Former Classmates Are Now Colleagues

In our last issue, we noted that 22 of our staff members are Meher Schools alumni. Now that Brenda Barnhart has returned to the fold, three of them are from the Class of 1998. They are, from left to right in the photos above and below, Brenda, our new first grade teacher, Vince d’Assis, one of our elementary co-principals, and Warren Wallace, our director of admissions.

All three started here as babies in 1987, when we had an infant-toddler program. Brenda and Vince were in the baby room together; a few months older than them, Warren had already “graduated” to the toddler room when they started.

We welcomed Brenda back last month. She had been teaching at a public school in Pleasant Hill. Now she’s co-teaching in Room 10 with another alumna, Laura White. Brenda says, “I returned to The Meher Schools not only because it’s the most welcoming school I’ve ever attended or taught at, but also because the school’s foundation is love.”

Also in the photo above is Warren’s dog, Cricket, who feels that love too.

A “Life-Changing” Approach

Before: “I was hesitant when I heard about it – it’s the opposite of the way I’ve always thought as a parent and a teacher.” “I felt like I was being asked to learn a whole new way of being with kids, and I resented it.”

After: “It’s life changing.” “Now I focus my energy in positive ways, and it’s so wonderful to see the children energized for success.” “I wish more parents knew about this.” “Give it two weeks and you will get your investment back two- or three-fold.”

Teachers from Rocky River elementary school in Mooresville, North Carolina, made a YouTube video demonstrating the miraculous effects of using the Nurtured Heart Approach at their school. They also talk candidly about their feelings before and after learning the strategies. In seven minutes, the film captures the Nurtured Heart Approach in action and shows its transformative results.

The video also mirrors, in many ways, a process that went on at the White Pony and Meher School about 12 years ago, when the staff began the first of several trainings with Howard Glasser, creator of the Nurtured Heart Approach. Since then, we have held a number of workshops for parents and teachers, and seen remarkable changes in our classrooms and in children’s lives.

In the traditional way of managing discipline, parents and teachers focus their energy on eradicating negative behavior and unwittingly cause destructive patterns to increase. Often when children first come to our school, teachers observe habitual ways of reacting that actually undermine a student’s success. The Nurtured Heart Approach is the key to refocusing the child’s energy in a new, productive way and helping them experience their own positive qualities.

Teachers and administrators find it helpful when parents familiarize themselves with and even learn some of Nurtured Heart methods so that there is a harmonious flow of energy between school and home. Next Tuesday, September 7, we’re offering a free Nurtured Heart Zoom training for parents and teachers with dynamic presenter Celeste Elsey, from 4 to 6 p.m.

We know it’s hard to make time in your busy schedule, but this is a life-long investment, and we hope you will make it a top priority for at least one parent in your family to join us.

To register, see the recent eNotes and Wednesday Messages emails.

A Community Based on Caring, Inclusion

"When I becomes we, even illness becomes wellness.” Charles Roppel

My grandson always loved giving me high-fives. That stopped during COVID. When I reached to clap his hand one day, he remonstrated me. “Remember the virus, Grandma!” I wonder if this kind of heightened empathy with the needs of others has to evaporate once COVID ends. Over the last year and a half, the Meher Schools community – staff, parents, and children – have taken an accelerated course in caring about each other.

We began the pandemic with community Zoom meetings about ways to move forward together.

Amazingly, one of the first things parents thought about when COVID hit hard was “What about the teachers?” A group of parents organized what was to be our first-ever school-wide fundraising campaign. The money they raised allowed us to pay our teachers while the school was closed, a time when many schools were laying their teachers off.

Then there was the creation of a Zoom learning structure for elementary and preschool students practically overnight. This challenging process also provided a window of understanding. Parents and teachers got to see each other struggle, empathize with the others’ frustration, and collaborate to make it work.

Alongside that, there was the constant reporting of COVID exposures. Often when there was a worrisome situation, it was because someone had violated our Staying Healthy guidelines and then suddenly realized “Oh no!” – they had put their bubble at risk. This was a period of high anxiety and stress for everyone.

Last year psychologist Wendy Ritchey and I led a Zoom support group called “Creating the New Normal.” Teachers and parents participated together, hearing about each others’ feelings of isolation, fear, and gratitude. Over weeks, a beautiful fabric of caring developed. We decided that the new normal should include a commitment by everyone to check in with each other and offer mutual support wherever it’s needed.

Last February, right before the pandemic fully hit, we held an in-person symposium with over 100 attendees on compassion with Dr. Carol Weyland Conner, the founder of White Pony Express, as a speaker. Her presentation highlighted that the true meaning of compassion is taking action to help others. For example, this generation of children will grow up with the understanding that the simple act of wearing a mask will help others. From that, more awareness can flow.

This year let’s build an even stronger Meher Schools community, in which every person feels included. Let’s start by welcoming new people and asking what support, teachers, parents, and children need in these first days and throughout the year to make sure everyone flourishes.