"Freedom is the last, best hope of earth- " -- (Abraham Lincoln)
"I know but one freedom and that is the freedom of the mind"
-- Antoine De Saint-Exupery
"Freedom has its life in the hearts, the actions, the spirit of men and so it must be daily earned and refreshed - else like a flower cut from its life-giving roots, it will wither and die. -- Dwight D. Eisenhower
"Liberty is the possibility of doubting, of making a mistake,... of searching and experimenting,... of saying No to any authority - literary, artistic, philosophical, religious, social, and even political."
-- Ignazio Silone, The God That Failed, 1950
"My definition of a free society is a society where it is safe to be unpopular."
-- (Adlai Stevenson, speech, Detroit, 1952)
"It is easy to take liberty for granted, when you have never had it taken from you."
-- Dick Cheney
"We on this continent should never forget that men first crossed the Atlantic not to find soil for their ploughs but to secure liberty for their souls. "
-- Robert J. McCracken
"You have freedom when you're easy in your harness."
-- Robert Frost
"For what avail the plough or sail, or land or life, if freedom fail?"
-- Ralph Waldo Emerson
"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom, must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it.."
-- Thomas Paine
"In the truest sense, freedom cannot be bestowed; it must be achieved."
-- Franklin D. Roosevelt
"Freedom is the oxygen of the soul. "
-- Moshe Dayan
"There are two freedoms - the false, where a man is free to do what he likes; the true, where he is free to do what he ought. "
-- Charles Kingsley
"Liberty doesn't work as well in practice as it does in speeches."
-- Will Rogers
"Freedom is not worth having if it does not connote freedom to err."
-- Mahatma Gandhi
"Order without liberty and liberty without order are equally destructive. "
-- Theodore Roosevelt
"We cannot defend freedom abroad by deserting it at home. "
-- Edward R. Murrow
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We are beginning a new school year after a well deserved change in our schedules called "summer vacation". It was a great time for me even though it was nothing like what I imagined when I first started amassing all my "summer reading".
My summer, as well as many of your board members, was quite busy. We were honoring our commitments and responsibilities to our visions of what we hope for the world. It was great to feel so free to contribute this way. Needless to say, the value we are focusing on this month and next is FREEDOM.
On the Fourth of July, I could not help wondering why I was less enthusiastic about all the pomp and circumstance than I usually am. It occurred to me that the liberties and freedoms that our forefathers demanded are being eroded. Whether voting rights, civil rights, education, public health, scientific knowledge, and protections from fear and want: These all make us freer to follow our dreams. These were the freedoms that I grew up with and they are now being challenged. There is no single, universal, and objectively ``correct" meaning of freedom but I feel that the definition we have provided you is a great place to start the dialogue with your students and neighbors.
We can not have freedom without a dialogue which may include diverse opinions. Freedom resides with our minds and hearts. What freedom are you grateful for within yourself? May we all treasure those freedoms. That is at the very heart of what it is to have Freedom
May we all treasure our freedoms.
Appreciatively,
Anne Rarich
President of LVEP, US
usa@livingvalues.net
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Promising Practices Award to ACES, AGAIN!
Aventura City of Excellence School (Miami, FL) has received its third "Promising Practices" award from the Character Education Partnership. This award recognizes schools that implement unique programs or strategies in character education that can be replicated.
In 2004, ACES won the award for its "Living Values Knock Your Socks Off" parent workshops. In 2005, their Human Rights curriculum was recognized. The current award is for a "Community Care Outreach Program" that provides students with opportunities to live their values.
www.character.org
www.aventuracharter.org
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Living Values Education Educator Workshop
October 5 - 7, 2007, 7:00 pm Friday to 5:00pm Sunday
Anubhuti Retreat Center in Novato, CA
Join us for a relaxing and inspiring weekend workshop at the Anubhuti Retreat Centre in Novato, California. This LVEP workshop will be led by Diane Tillman, Licensed Educational Psychologist and the primary author of the award-winning Living Values Series, and Kyoko Kimura, an experienced LVE teacher. The weekend will include information about LVE's theoretical model, the breadth of the program internationally, as well as time for reflection, sharing, role playing, walks and play. Skills to create a values- based atmosphere and values activities will be explored.
RESULTS: The most frequent themes noted by educators implementing Living Values Education are positive changes in teacher-student relationships and in student-student relationships both inside and outside the classroom. Educators note an increase in respect, caring, cooperation, motivation, and the ability to solve peer conflicts on the part of the students. Aggressive behaviors decline as positive social skills and respect increase. LVEP helps educators create safe, caring, values-based atmospheres for quality learning.
BE PART OF THIS GLOBAL MOVEMENT for an education that helps humanity flourish. Living Values Education Program is a comprehensive values education program. This innovative global program, being implemented in 83 countries, offers training, a practical methodology and a wide variety of experiential values activities to educators to help them provide the opportunity for children and young adults to explore and develop universal values.
This program is offered free of charge and is sponsored by:Living Values: An Educational Program, Inc.
www.livingvalueseducation.org (USA) www.livingvalues.net (International) and Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual Organization www.bkwsu.org
For more information about the workshop: 562 430- 9754.
Space is limited, so kindly register early. While the presenters are volunteering their time, there will be a $30 LVE materials fee as well as a donation for meals and two nights of accommodation to the retreat center. For registration: Please register on-line at www.anubhutiretreatcenter.org or call 415 884- 2314.
Values Education:The Missing Link in Quality Education
Saturday September 8, 2007
9:30 AM - 10 PM
Light Lunch Served
Harbor Island
Hallandale Beach, Florida
What can make a good school GREAT?
Increasingly, values education is recognized as the missing link in quality education. Once thought to be only the role of the family and religious institutions, research now supports the fact that values-based learning environments create students who are not only high achievers, but who can contribute qualitatively to a better world.
Please be our guest for this program with an inspiring international values educator!
RSVP by September 5, 2007 This program is offered free of charge and is sponsored by: Living Values: An Educational Program, Inc. www.livingvalueseducation.org (USA) www.livingvalues.net (International) and Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual Organization www.bkwsu.org
International Peace Day-September 21, 2007
www.internationaldayofpeace.org
Character Education Partnership cordially invites you to the 14th National Forum on Character Education "Investing in America's Future"
Thursday, November 1, 2007 12:00 PM - Saturday, November 3, 2007 1:00 PM
Hyatt Regency Crystal City Hotel
2799 Jefferson Davis Highway, Arlington, VA 22202
CEP's National Forum on Character Education attracts educators, community leaders and decision makers who come to learn about research and best practices in character education and to network with colleagues. The three-day conference offers five keynote events with national leaders in character education, more than 60 breakout sessions, and a variety of training workshops as well as special recognition events. |
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