Relational Pillars

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foundations and gateways to learning,

living and working from the heart
 Co-Sensing Journey
with

in response to a virtual inquiry on the deeper meaning of

Passion, Identity, Diversity and Understanding in Education
inspired by the four pillars at the International School of London (www.islschools.org)
generating a collective story harvested by Hala
 key of
PASSION

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 what is the Key that Passion holds for
our children, their families, their
teachers and learning environment?

Passion, yes, a strong word

with deep relevance
capturing and enlivening the
Imagination by grounding learning in the
interests and experiences of the learner

Passion, yes, a strong word

sparking unconscious Curiosity
being aware of little precious things
that burn inside, then seeing how they
gather and repeat through positive
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attitude and action, glimpsing the
transcendent in the ephemeral, or the
idea in the practical
 Passion, yes, a strong word
getting exposed to different Ideas and
thoughts then putting them into action
knowing that only by experimenting
through trial, and feeling with our hearts
can we discover authentic passion

Passion, yes, a strong word

starts with a personal Interest and grows by having the
Space to discover it first, and to express it second. This
brings the feeling of being useful for Others, coupled
with a sense of success in what is received for any
direction of interest

Passion, yes, a strong word

anchoring our learning to be relevant to life
as we experience it through involvement,
playfulness and wild experimentation,
guided by future goals and the need of
knowing more
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heart of
Identity

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 what is in the Heart of Identity for
our children, their families, their
teachers and learning environment?

Identity's Heart
holds an environment of acceptance
and unconditional love; a heart of
openness to curiosity about self and
about others, bringing a new
meaning of equality

Identity's Heart
www.nxchange.blogspot.com moves beyond policing the borders
between who is doing the teaching
and who is doing the learning;
moving into brotherhood, following
our path, walking always
 Identity's Heart
brings awareness of the self, of one's
rights and duties
recognizing oneself in that which is
universal and imperishable
Identity's Heart
shifts how learners are different than their peers;
shifts how they define themselves
shifts how they place themselves in a group, from what
is often according to religion and/or socioeconomic
status into what is perceived as the best for oneSelf

Identity's Heart
nourishes belonging: within the self,
the home, the school, and all
how? through the capacity of
recognizing other peoples Qualities
and receiving them as gifts coupled
with the offering of ones own
individual qualities as Gifts
Identity's Heart
celebrates belonging to a Community of
people who validate learner's qualities,
being recognized and honored in their
Individuality embracing mistakes,
entourage, logic of living and various
cultures
essence of

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 what Essence of Diversity holds our
children, their families, their teachers
and learning environment?

the essence of Diversity in learning

a perfume, breathing acceptance,
curiosity, fascination and openness;
listening intensely and not letting
prescribed ideas dominate the dialogical
learning process through which new
and unexpected connections and
insights might spring

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the essence of Diversity in learning
a perfume, breathing acceptance while
loving and playing with differences
yes, touching the awareness of
differences which generates Unity
of which diversity is the expression
 the essence of Diversity in learning
a perfume, when recognized allows diversity in its
true sense to thrive without conflict; showing
learners how they differentiate from others,
according to small or micro-personality traits
through exposure and empathy

the essence of Diversity in learning

a perfume, bringing understanding on how the other shapes our own identity
and finds real ways to reach out to, understand and explore
the essence of Diversity in learning
a perfume, respecting the universal intelligence of
nature that lets all possibilities exist simultaneously
creating the context for well balanced relations

the essence of Diversity in learning

a perfume, celebrating individuality, freedom of self
expression and choice through joyful sharing, exposure,
cultural clashes and openness to various experiences
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power of

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 What does the Power of
Understanding hold for our children,
their families, their teachers and
learning environment?

Power of Understanding, brings

honesty with the ability to act in a
world we recognize as infinitely
complex; coming from openness,
listening, questioning, listening

Power of Understanding, brings

www.nxchange.blogspot.com honesty with love and compassion
through knowing something in
principle and practice; integrating
the alignment of cognitive, intuitive,
emotional and physical faculties
 Power of Understanding, brings honesty
to all learners rooted to their parental figures, their
in-group and their experience of learning by doing;
which initiates growth and further learning

Power of Understanding, brings honesty

supported by various stages of understanding:
sensibility, intuition, intelligence, vision, wisdom,
and spirituality; all leading to the maximization of
the human potential and the integration into a
larger consciousness about the universe

Power of Understanding, brings honesty

with empathy and compassion that
come from being listened to, with love;
engaging the heart as well as the mind,
reading, opening up to various subjects,
analyzing on one's own, reflecting,
grasping, understanding
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Relational Pillars

co-created by a virtual circle of

diverse participants passionate
about education bringing their
individual thoughts and feelings
into a collective synthesis for
understanding

initiator and harvester

Hala Makarem Saab

inspired by the four pillars of the

International School of London

photos :
nSite, 2012 community celebration
ISL Group, 2012 shared values gathering
Educational Futures, 2012 AIE conference
ISL Qatar, 2013 celebration of learning
n community creativity, 2013 felt perception learning journey
Places of power in Lebanon, Uk, India and Qatar, 2013 visits
a pillar school at Souk el Garb, Lebanon with the Peace Graffiti appearing in 2011