The Journal for Enlightened Education: New Realities for Our Children" is a bi-monthly newsletter for educators, artists, students and parents full of news items, teaching tips, event announcements, funding sources, job opportunities, product announcements, book reviews, humor and stories. It is available free at the Creative Educational Systems webite

::::::::

THE JOURNAL FOR ENLIGHTENED EDUCATION: NEW REALITIES FOR OUR CHILDREN published by Creative Educational Systems Volume 5, Issue #1 January 30, 2008 "The outcome of education must not be a foregone conclusion; rather it must be an unending quest for enlightenment. An enlightened education is, by its very nature, neither rigid nor undefined, but flexible, as it must serve as the given context of our society, while accommodating the ever-expanding universe of our children." --William Thomas Sly, Founding Director Creative Educational Systems ******* CONTENTS OF THIS ISSUE: POSSIBILITIES OF HOPE: Alternative Approaches to the Status Quo . Norway Spending Billions for Rainforests . The "Anti-Bias Classroom" (ABC) . Greek Myths to your Email . Historical Primer on Economic (In)Equality . Sell-Art-Smart Newsletter for Visual Artists . Newsletter for the Art World NEWS . UNESCO's "Education To All" . NYC CAE Responds to School Grading System . Movie: The Great Debaters LITERARY CORNER . Ben Franklin: from "Proposals Relating to the Education of Youth in Pensilvania" EVENTS . Jazz Across the Curriculum Retreat . Americans for the Arts Annual Convention . Arts Advocacy Day . NY CommonGround 2008 Conference . International Summer School on Human Rights RESOURCES . Slavery in NY, PA, NJ and the Caribbean . Plays for Black and Women's History Months . The New Math of American Elections . Grace Abounding - An Anthology of African American Literature, Music and Art . Teambuilding Workshops JOBS . OTB Jobs database . Director of Thomasville, GA. Cultural Center . Early Childhood Teacher . Arts in Education Intern . Development Associate . NYFA Job Classifieds FUNDING . DCA Cultural Development Fund LETTERS TO THE EDITOR . The Waldorf Schools HUMOR . The Wit of Benjamin Franklin CES OPENS WESTERN REGIONAL OFFICE ABOUT US * For a list of Things You Can Do to help our children receive the education our future deserves, go to www.creativeeducationalsystems.com/web_files/Do.html * For a list of Principles of Enlightened Education, go to www.creativeeducationalsystems.com/web_files/Principles.html ******* POSSIBILITIES OF HOPE: Alternatives to the Status Quo ******* ******* NORWAY SPENDING BILLIONS FOR RAINFORESTS Norway's prime minister has committed his country to spending more than $500 million a year to preserve the world's endangered rainforests. Trees and rainforests absorb carbon dioxide from Earth's atmosphere and in turn release oxygen - a process opposite to the cycle of automotive and industrial pollution that has been pumping increasingly huge quantities of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Experts say deforestation is responsible for as much as 30 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions each year. With proper management, forest resources can be sustainable, guaranteeing steady production of wood and other forest products while preserving the forests themselves. In recent years, however, the potential revenue that rainforests represent has stripped bare large areas of forest in many developing countries. For more information, go to www.truthout.org/issues_06/printer_121007EB.shtml ******* TEACHING TOLERANCE'S "ANTI-BIAS CLASSROOM (ABC)" The website TeachingTolerance.org, an online publication of the Southern Poverty Law Center, publishes teacher resources (for which there is no charge) called the "ABCs" (Anti Bias Classroom). To view the current edition, "The ABCs of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Legacy," go to http://www.tolerance.org/teach/activities/activity.jsp?p=0&ar=904&pa=1. Past issues have included "The ABCs of Bullying," "The ABCs of Sexual Misconduct" and "The ABCs of Domestic Poverty," all available at its site, http://www.teachingtolerance.org ******* GREEK MYTHS to your EMAIL TellmeOmuse is, by the description on its website, "creating products that inspire, educate, and entertain. The authenticity of the ancient stories found in Greek and Roman mythology and classic literature is magically brought to life through the company's own original artwork. TellmeOmuse products are designed for educators, students (and parents of students), classicists and mythophiles." You can sign up for monthly myths delivered to your email inbox. To sign up for the monthly myth series Tell Me A Myth, please email Stories@TellmeOmuse.com ******* HISTORICAL PRIMER ON ECONOMIC (IN)EQUALITY The edition "The ABCs of Domestic Poverty," of the Anti-Bias Classroom series, offers activities tied to U.S. history, math, language arts, economics and life skills, as well as core material to help teachers better support students living in poverty. On its website, Teaching Tolerance.org states "Educators with whom we spoke in developing this edition of the ABCs told us that their instructional coverage of poverty was largely limited to service activities like canned food drives for the 'needy' or focused on poverty outside the U.S. Many expressed concern about how one should teach about poverty when many of the children studying it also would be living in it. While Teaching Tolerance has no hard-and-fast answers about ways to balance this tension, studying the nature, scope and history of poverty can help children across the socioeconomic spectrum understand the world around them and the ways in which they experience it." To read more, and to download the curriculum, go to http://www.tolerance.org/teach/printar.jsp?p=0&ar=875&pi=apg ******* SELL-ART-SMART FOR VISUAL ARTISTS Art-Exchange, as described on their website, is "a business-to-business exchange designed to serve the needs of the Supply Side of the fine art market (artists, publishers and other sellers) and the Buy Side (designers and dealers). We bring these professionals an array of services making the selling or buying of art more efficient." They also offer "SellArtSmart," a no-cost newsletter for the visual artist. Visit http://www.art-exchange.com/index.aspx for more information. ******* NEWSLETTER FOR THE ART WORLD "Art Knowledge News," a no-cost newsletter sponsored by the Art Appreciation Foundation, describes itself on its website as "bringing to its readers unbiased information and news about art, the art world, museums, artists, exhibitions, articles reprinted from renowned art publications, art resources, features, photos, commentary, and a vast array of art information found nowhere else in one source." To subscribe, or find out more, go to http://www.artknowledgenews.com ******* NEWS ******* ******* UNESCO's "EDUCATION FOR ALL" "A Human Rights-Based Approach to Education for All," is a publication which is a joint UNESCO and UNICEF framework for the realization of children's right to education and rights within education. The result of intensive collaboration between UNESCO and UNICEF, the publication brings together the current thinking and practice on human rights-based approach in the education sector. It presents key issues and challenges in rights-based approaches and provides a framework for policy and programme development from the level of the school up to the national and international levels. To download, go to: http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0015/001548/154861E.pdf For information, contact: Linda King, l.king@unesco.org ******* NYC CAE RESPONDS TO SCHOOL GRADING SYSTEM An article by Richard Kessler, Executive Director of the Center for Arts Education (issued in a press release November 7, 2007 and now on the Center's website) looks at the NYC Department of Education's school grading system. An excerpt is reprinted here. "While The Center for Arts Education (CAE) supports increased accountability, these reports only paint part of the picture of what is happening in our city's public schools. "We hope that these reports will not discourage those receiving lower grades from continuing to provide access to the arts for their students and instead venturing down a harmful path of a limited, less dynamic curriculum." The full press release is at click here ******* MOVIE: THE GREAT DEBATERS Many schools are now taking students to see what is acknowledged as one of the finest movies of the year, "The Great Debaters," produced by Oprah Winfrey and directed by and starring Denzel Washington. The movie offers a brilliant understanding of prejudice in the United States during the 1930's, and chronicles the story of a debate team from Wiley College which, because of its excellence, became the first African American college debate team in the country to take on debate teams at white colleges. ******* LITERARY CORNER ******* From Ben Franklin's 1749 pamphlet on the aims of education, "Proposals Relating to the Education of Youth in Pensilvania," which led directly to the founding of the Academy of Philadelphia, since 1791 known as the University of Pennsylvania. "On Historical Occasions, Questions of Right and Wrong, Justice and Injustice, will naturally arise, and may be put to Youth, which they may debate in Conversation and in Writing. When they ardently desire Victory, for the Sake of the Praise attending it, they will begin to feel the Want, and be sensible of the Use of Logic, or the Art of Reasoning to discover Truth, and of Arguing to defend it, and convince Adversaries. This would be the Time to acquaint them with the Principles of that Art. Grotius, Puffendorff, and some other Writers of the same Kind, may be used on these Occasions to decide their Disputes. Publick Disputes warm the Imagination, whet the Industry, and strengthen the natural Abilities." *** Benjamin's Franklin's birthday was January 17. In the month of February, the following people have birthdays: Rosa Parks, 4th; Abraham Lincoln, 12th; Susan B. Anthony, 15th; and George Washington, 22nd. ******* EVENTS: ******* ******* JAZZ ACROSS THE CURRICULUM RETREAT Jazz can be a teaching tool in any classroom. On Feb 7th-9th, Jazz House Kids will immerse educators in a professional development teachers retreat, in a jazz environment where they will experience how jazz combines with other disciplines, and come to see endless possibilities for bringing jazz into any classroom. The event kicks off with jazz concert by A Christian McBride Situation at Trumpets Jazz Club in Montclair, NJ. Overwhelming evidence shows that music education enhances social skills, and increases cognitive abilities in young people. Upon completion, educators will begin to design their own jazz-based units, and return to their schools to implement what they've learned. The three day program costs $100. To register, email retreat@jazzhousekids.org, or call 973-744-2273. ******* AMERICANS FOR THE ARTS ANNUAL CONVENTION This year's Americans for the Arts Annual Convention, "American Evolution: Arts in the New Civic Life" will take place in Philadelphia on June 20-22. Preview rates end on Feb. 1. To book a hotel or register online, go to http://www.americansforthearts.org/events/2008/convention/003.asp ******* ARTS ADVOCACY DAY The 21st annual Arts Advocacy Day is the only national event that brings together a broad cross section of America's cultural and civic organizations in Washington D.C., along with hundreds of grassroots advocates from across the country, to underscore the importance of developing strong public policies and appropriating increased public funding for the arts. Save the date March 31, 2008 for the 21st Annual Nancy Hanks Lecture on Arts and Public Policy by Daniel Pink, best-selling author and expert on innovation, competition, and the changing world of work. Also attend the "Emerging Arts Leaders Networking Reception" and the following day, April 1, join the Congressional Arts Breakfast and hear from members of Congress and celebrity guests. For more information, go to http://www.artsusa.org/events/2008/aad/default.asp ******* COMMON GROUND CONFERENCE Partners for Arts Education will sponsor this year's CommonGround 2008 arts conference at the Crowne Plaza in Albany on April 9-11, 2008. The annual New York State arts-in-education conference brings over 200 administrators, teachers, teaching artists, and community members together for three days of policy setting, planning, exchange of skills and inspirational speakers. This gathering contributes to fresh curriculum design, school reform and new models for classroom learning. For more information, go to http://www.arts4ed.org/conference/CG08/index.shtml INTERNATIONAL SUMMER SCHOOL ON HUMAN RIGHTS The 19th International Summer School on Human Rights will be held in Warsaw-Miedzeszyn, Poland, between June 21 and 28, 2008. The School is intended for human rights activists, university teachers and representatives of the institutions from all levels of public administration dealing with human rights issues from Central, Eastern European and CIS countries. English and Russian are the working languages of the Summer School. Admission is competitive. Out of 65 participants, 35 can attend the School free of charge. The other 30 people must cover the expenses themselves. To download an application pack go to http://www.hfhrpol.waw.pl/news130-en.html. Closing date for the Summer School applications is 20 February 2008. ******* RESOURCES: ******* SLAVERY IN NY, NJ, PA and the CARIBBEAN For an understanding of slavery in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and the Caribbean Islands, take a look at the 2-disk CD-ROM set "Road to Freedom" new from the Lawrence E. Walker Foundation. Also available with or without the CD-ROM set is the Music CD "I Shall Not be Moved", featuring African American traditional and modern musical compositions by Allen Group. For more information, go to http://www.creativeeducationalsystems.com/web_files/BlackHistoryinAmerica.html ******* PLAYS FOR BLACK & WOMEN's HISTORY CES's website offers delightful, comical and insightful play scripts to help your celebration of Black History Month and Women's History Month. Get the collection of "Plays for the Study of Black History" at http://www.creativeeducationalsystems.com/web_files/black_history_plays.html, or get the scripts for black and women's history individually at http://www.creativeeducationalsystems.com/web_files/playcategories.html. Give your students a live experience with the subject matter, and build their self-esteem as you do so. ******* UNCOUNTED: THE NEW MATH OF AMERICAN ELECTIONS David Earnhardt has released a searing documentary about how American elections are being co-opted by illegal and unfair practices of a variety of natures. To read more about it, and to involve students more energetically in the democratic process of fair elections, go to http://www.opednews.com/articles/genera_david_ea_071106_new_film__22uncounted_22.htm. To visit the film's website, go to http://www.uncountedthemovie.com/about-the-film.html Editors Note: We do not champion any political position, party or candidate. We do, however, believe that fair elections are at the cornerstone of democracy. ******* GRACE ABOUNDING - ANTHOLOGY OF AFRICAN AMERICAN LITERATURE, MUSIC AND ART The Core Knowledge Foundation offers a downloadable publication entitled "Grace Abounding: The Core Knowledge Anthology of African-American Literature, Music, and Art." This website contains teacher resources for use with Grace Abounding. Certain resources can be accessed directly at no charge, including selections for further reading, grade- level recommendations for the literary selections, web links for research, and complete indexes. Reading-check tests, vocabulary tests, and other assessments, answer keys, and additional skills- related lesson plans (covering a host of topics in grammar, writing, research, and other language arts skills) are also available. All tests, answer keys, and lesson plans are available as downloadable, printable PDFs. (In order to prevent student access, some materials are available for a nominal fee). According to its website, "the Core Knowledge Foundation is an independent, non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to excellence and fairness in early education. It was founded in 1986 by E. D. Hirsch, Jr., professor emeritus at the University of Virginia and author of 'Cultural Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know' and 'The Schools We Need and Why We Don't Have Them.' The Foundation conducts research on curricula, develops books and other materials for parents and teachers, offers workshops for teachers, and serves as the hub of a growing network of Core Knowledge schools. For more information on "Grace Abounding," go to http://coreknowledge.org/grace-abounding/index.htm ******* DEGREES IN HUMAN RIGHTS AND PEACE STUDIES Application Deadline: January 31, 2008 A PhD in Human Rights and Peace Studies, and an MA in Human Rights is being offered by the Office of Human Rights Studies and Social Development, Faculty of Graduate Studies, Mahidol University in Thailand. Applications can be downloaded at www.humanrights-mu.org. The deadline for applications is January 31, 2008 for the academic year beginning in June, 2008. OHRSD will also host the first "Asia Pacific Transitional Justice and Peace-building" training from May 11-24, 2008 in Bangkok. This training has been developed by OHRSD along with the U.C. Berkeley War Crimes Studies Center and the Asian International Justice Initiative at the East West Center, Hawaii. For more information please email admin@humanrights-mu.org, ohrsd@yahoo.com or visit http://www.eastwestcenter.org/summerinstitute. ******* JOBS: ******* ******* OBT JOB DATABASE Opportunities for a Better Tomorrow ( http://www.obtjobs.org/index.php/52 ) provides a listing of available jobs in such areas as counseling, ESOL instructor, etc. Click the link above for more information. ******* DIRECTOR of THOMASVILLE, GA. CULTURAL CENTER The Thomasville Cultural Center, a thriving arts center and home of the renowned Plantation Wildlife Arts Festival, is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Executive Director. Check the NYFA classified postings at www.nyfa.org for January 16, 2008. ******* EARLY CHILDHOOD TEACHER East New York Prep Charter School is seeking an immediate hire of an early childhood teacher. In addition, it is looking for experienced teachers for the 2008-2009 academic year. Please send a resume together with a letter indicating why you would like to be a part of the East New York Prep family and what expertise you can bring to the school, to jobs@eastnyprep.org. The posting may be seen at the Idealist.org website for the next few days at http://www.idealist.org/en/job/258786-257 ******* ARTS IN EDUCATION INTERN Creative Outlet Dance Theatre of Brooklyn has advertised for an Arts in Education Intern. Though the posting has expired at Idealist.org, Arts-in-Education coordinator Shannon Davis may be reached at 718-636-9312 x 100 or at shannonD@creativeoutlet.org ******* DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATE Brooklyn Information and Culture Arts Media is hiring a seasonal part-time development associate to work on its summer festival's membership development campaign. The link for the job is active for the next few days at Idealist.org at http://www.idealist.org/match/945999447-239 ******* NYFA JOB CLASSIFIEDS The New York Foundation for the Arts provides a Jobs Classified board (and many other resources) for members (there is no charge for membership). Organizations may post job openings, and individuals may seek them. The wide variety of postings include Executive Assistant to the President of Lincoln Center, Development Officer for Yale University Art Gallery, and Managing Director of the NY Musical Theater Festival. Go to www.nyfa.org to register. ******* FUNDING ******* ******* DCA CULTURAL DEVELOPMENT FUND Deadline: Feb. 4, 2008 On an annual basis, the Department of Cultural Affairs solicits and considers proposals from nonprofit organizations in every cultural discipline and from every area of the city. Any arts or cultural organization interested in receiving Programs support from the Department may submit public service proposals. For details, go to http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcla/html/funding/program_eligible.shtml ******* LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: ******* THE WALDORF SCHOOLS We have long been supporters of the quality of education offered by the Montessori school system. In response to our inquiry about Waldorf Education, Lori Freer, in the letter below, writes to the "Journal" about how she considers it exceptional and worthy of our interest. *** "Waldorf education is based on indications given by Rudolf Steiner. I really like that it integrates practical, artistic, and intellectual elements and is given context by working with the natural rhythms of everyday life. The Waldorf approach emphasizes the role of the imagination in learning, developing thinking that includes a creative as well as an analytic component. Observing my own children going through the phases of development and working with the Waldorf guidelines, I became more and more convinced of the benefits of this type of education. Another aspect of the curriculum is that child development follows the same stages of consciousness as the evolution of human consciousness and the stories of earlier times are provided during the most appropriate time developmentally--this allows them to learn the lessons of each stage (through stories) when they best resonate. Teachers are trained to really observe students and also to "meditate" on their students. Waldorf acknowledges the spiritual aspects of the world and holds highly the understanding of the human being. In keeping with this, teachers are trained to teach the students primarily, and the teaching of a particular subject is of secondary importance. The teachers are encouraged to allow their own creativity to manifest in how best to teach the students. "Montessori and Steiner had much in common in terms of their observations of children, but their approaches grew out of very different contexts. The Italy of art and emotional expression, in part, guided Montessori's approach. Steiner was moved by the European context in around 1900, and felt that human beings educated toward freedom would bring about the most natural and well-suited expression of the work that each individual could manifest in his/her lifetime. "I hope this short synopsis is clear and does justice to question... If you wanted to direct your readers to more information you could add this link: http://www.awsna.org/education-intro.html. Thanks for your interest. Wishing you all the best in the new year! Lori Freer ******* HUMOR ******* The wit of Benjamin Franklin: "Fish and visitors smell after three days." *** "Beware of the young Doctor & the old Barber." *** "God works wonders now & then; Behold! a Lawyer, an honest Man!" *** "A learned blockhead is a greater blockhead than an ignorant one." *** Benjamin's Franklin's birthday was January 17. In the month of February, the following people have birthdays: Rosa Parks, 4th; Abraham Lincoln, 12th; Susan B. Anthony, 15th; and George Washington, 22nd. ******* CES OPENS OFFICE IN LAS VEGAS AREA Creative Educational Systems is happy to announce the opening of its new western regional office in Boulder City, NV. To contact us for programs or publications from that region of the country, write CES West, P. O. Box 60698, Boulder City, NV 89006. ******* ABOUT US ******* Creative Educational Systems, the publisher of the "Journal for Enlightened Education," is an arts and cultural organization which helps organizations and individuals to find the best ways the arts may be used for purposes of communication, to teach curriculum, to raise consciousness, to build community and to prevent violence. For specific products, services and more information, go to http://www.creativeeducationalsystems.com. ******* "May you, all you are, all you love, and all you touch, and those who love and touch you, be blessed with peace, prosperity, perfect health, harmony, happiness and compassion, always, forever." -- Thomas PLEASE PASS THIS EMAIL ON TO THOSE YOU CARE ABOUT Get the "The Journal for Enlightened Education" at no charge at http://www.creativeeducationalsystems.com Copyright © Creative Educational Systems, 2008

Authors Website: www.creativeeducationalsystems.com

Authors Bio:
Ronn Kistler is currently the President and Program Director for Creative Educational Systems (CES), a nationwide arts-in-education consultation firm he co-founded in 1976. For thirty-four years he has been an active master artist-teacher in schools, training educators in teaching curriculum through the arts, in the classroom application of the Theory of Multiple Intelligences, and in Personal Growth through Building Our Self Esteem. He works regularly in K-12 classrooms mentoring teachers with their students.
He is a veteran of educational theatre, having acted, danced, and sung in, music directed, written, produced, designed and/or directed several hundred student and professional adult productions of curriculum-oriented plays. He still loves karaoke.
As a professional writer, Mr. Kistler is the co-author of over a dozen books in the field of arts-in-education, including "Teaching Curriculum Through the Arts," "Enlightened Classroom Management" and "Producing the School Play." He has authored and co-authored over forty produced children?s plays and hundreds of columns and articles on the arts for newspapers and magazines.
As Program Director for CES, he supervises and trains a staff of 10 to 12 artist-teachers who work in the New York City school system and he was recently a curriculum consultant to, and instructor in the Marymount Manhattan College Arts in Education certificate program for training of teachers and teaching artists in the process of arts in education.