Tag Archive for: #maharishischoolblog

Let’s Talk Middle School Science

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Mr. Aikar has been teaching Technology courses to our Upper School students this past years using a curriculum that ranges from cyber security and authentic sources, to designing games and building robots.
He will continue to teach technology as a Project to 7th and 8th graders in the Fall 2023 school year–and he will be incorporating technology directly into the curriculum as he teaches Grade 6 Science as well.

Interview with Mr. Aikar

 

  • What I intend to do next year is to make it a lot of hands-on activities. Students will be coming in and playing with things, and experiencing the joy of doing. I will have them get into the area of 3D designing and printing. I want to also introduce to them some coding so that we will gradually prepare them for our High School Robotics program. Then coding will lead to the programs Sketch (for 3d printing) and Scratch (making their own games). Then we will have 3D modeling and making their own remote control cars to play with.
  • We want them to enjoy learning and start their day with something like CNN10, so they can see what’s happening around the world and celebrate everything in class.
  • What I intend to do with Middle School Science is bring the lab into classroom. They can use a lot of props or materials of everyday use and see the science in them. They should be able to take a leaf, extract the chlorophyll out of it and see how the leaf looks without the chlorophyll. They will be able to answer their own simple curious questions. They will feel very fulfilled once they can know the answers for themselves. I don’t want to give them all the answers, I want them to be playful and joyful in the discovery of finding outthose answers.
  • Why students may not like Science and think it’s too hard or difficult to understand is because the approach is exactly the opposite in schools of what we should be doing. We come down with heavy theory and concepts that students feel are too abstract. What we want to do at Maharishi School is take those ideas, those concepts, take those phenomena and break them down into simple concrete theories that are associated with them. So students will learn as if they are breaking down real physical phenomena into simple math and that’s how I believe strongly that by looking at the nature around us we can use math rather than learning math and trying to fit it into nature.

 

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What is CCLS?

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In addition to our students’ practice of Transcendental Meditation, we have a unique course that distinguishes our Consciousness-consciousness educationBased Education approach.

It’s called Consciousness, Connections, and Life Skills. As the title implies, the course has three interrelated aspects:

1) Consciousness: deepening students’ understanding and experience of consciousness

Topics: practice of Transcendental Mediation, yoga, pranayama (breathing technique), advanced TM techniques, brain coherence, theories of human development and higher states of consciousness, collective consciousness, and research on consciousness.

2) Connections: exploring underlying, universal principles and qualities that are common to the structure and functioning of all aspects of life—their academic subjects, in nature, and in themselves

Topics: 16 Life Principles, 50 Qualities and 16 Values of Creative Intelligence.

For example, we see how “Life is found in layers”: whether in the earth’s crust, our government, the analysis of literature, a math theorem, or one’s family and personality.

This is one way Maharishi School cultivates both horizontal and vertical thinking: making connections between all the details on the surface of life and with the big ideas at their basis.

3) Life Skills: developing social-emotional awareness and skills as a foundation for their personal and academic growth.

Topics: Social-Emotional Learning (SEL), Comprehensive Health, Positive Discipline and Restorative Justice

Social and Emotional Learning curriculum in our Upper School consists of 5 main competencies as formulated by the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL):

  • Self-Awareness: the ability to accurately recognize one’s own emotions, thoughts, and values and how they influence behavior.
  • Self-Management: the ability to successfully regulate one’s emotions, thoughts, and behaviors in different situations.
  • Social Awareness: the ability to take the perspective of and empathize with others, including those from diverse backgrounds and cultures.
  • Relationship Skills: the ability to establish and maintain healthy and rewarding relationships with diverse individuals and groups.
  • Responsible Decision-Making: the ability to make constructive choices about personal behavior and social interactions.

Comprehensive Health curriculum: We use the K-12 curriculum from Advocates for Youth called Rights, Respect, and Responsibility. This curriculum includes age-appropriate lessons that cover a wide range of health areas, including relationships and consent, STDs and contraception, dating abuse, etc.

Positive Discipline is designed to teach young people to become responsible, respectful, and resourceful members of their communities. Our overall goal for positive discipline is to culture mutual respect between peers and adults, and to make sure all children are heard, respected, and intrinsically motivated.

  • In Middle School, communication skills and conflict resolution are the main focus.
  • In the Upper School, many aspects of Positive Discipline (such as effective communication and problem-solving skills) are covered in the SEL curriculum and practiced in the classroom. The upper school also utilizes Restorative Justice talking circles and practices, which are much in line with Positive Discipline.

 

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2022 Graduation Commencement Speech by Kelly Malloy

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alumni kelly malloy

Maharishi School Alumni Kelly Malloy’s Speech

Good Afternoon,

It is an absolute pleasure being here with you all today, in celebration of completing your high school education, with all of the hard work, commitment and accomplishments that have led up to this time. Now we meet at the end of this journey, in preparation for the next. Congratulations. You made it!

I remember this day so well, sitting in this very auditorium 20 years ago, feeling all of the emotions….excited, nervous, happy, sad, but ultimately grateful. Choosing to attend the Maharishi School of the Age of Enlightenment is a gift. Im sure you experienced during your time here, some of the deepest connections in friendships, with your teachers, peers and ultimately, with yourself.

As a former graduate, I want to start by sharing some of the highlights that I found to be extremely valuable to this day –

Let me start with TM

This is one of the most powerful tools I was given at the age of 10 yrs old. And I have my parents to thank for that. If they weren’t hippies back in the 1970’s seeking a more spiritual life, I might not be here today. But during my time at MSAE I didn’t even realize what a gift it was to learn to meditate, and have it built into my daily routine. I didn’t always appreciate it either. My friends and I would often giggle our way through meditation in the Hall of Bliss calling it “the hall of bubbling bliss” But I also had many meditations experiencing deep silence…ultimately what this time allowed me to develop was a good habit… that I found even more valuable after I graduated from high school and entered into college and career life. TM then brought me back to my current calling 14 years later, becoming a teacher of it… we’ll get back to that in a bit.

The Science of Creative Intelligence

A class that teaches you an over arching universal principle – To live in tune with nature. These simple yetalumni kelly malloy instrumental concepts have helped keep life in perspective in its truest form. Water the root to enjoy the fruit”. We water the root through meditating and experiencing the deepest part of ourselves. Along with that, getting enough sleep, proper nutrition, and staying physically active are vital components to support our well-being. If we do these things we can feel the support from our environment and move more fluidly. This reality athletes often refer to as “being in the zone” or an artist might describe it as “being in the flow state”. So keep these principles close to your heart.

Where it all started

The last thing I want to mention that I found very special about growing up in Fairfield, was the multi cultural melting pot that has been created here in a town of 10,000 people. Maharishi School and University have drawn people from all over the world. This naturally created an environment of acceptance and understanding that every living being deserves love and respect. I feel very fortunate to see things in this light…We have to remember that we are all spiritual beings having a human experience, regardless of the color of our skin, religion, or political views. Being raised with the fundamental belief that The World Is My Family has served me well in life.

Let’s talk about the present. I remember when it was time to start thinking about applying to colleges. I wasn’t the most academically oriented teenager and really didn’t know what I wanted to continue my eduction in. Or even go to college for that matter. It’s a huge decision to make, but rest assured that your direction in life can change many times. And that’s ok. Whether it’s deciding to go to college right away, or take a gap year, or even change your major a few times…it’s all ok.

After some consideration, I decided to pursue Interior Design and start applying to design schools. It was a hobby of mine growing up. My mom always made our home look so beautiful and inviting. From this, I began to develop a design eye, and made my choice to attend Harringtons Institute of Interior Design in Chicago IL. My first year of college was a challenge. Being on my own, learning how to manage my time more efficiently, meeting deadlines, and experiencing bigger work loads was an adjustment to say the least. But it taught me how to find my voice, by asking for help from my professors when I needed it, learning to give presentations, and venturing out to make new friends. I was slowly acclimating to college life.

After a year of living in the cold, windy city of Chicago, I moved too warm, sunny California. I continued with my design education in Los Angeles at The American Intercontinental University. By year four, I was so ready to take a year off. Having the motivation and discipline to finish school got hard as each year became more demanding. But I got through it, with the support of my amazing parents and their sage advise to, persevere. I was glad I continued, because I was given the opportunity to intern for a designer on the House & Garden Network. On graduation day I received the honor of Cum Laude with a Bachelor degree in Fine Arts.

I went to work in the Interior Design industry in LA, assisting interior designers at private firms, to managing a textile department at The Pacific Design Center – a one million six hundred  thousand square foot facility located in West Hollywood nicknamed as the Blue Whale….. after fulfilling my desire of working in the field of Design, I was ready for a change and decided to move back home to Fairfield to regroup. I worked and saved some money, with the desire to travel and see the world. I embarked on a trip to South America where I back packed for 3 1/2 months, visiting Peru, Ecuador, Brazil and Argentina. I lived in hostels along the way, meeting other young people like myself on an adventure of exploration. My most memorable experiences were dancing in the streets of Rio De Janero during the Brazilian festival of Carnival, learning to surf in the pacific ocean of Ecuador, eating the traditional delicacy’s like ceviche from Peru, and feeling the warmth and love from each culture even with the limitations on our verbal communication. My trip came to an end, and I returned home feeling refreshed, inspired and ready for my next journey.

alumni kelly malloyOver the next 4 years, I utilized my talents in different ways. My mom & I started an organic catering company called Simply Italian. This was my opportunity to put my culinary skills and love for Italian food to good use. I then moved back to California and became the west coast sales rep for a honey company called Heavenly Organics; honey that was harvested from wild beehives at the foothills of the Himalayan Mountains.

Although I enjoyed the wide variety of experiences of trying my hand at several different jobs, something felt like it was missing. I always had a desire to become a teacher of Transcendental Meditation, but the timing never seemed right. In October of 2014, the planets aligned and my desire to attend Teacher Training became a reality. Being exposed to Maharishis knowledge since childhood, was a valuable preparation for the fast paced learning environment. In turn I was able to act in a leadership role, assisting the other course participants during the intense 5 month training program.

Working for David Lynch Foundation

In March of 2015, I became a certified teacher of Transcendental Meditation. I decided to work for the David Lynch Foundation in New York City. For those of you not familiar with the David Lynch Foundation, it’s a non-profit organization that started in 2005. Our mission is to serve and uplift vulnerable and at risk populations in our society. The foundation began with teaching inner city children TM, and implementing a program called Quiet Time, where students were given the time to meditate twice a day in their classroom. Some of the programs that followed are the Resilient Warrior Program, teaching veterans who suffer from Post Traumatic Stress, The Women’s Health Initiative, helping survivors of domestic violence and abuse, and The First Responders Program, consisting of law enforcement, firefighters, and other first responders.

My first position with the DLF organization was teaching at Bronx High School for Law and Community Service. In the first year of the program we taught 400 students how to meditate. The buy in was strong due to the immense stress, and difficulties these teens encountered in their daily lives. The power of meditation and the impact it had was extremely gratifying to witness. Here are a few testimonials from my students –

“TM helps me get through the school day without stressing about it. It also keeps me calm and focused. I have also noticed, after using meditation, my grades have gone up rapidly, making me eligible for the honor role 3 times.”

Another student said – “I have been more confident in my school work and myself, and I feel happier since the day I started meditating.”

And the last one – “I feel calm after I meditate and have more self control, than being the kid I used to be, who was always acting like a fool. That changed since I started meditating.”

I taught at Bronx Law for 5 years. In April of 2020 a new initiative was launched to help people in the field ofalumni kelly malloy healthcare called Heal the Healers Now. This program grew out of the desperate need of front-line health care workers battling the COVID-19 pandemic. I was asked to come and be a lead teacher on this program. I’ve taught doctors, nurses, social workers, therapists, and administrators. The role of a healthcare worker is to ensure the health and well-being of their patients. With the arrival of the pandemic, the workload of ill people became unmanageable, and the stress and burnout grew quickly amongst this population.

Here are a couple of testimonials from healthcare workers after learning TM –

“I wanted to let you know how beneficial the TM practice has been for me. It has allowed me to fully relax and recharge. It has helped me cope during the last couple of months which have been extremely stressful with the increase in COVID patients. The practice has been extremely helpful for my mental and emotional well-being. I am so grateful for this opportunity.”

“I am a nurse that is grateful for taking the TM course. Before TM, I had really bad insomnia, especially after working a 12 hour shift in the Emergency Department. I barely slept 4 hours a night. After practicing TM for 8 months, I have no problem with insomnia, and I am getting 7-8 hours of sleep a night. I have become more centered, energetic and calm. I am forever thankful for this opportunity.”

In my mind these people are heroes, and I am humbled to be of assistance to them, and provide a tool to help in their own personal healing.

My experience teaching TM has far surpassed anything I could have imagined it to be. In fact, I never expected to have a full time career doing this. I realize that society is changing, and recognizing the value of consciousness. A long career of being a full-time TM teacher is more of a reality now, than its ever been. I am grateful for the opportunity to be of service to humanity in this way. Maharishi would say – The role of the TM teacher is to, “whisper infinity to the student.”

So the message I want to leave you all with today, is to keep moving forward, be fearless, go after your dreams, and don’t lose site of your vision, even if there are set backs….continue to stay focused, but most importantly remember to enjoy the journey;)

I want to share a quote from Napoleon Hill. He was a famous American author born in the 1800’s & big influencer on the key to success and personal achievement.

And I quote – “Cherish your visions and dreams, as they are the children of your soul, the blueprint of your ultimate achievements.” End of quote

A quote from a famous American first lady – Eleanor Roosevelt

“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dream”.

Congratulations graduates. It’s been a joy speaking with you all today and I want to thank for this opportunity.

 

Interested in hearing more about our Alumni, click here.

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Perseverance Propels Pioneers Tennis Team to 6-3 Win Over Mt Pleasant

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Pioneer Tennis Report by Steve Briggs

pioneer tennis boys teamThe two remaining undefeated tennis teams in Southeast Iowa squared off at the Punj courts on a day when lobs were swallowed by low hanging clouds.

In securing the win, the Pioneers tore a page out “Winning Ugly,” a popular tennis handbook.
“Sometimes it’s not so pretty,” admitted Coach Briggs. “We battled hard to beat a team that doesn’t give you anything. Every guy on Mt Pleasant’s team hustles after everything on every point. I told the guys we’ll take winning ugly anytime over going down looking pretty. It was one of those matches where 1-6 we stayed committed. Every guy on the team won for us today.”
“One of our guys texted from class that he was really nervous,” smiled Briggs, “so before we took the court, I told the guys: ‘have some fun… we’re not going up against the Russian Army.’”
The meet had plenty of heroics… none more than the play produced by Pioneer junior, Zak Askar, the Pioneer Player of the Match.
“Zak’s a rookie but he played like a veteran. He’s only played four varsity matches, but he overcame gritty opponents in both singles and doubles (along with partner Ruimin Luo) to help seal the Pioneer victory,” said Briggs.
The Pioneers (4-0) put their undefeated record on the line against Fairfield HS on Thursday at the FF Middle School courts.

Singles  Scores

1. Ruimin Luo lost to Owen Van Sickel. 7-5, 1-6, 10-6
2. Zak Askar defeated Jake Ensminger. 7-5, 6-4
3. Polo Altynski-Ross lost to Levi Graber 6-1, 6-4
4. Jayanta Wegman defeated Tim Cam. 6-0, 6-1
5. Dominic DuPoux defeated. Elliot Cook 6-4, 6-4
6. Mekhi Kahui lost to Lou Schimmelpfenig. 6-0, 7-5

Doubles  Scores

1 Ruimin and Zak. Defeated Owen and Jake. 7-6, 6-4
2. Polo and Jayanta defeated Levi and Tim. 7-6, 7-2
3. Dominic and Mekhi defeated Lou and Elliot 6-4, 6-4

To learn more about our academics or to contact a member of our admissions staff, click here.

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How to Help Teens Work Through Daily Stressors

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Is it stress or anxiety?

Have you ever felt paralyzed staring at the big letter “F” on a paper or been told that you’ve got to turn your grades around quick or you won’t get into college? Teens face pressures today that may seem easily solved to adults, but can actually make or break the teen’s mental health. So what is the difference between normal every day stressors and anxiety?

According to the Mental Health Curriculum Organization, “The hallmarks of an anxiety disorder are persistent avoidance and withdrawal where it causes major impairment in your life. That’s more than just a stress response.”

 

How can parents help?

How can we expect our children to create healthy habits if we are not modeling it for them? By modeling stress-management we are able to show children what it looks like to assimilate through tough circumstances. Even though our instinct is to protect our children from “negativity,” sheltering them from it can promote the exact opposite. They could be left lacking in their ability to navigate the inevitable highs and lows that will come up in throughout life.

As parents and caregivers, we have an important part to play, by adopting our own healthy habits and helping children and teens find stress-managing strategies. These strategies can even be discussed in a group so that the teen can brainstorm their own ideas and implement them into the family’s stress management model.

  • Model healthy coping. Caregivers can talk authentically with children about how they’ve thought about and dealt with their own stressful situations.

 

  • Let kids be problem-solvers. It’s natural to want to fix your child’s problems. But when parents swoop in to solve every little glitch, their children don’t have a chance to learn healthy coping skills. Let your children try to solve their low-stakes problems on their own, and they’ll gain confidence that they can deal with stressors and setbacks.

 

  • Promote media literacy. Today’s kids spend a lot of time online, where they can run into questionable content, cyber bullying or the peer pressures of social media. Parents can help by teaching their children to be savvy digital consumers, and by limiting screen time.

 

  • Combat negative thinking. “I’m terrible at math.” “I hate my hair.” “I’ll never make the team. Why try out?” Children and teens can easily fall into the trap of negative thinking. When children use negative self-talk, though, don’t just disagree. Ask them to really think about whether what they say is true, or remind them of times they worked hard and improved. Learning to frame things positively will help them develop resilience to stress.

To read the NY Times Article about how to protect teens emotional well-being, click here.

To learn more about our academics or to contact a member of our admissions staff, click here.

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Meet Our New Teachers: Michael Fitzgerald

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Meet our new teacher

micehal fitzgerald computer teacherMichael Fitzgerald came to Fairfield in 2012 to attend MIU for his Bachelors in math with a computer science track and finished in 2016. Over the next several years he worked for a digital marketing company and went back to school to get a masters degree in software development. Michael saw that Maharishi School was looking for someone in tech support, however as soon as his skills became evident to the administration, we realized he was overly competent for the job. He was asked to teach a computer course, which he has now introduced to the middle school students as Technological and Digital Literacy 101.

 

What is Technological and Digital Literacy?

This is not your traditional computer science course. Technological and Digital Literacy focuses less on why computers do what they do but how to computer lab at schooluse and manipulate what’s in them for efficacy in learning. TDL is a class that teaches students how to interact in the tech world and use what’s already available in order to become fluent in technology. This is so important as we go further into schooling entirely online. Michael explains, “this course will prepare you for life. I look at this course as a woodworking, or home economics class, because once you learn that skill you will have it for the rest of your life. The more tech literate you become, the more you will understand new technologies with ease.”

 

To learn more about our academics or to contact a member of our admissions staff, click here.

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Maharishi School Children’s House

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preschool childrens house elyse soaresDid you know the preschool incorporates Montessori & Positive Discipline?

Welcome to the Maharishi School Children’s House! In this blog you will find some basic information as well as new and updated protocols regarding preventative measures against Covid-19 in the preschool.

The preschool offers multi-age classrooms consistent with the Montessori pedagogy. The toddler class consists of children who are 18 months to 3 years old. The 3-5 class includes children aged three to six which include Preschool and Pre-Kindergarten.

The cornerstone of your child’s social-emotional growth focuses on supporting each child in becoming self-aware, autonomous, contributing members of our world. The Montessori Method and Positive Discipline go hand-in-hand in developing these important skills in our school community. In the Children’s House and also in grades Kindergarten through 2 in the lower school, Positive Discipline is practiced by all teachers. The building blocks of Positive Discipline are:

  1. Mutual respect
  2. Understanding the belief behind the behaviorpreschool children's house montessori
  3. Effective communication
  4. Understanding a child’s world
  5. Discipline that teaches rather than punishes
  6. Focusing on solutions rather than punishment
  7. Encouragement
  8. Children do better when they feel better
  9. Connection before correction
  10. Contribution

Lynn Shirai is the Director of the Children’s House as well as the Lower school. In her monthly newsletter to the parents Lynn comments, “As the new Children’s House director I am happy to report that all is running smoothly. The children are happy, mask-wearing, Montessori learners that are finding joy in being with their friends and teacher-guides every day. Dr. Beall, our school co-head, visited the classrooms last week and was so impressed with the children as they were very naturally wearing masks indoors while busy with their Montessori activities.”

Taking precautions in the preschool

When entering the school area all children will get their temperature taken, temperatures at 100 degrees or higher will be sent home.

mask wearing children maharishi schoolMasks

Teachers will be required to wear masks while inside, or while down on children’s level outside. Face shields are recommended, especially for toddler teachers. Masks will be required while inside for all children 3+. Masks will not be required for children under 3.

Hand washing 

hand washing maharishi school coronavirus

Child size bathrooms in the preschool.

Children will wash hands upon arrival, before and after eating, when entering from outside, when seen with hands in mouth/nose, and a minimum of every 2 hours. Washing is completed with soap and water for 20 seconds.

Social distancing

Drop off times are arranged by class so that there are no traffic jams between parents and children. Transitions into the school house for class will be staggered to avoid congestion in the hallways.

Changes to the environment

The children each have a cubby where they can store their shoes and backpacks. Cubbies will be outside of the classrooms in the hallways so children do not enter the classroom with outside shoes and backpacks. There is only one child per table in all classrooms, unless the table is very large. The classrooms with ages 3 and up will have sanitizing stations for the children to clean their own work, under adult supervision as needed. Water and soap will be used for plastic, metal, and glass materials and natural disinfectant spray for wooden materials. When a toddler completes a work, they will return it to a special shelf to be cleaned between use. A teacher will sanitize the work items and return them to the shelves with available work.

maharishi school montessoriThe protocol for Maharishi School’s Children’s House was created with reference to DHS requirements and CDC recommendations, and with approval from IDPH

To find out how more about the Children’s House, click here.

Please contact admissions@maharishischool.org immediately to get started on your application and schedule an interview today!

From Maharishi School to College Acceptances

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Over 98% of our graduates are accepted into 4-year colleges and universities all over the country.

maharishi school graduation college acceptancesEarly decision acceptances for our 2020 graduating class are coming in! Congratulations to the students who’ve had early college acceptances from Princeton University, Lawrence University, Pratt Institute, Roger Williams University, Agnes Scott College, University of Iowa, and Iowa State University.

Our goal is to help your student find the right college fit for them.

Personalized college counseling is built into the school curriculum and covered by tuition fees. In 9th and 10th grade, academic performance and planning are emphasized, with students filling out inventories to help them plan for their futures. The college counselor meets periodically with 9th and 10th graders to check on their progress and hold college planning meetings. Starting in 11th grade, all students go on two college visits a year to identify features and characteristics that fit with their individual preference. In their second semester, 11th graders take the Junior Seminar, a weekly class that introduces all of the important concepts necessary for a successful college application.

List of college acceptances by Maharishi School students in the last 10 years.

Princeton Universitygraduating Maharishi school with core values

Muhlenberg College

Oberlin College of Arts and Sciences

Skidmore College

Iowa State University

University of Iowa

Bradley University

University of Northern Iowa

University of Minnesota Twin Cities

University of Wisconsin-Madison

Michigan State University

The Ohio State Universityfotoveda photo of maharishi school graduation 2020

Texas A&M University

Eckerd College

Roger Williams University

Knox College University of Kansas

New York University Shanghai

University of Toronto

Fordham University

Hawaii Pacific University

Features at a glance:

  • The college counselor is on call on all deadline days, to assist students with any part of the submission process.
  • All juniors take the Junior Seminar their second semester, which introduces the important concepts necessary for applying to college in the Senior year.
  • All Juniors and Seniors visit two colleges a year, one small liberal arts school and one large university.
  • College representatives visit Maharishi School each year to deliver information sessions to interested students.
  • By looking through previous tests, the college counselor helps all students plan their college testing schedules, and choose the tests that will best represent the student’s strengths.
  • The college counselor reviews all college essays, providing group essay sessions, then individual assistance for Seniors.
  • In partnership with ICAN, the Iowa College Access Network, Maharishi School provides multiple events each year to help families navigate the financial aid process for college applications.

To read a comprehensive list of all college acceptances by students at Maharishi School, click here.

To learn more about our academics or to contact a member of our admissions staff, click here.

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How to Shift Teens from a Complainer to a Reformer?

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Learning to command change

Teens today can often be misunderstood. Their dialogues are quick to get emotionallyempowering teens charged and the older generation could describe them as complainers.  I would not argue with that label at times, but, as with all characteristics, it has a flip side that can be embraced. We have to ask ourselves, how do we as adults help to empower teens to become reformers and not complainers?

Teens will at times find complaints about life inside their social circles, family life, or at school. As parents we wish we could tell our kids to demand a higher expectation or outcome for their life and from their friends. Instead of complaining we want to shift their perspective to the status of a reformer who can take charge of their life and do what needs to be done. So how can the change be made from a complainer to a reformer?

How to become a reformer

The definition of a reformer is a person who makes changes to something in order to improve it. As a teen this can be done by becoming highly alert to your surroundings and its context.

“When you start to feel yourself wanting to complain or are unhappy with your current situation, stop and examine those feelings. Ask yourself, what can I do to change this?

empowering teensIf it feels like something is out of your control, find someone with a higher amount of control and approach them to make the change.”

Even if the teen is unable to physically make the change, that doesn’t mean they can’t start a conversation with people who can!

The parents role

Instead of complainers, I advise parents to see your teens as reformers. Meaning that they’re not satisfied with the way things are because they know it could be better and are willing to work to change them. Feeling powerless is often the source of teen angst. Therefore parents need to put them in a position of power in which they can solve their own problems, as set up and modeled by the adults.

You can start in the home. Interview your teen, or start the tradition of family meetings, to see what they’re happy and unhappy with in the family setting. Having power at home can give them that boost of confidence they need to make changes at school or even in their social circles. A teens observations and demands for change come from a passionate belief that life should be as good for everyone as it has been for themselves.

This can be done by demanding equity and compassion in all areas of life. Becoming areformer is a powerful position from which to approach the wider world that our teens inevitably enter. Teens today represent a cross-section of the world across all parameters—women and men of color, a range of religions and ethnicities, national origins and visa

healthy teens at a party, empowering teens

statuses, complex family dynamics, sex and gender roles.

Challenging teens to do the work

We have many teens today that are willing to do the work to make the changes.  We must present them with the right challenges to get them moving in a positive direction. We want our teens to work hard and take full advantage of any opportunity or challenge put in their path.

Your teen can go from being a complainer to being someone who is willing to jump in and work hard to make that change happen, not perfectly from the beginning but ideally in the end.

Learning to be a reformer is never a clean and perfect process but we take and celebrate each small accomplishment along the path. Our role as parents is to call it out and say “I see your power in action, keep building on that!” Teens are going through many changes on the physical and emotional level. Help your teen by adding a tool for releasing stress into their daily routine. Click here to learn about Transcendental Meditation for your teen!

Interested in learning about how the hero’s journey narrative can help your teenager? Click here.

To learn more about Transcendental Meditation at our school, click here.

To learn more about our academics or to contact a member of our admissions staff, click here.

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