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At the GCGI we believe every child, young person, students and their teachers should have regular opportunities and ease of access to connect with nature, so they can learn to value it, appreciate it, enjoy it, prioritise it and take action to save it.
The Tree of Wisdom, Old whimsical tree in the Wicklow forest, Ireland.
Photograph by Jenny Rainbow: fineartamerica.com
I offer this in honour of our forthcoming coming conference in Lucca, Tuscany, 28 August-1 September 2018
“Be like the sun for grace and mercy.
Be like the night to cover others’ faults.
Be like running water for generosity.
Be like death for rage and anger.
Be like the Earth for modesty.
Appear as you are.
Be as you appear.”-Rumi
‘When we fiddle with nature, there can be unforeseen consequences. When we fiddle with nature in big ways, entire civilizations collapse.’
Man and Nature: George Perkins Marsh
Author: David Lowenthal
A lesson for our times
“George Perkins Marsh's Man and Nature was the first book to attack the American myth of the superabundance and the inexhaustibility of the earth. It was, as Lewis Mumford said, "the fountainhead of the conservation movement," and few books since have had such an influence on the way men view and use land. "It is worth reading after a hundred years," Mr. Lowenthal points out, "not only because it taught important lessons in its day, but also because it still teaches them so well...Historical insight and contemporary passion make Man and Nature an enduring classic."
‘This was the essence of a densely written book, Man and Nature; or, Physical Geography as Modified by Human Action, published in 1864 in New York and London. It wasn’t much anticipated, and the author, George Perkins Marsh, a former congressman from Vermont, was little known. Yet it went on to be an international bestseller, was translated into multiple languages, was repeatedly updated in expanded editions, and is now generally recognized to be one of the most important books ever published. Its arguments were a major factor in the creation of the Forest Preserve…
‘When the forest is gone, the great reservoir of moisture stored up in its vegetable mould is evaporated, and returns only in deluges of rain to wash away the parched dust into which that mould has been converted,” Marsh wrote. Springs dry up, soils erode, ecological communities deteriorate, and agriculture fails; everything dependent on the stable regime protected by forests and a reliable watershed—in other words, civilization itself—is at risk. The decline of the Roman Empire, he concluded, was at least partially attributable to “man’s ignorant disregard of the laws of nature…’Continue to read
Nature, Education, Teaching and Learning
Photo:bing.com
The Wisdom of Mother Nature: “Speaks not a word in any human language, and yet everything in Nature inspires humanity to seek and learn, engendering awe, mystery, and an enthusiasm for uncovering the truth behind her workings, her creations, her cycles and her balance. As such, she is the primal teacher archetype of inspirational teaching and the root of all scientific enquiry. Hence, ‘science’ has been defined as “mankind’s attempt to understand Nature”. The great scientist Albert Einstein expressed it more dramatically stating, “We still do not know one thousandth of one percent of what Nature has revealed to us.”
More than parent and student communities, the teaching fraternity needs to understand that the essential purpose of education is not to enable students to earn a living, but to learn how to live life. As the primal teacher, Mother Nature teaches both the secret of life, which is to respect all life, and also how to live one’s own life in harmony and balance with all creation, exemplified by the manner in which various species of the natural world live in peaceful co-existence.
Encouraging observation of the daily miracles of Nature has profound effects on students. One effect is a heightened appreciation of life and its wonders, with corresponding understanding of how each plant and animal contributes its own unique qualities, abilities and skills to the whole, complementing one another to enhance Nature’s overall beauty, practicality and efficiency. When this pedagogy is utilised and concept applied to society, it helps foster respect for others and their talents, and instills the desire in students to work together for the betterment of the community as a whole.
Nature’s greatest teaching technique for vital survival skills is ‘trial and error’. While the parents of a young animal may teach and demonstrate, the mastering of any skill can only come from the repeated attempts of the ‘youngster’ himself, and each failure becomes the foundation of learning for the next attempt. When this pedagogy is utilised in classrooms, teachers become ‘guides,’ encouraging students to seek their own answers, their own solutions to problems, and learn by doing. This also infuses creativity and enthusiastic participation into the learning process.
Nature is also an exemplary interactive teacher. She teaches us most vividly the concepts of action/reaction as plants and animals mirror our own state of mind — positive and negative. Plants and animals ‘respond’ in a positive manner to tender, loving care. Hence, from hardened criminals to the criminally insane, study after study has shown the benefits of people working with Nature, especially animals, not only for the individual, but for society as a whole.
These benefits become visible in the classroom as well when students work with plants and/or animals. In addition, students gain a sense of responsibility and self-satisfaction as life forms they nurture, grow and flourish. Extra-curricular group activities that include service projects in the community centred around cleaning and beautification of parks, waterways, and forest areas, reinforce the values of volunteerism and cooperation.
Today, humanity stands at the crossroads, both environmentally and in the field of education. We are in the grip of an environmental crisis that threatens the very survival of the human race — a crisis that has been brought about by our own destructive actions and activities. Global warming and climate change, species extinction and pollution are destroying the pyramid of life whose very foundation is Nature and her various ecosystems.
As the capstone of this pyramid, humankind is facing imminent destruction as its base of fertile soil, clean water and air provided by Nature is being steadily eroded, with species of flora and fauna disappearing at unprecedented rates. Already over 60 percent of the planet’s ecosystems are near the point of no return, according to the United Nations.
As educators, we have a duty to society not only to make our students aware of this crisis, but also to encourage them to do something about it, since it is they and their children who will inherit our planet-under-siege. By bringing Nature back into the classroom, we can instill in our students an understanding and respect for all aspects of creation. And by bringing students back into the ‘classroom of Mother Nature’, Nature herself will inspire them to act to protect her and their own future. The ripple effects of our actions will touch not only their parents and immediate community, but the nation and world as a whole.
The future is of today’s children. But it’s our duty to find and light the path toward regeneration and rejuvenation of Mother Nature, of planet Earth, to bring a greater understanding of the oneness of all creation, of which we are part. Once again, as Einstein put it, “Look deep into Nature, and then you will understand everything better.” (Pamela Gale Malhotra is the trustee and co-founder of the SAI Sanctuary Trust, South Kodagu/Coorg district, Karnataka, South India (www.saisanctuary.com)
More on The Wisdom of Nature
'We are always being told that nature is good for us – and that we should spend more time in its company for the sake of our health. What is less well flagged up is that nature is as important to us as a source of nourishment for our souls. Nature is a kind of book, and when we open our eyes to it, find its pages filled with distinctive lessons about wisdom and serenity. In a set of alpine flowers growing on a hillside, we can read a defence of the value and beauty of the everyday; an evening sky can lend legitimacy and dignity to our melancholy states; there are invitations to calm in the unhurried motions of a Friesian cow; the sight of the distant stars can settle our anxieties by evoking our insignificance in the wider scheme. This set of essays highlights some of the most psychologically nourishing landscapes, flora and fauna of the planet. It functions as a reminder of all the consolation and redemption available to us in the natural world.'...Continue to read
And now continue to read a bit more on the wisdom of nature and more
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Photo: shepheard-walwyn.co.uk
‘With immigration and asylum seekers high on the agenda of governments throughout Europe, the life story of Dr Teame Mebrahtu is a timely reminder of a positive side of what has become a contentious and potentially divisive issue. It is a truly remarkable and inspiring story.
Dr Mebrahtu, born in the village of Adi Ghehad in the Eritrean Highlands, was a leading teacher trainer in his country but was forced to leave when his life was in danger in the 1970s.
The book first traces his early life in Eritrea, then part of Ethiopia, his efforts to get an education – the first in his family to do so – his involvement in student demonstrations against the government of Emperor Haile Selassie, resulting in imprisonment, and his rise to become Director of the Asmara Teacher Training Institute amidst the political unrest and bloodshed of the Eritrean liberation struggle. He was an eyewitness to the moment Haile Selassie was deposed.
During this time he had been developing his philosophy of teaching, first as a teacher then a teacher trainer, which was to mark the rest of his career. He firmly believes the welfare of students is an essential precursor to academic success.
When his life came under threat, he managed to leave the country to study for a PhD at Bristol. Within a year of arriving he was ordered back to Addis Ababa by the Mengistu regime. Sensing his life was again in danger, he refused and applied for and was granted asylum. Although entitled to state benefits, he declined saying he had not earned them. Instead, he persuaded local schools to let him talk to pupils about Africa and the Africans bringing new understanding of those with a different culture. His popular talks won him a grant from the Rowntree Trust.
While the Eritrean liberation war raged, he raised support for refugees fleeing the fighting and living in camps in Sudan. He visited the camps advising on schooling for the refugee children. Later he went to train teachers in the Zero School set up in caves in liberated parts of Eritrea, braving the Ethiopian MiGs.
After obtaining his PhD, he joined the staff of the Bristol Graduate School of Education where, for 24 years, he became a respected senior academic and adviser to international students – many of whom went on to have leading roles in the education system of their countries. He has become a valued member of his local community. An acknowledged expert on multicultural education and the problems of refugees, he has provided advice and valuable insights from his own experience during the troubled history of Eritrea and whilst establishing a new life in Britain.’
A Highly Recommended Book
“Stories of outstanding people, who overcome great adversity, encounter almost impossible odds in rising from humble beginnings in remote villages to become noteworthy citizens of the world, form part of the most uplifting areas of literature. Such individuals and their life experiences in following a powerful mission to improve human-kind, provide exemplars of how to live a truly good life. This account of the life of Dr Teame Mebrahtu is undoubtedly part of that pantheon of biographies.”- Professor Malcolm Johnson, University of Bristol
“Teame Mebrahtu is a man who received a special vocation and who has held on to it all his life: To be a teacher in the full meaning of the word… It is difficult to understand how it has been possible for one person to take on and to fulfill so many tasks. In his work he has not sought a personal career. In all of it we see a deep concern for people, which in the end is what counts in life. Take the book and read it!”- Prof. Arve Brunvoll, Bergen, Norway
“…This account is memorable. It is a salutary illustration of one man’s reasons for flight, of his desire to contribute to his host country, of his passion for education. At a time when refugees are regularly dehumanised in public discourse, this story shows how people of different cultures can find understanding and common ground.” - Fleur Houston, Reform Magazine
“An honest and genuine narration of Teame’s life long devotion to the art of teaching coupled with a rare personality trait of ready empathy with the underdog.”- Tukue Woldeamlek, Retired Eritrean Educator
“[Dr Mebrahtu’s] views on “living with difference” point the way for diverse communities and cultures to come together in harmony and understanding and are therefore relevant to all of us in the Churches.”- John Singleton, Methodist Recorder
“A valuable resource for those seeking to understand the issues of immigration, the conflicting forces facing asylum seekers, and the challenges for countries where they gain sanctuary. Dr Mebrahtu’s reflections on the issues of immigration both for the immigrants and the host community, based on his own experience and that of the many other refugees he helped, are thought provoking.” - Henleaze & Westbury Voice
Click here to purchase ‘Long Way from Adi Ghehad:Journey of an Asylum Seeker: Dr Teame Mebrahtu’
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Bristol University, where seven students have killed themselves in less than 18 months. Photo: Olaf Protze / Getty Images
Dear Prof. Brady,
Greetings. I hope this note finds you in good heart. I am writing to thank you for your recent reflection about the tragic cluster of suicides of students at your university in an interview with the Guardian. Thank you for sharing your candid views with us. It is refreshing to note a vice-chancellor speaking frankly on this heartbreaking subject.
But as you point out: “Unfortunately this is a global sectoral issue. If you look over the last five to eight years across the UK, but equally in Canada and the US, the number of students seeking help for and declaring mental health issues has almost tripled.”
You have identified some of the possible reasons for this continuing and deepening crisis, such as the social media, student debt, desire for perfection, uncertain future, the world in turmoil, etc.
All of the above reasons are true, but in my opinion this is not the full story, the story that somehow the universities themselves, wittingly or unwittingly, are responsible for making.
The two main reasons that I believe were omitted from your list are:
1- Our prevalent and dominant global economic model and system which promotes individualism, selfishness, greed, feral competition, rat-race, targets after targets, success as measured by how much one earns and such like; which in turn has given us an age of anger, cynicism, frustration, hopelessness, loneliness and lack of self-worth, devoid of values, virtues and trust;
2- Our education and teaching model that have adopted the above values, which in turn, have sustained and given credibility to the above economic system.
I am often asked: ‘What is the main role and function of a "good" education?’ or indeed ‘What is a UNIVERSITY?’ ,questions that I strongly believe have not been answered by our university leaders. Critical questions which remains to be answered.
Thus, is a 'good education' to equip students with marketable skills to help countries compete in a global, information-based workplace? Has this overwhelmed other historically important purposes of education, and thus, short- changing us all and in particular the students?
If there is a shared national purpose for education, should it be oriented only toward enhancing the narrow vision of a country's economic success? Should education be answerable only to a narrowly defined economic bottom line, or do we need to discover a more comprehensive, inclusive bottom line, given the catastrophic crises that we are witnessing all around us? Are the interests of the individuals and selective groups overwhelming the common good that the education system is meant to support? Should our cherished educational values be all up for sale to the highest bidder? Should private sector management become the model for our mainly publicly-funded education system? Should the language and terminology of for profit- only business model, such as “downsizing”, “outsourcing”, “restructuring”, ”marketisation”, “privatisation” and “deregulation”, amongst others, be allowed to become the values of education, when teaching and learning is nothing short of a vocation and sacrament?
The Guardian in an editorial on the lecturers’ pension strike, summarises the above quite clearly:
‘The public see excessive vice-chancellors’ pay while lecturers face low-paid casualised employment. The government wants universities to think like big businesses. They lure students like customers with shiny new labs, luxury accommodation and sports stadiums – amenities built with cash from fees and debt. To make the sums add up, pension liabilities are being offloaded. Higher education attuned to private markets will prioritise cash surpluses over societal wellbeing.’ Here you have it: ‘Societal wellbeing’!
Unless we change direction, and acknowledge the above, then we will continue banging our heads against the brickwall, unable to address and hopefully resolve this worldwide tragedy.
All my adult life I have been an academic, engaged with university teaching and students, until a few years back, when due to feeling unwell and unhappy, I left my vocation with early retirement. Therefore, what I write is totally based on my conviction and experience that we must be of assistance and support to our youth, the students and indeed to our fellow academic colleagues who are also under tremendous pressure, suffering from anxiety, depression, panic attacks and feelings of unhappiness, sadness and loneliness.
To press this point, please let me quote a passage from "My Story"
‘Life is so full of unpredictable beauty and strange surprises
As many people, wiser than me have noted, our lives and the world in which we all live, are so unpredictable. Things happen suddenly, unexpectedly. We want to feel we are in control of our own existence. In some ways we are, in some ways we're not ... Life, it can bring you so much joy and yet at the same time cause so much pain.
I was so devastated that after this wonderful journey, full of joy and happiness, achievements and success, due to some reasons beyond my control, I started to feel unwell, unhappy, not enjoying what I was doing and teaching, especially when I lost all confidence in the value of moral-free economics that I was teaching my students, and more.
In 1999 I voluntarily resigned from my post at Coventry University. It goes without saying that, I was heartbroken and extremely hurt that I was unable to nurture and develop further what I had envisioned and built.
Looking back, reflecting on what has happened, I think, somehow, somebody, somewhere, had planned it so that I, too, should have a life, similar to the life of Coventry itself: fall and rise again.”
And this is why I have made it my mission to write and talk about this subject and offer possible paths to addressand resolve this national and global tragedy.
In 2015 I wrote an open letter to the university leaders around the world, which I would very much like to share with you:
An Open Letter to University Leaders: Students’ Mental and Emotional Wellbeing Must Be Our Priority
Then, still earlier in 2011 I had written an article Why Happiness Should be Taught at Our Universities
In these two articles, amongst many more, I had tried to discuss and debate students’ welfare and wellbeing, by combining my own experiences, knowledge, insight, and education.
I will be delighted if you read these and share your thoughts with me. This will make me very happy.
I hope, we can all become an instrument of hope to our students, the youth, the world over and begin a journey of hope, all of us, together, where we may challenge the norm, encourage volunteerism and service. A journey that will be about serving our communities, our world, and caring for our planet, our home. Finding out more about ourselves than we ever imagined possible. Having a dream. A journey about a mission and our vocation in life.
Hope for a better life and a better world will sustain us, makes us feel better and valued. Hope is the best medicine to heal the pain of our complicated modern lives.
Thanking you,
Kamran Mofid
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