trusted to make important decisions that directly affect their lives. Kids need space and time to be creative and to play. Sometimes kids need time alone to reflect and ponder their place in the world. They need, above all, to feel the love and trust of the people around them.

Most of us, myself included, have failed at most of those items more than a few times in our years of parenting or teaching. The one guarantee in life, besides the mortal part, is that no one is perfect. We all make mistakes: sometimes they are whoppers, sometimes just little blips, but whole kids understand all of that and forgive mistakes. They can do that because they, too, have made mistakes and have learned enough to recognize realness and honesty as opposed to propaganda and manipulation.

If you know a child or teen who is struggling to be themselves, against all the negative messages they receive daily from the outside world, please let them know Deep Root Center is here to support them to achieve awesome whole kid status.


Picture
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Don't miss a post!

    Sign-up here to get the DRC Blog delivered to your inbox.

    Archives

    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013

Picture
© 2023 Whole Learners, Inc. 501(c)3
Deep Root Center
48 Riverside Drive, Canton, NY 13617

​315*244*3034/maria@deeprootcenter.org
  • Home
    • Contact
    • Our Story
    • Testimonials
    • Guiding Principles
  • About Us
    • The DRC Staff
    • Fees
    • Consultations
    • DRC-Canton Summer Program
    • Canton Afternoon Program
    • Resources >
      • Liberated Learners Network
      • OPT OUT!
  • Get Involved
    • Donate
    • Sponsor a DRC Kid
    • Thank you
    • Grant Funders & Sponsors
  • Blog