We humans like to categorize. It keeps us organized and helps us survive and succeed. One seemingly useful categorization is that the classroom is for the mind, the athletic field is for the body, and the Church is for the spirit.
But many of the categories we create, including the ones above, are actually illusions. Useful illusions, but made up all the same.
Over the last year or so, I've been exploring the idea that there's no distinct mind, body, and spirit that a human "has." What if I am not a being who has a mind, a body, and a spirit, but instead I am mind, body, and spirit in one being. It's a subtle difference, but I like it.
The made-up distinction between mind, body, spirit, and Self is perhaps no longer useful in education. The question for us as teachers then becomes how can we best encourage and guide the development of the whole student?
Teaching physics and computer science content is just one of my goals with my students each day.
Thanks so much for reading. ❤️
"To educate is to guide students on an inner journey toward more truthful ways of seeing and being in the world."
-Parker Palmer in The Courage to Teach
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