## Metadata - Author: [[Torin M. Finser]] - Full Title: A Second Classroom - Category: #books ## Highlights - When we become self-aware, we are more likely to fight our inner battles first. There may be less need to “play things out” externally if we have done inner work ahead of time. ([Location 131](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00NDCO4DG&location=131)) - Through the seeking of knowledge we find devotion to the universe in thoughts. Art can be seen as a kind of devotion to the universe in perception. Religion is devotion to the universe in the heart. Love is devotion to the sum-total of our spirit-forces to something that is worthy of our esteem. ([Location 329](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00NDCO4DG&location=329)) - Our interpretations are usually more prone to error than the observations. Yet most of our lives are governed by interpretations. We need to ground ourselves again and again in the phenomena, for in the end, they will speak truly. ([Location 452](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00NDCO4DG&location=452)) - There is an aspect of faculty/staff work that is a self-enclosed circle: pedagogical decisions, school policies, and curriculum rightfully belong in the purview of those who are trained professionals in these areas. It would be wrong to have parents entangled in these matters, just as when I go to a dentist I rely on his or her professional expertise. Likewise, the circle of parents in a school can be seen as a second circle—one that has to do with child-rearing and matters of home life, and so on, which should be distinct from the school. Yet as we know so well, the two circles overlap in many areas: issues such as homework, the amount of sleep a child is getting at night, and attendance are mutual concern. Here we have the “third space” in which the work of parents and teachers overlaps. This third space is the relationship zone. ([Location 705](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00NDCO4DG&location=705)) - Even in an independent school, there is a sphere of equal rights, in that each parent, once their child is enrolled, has a right to a place in that auditorium, has the right to participate without discrimination. The parent body in many respects represents the res-publica, the community. A healthy school needs the breadth and input that comes from an engaged public. ([Location 718](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00NDCO4DG&location=718)) - Each sphere has its rightful place and function, yet in each a potential tyranny is hidden. One might say of the sphere of the twelve that it hides a potential “theocratic tyranny,” a tyranny of truth that becomes dogma. But the sphere of the seven also hides a potential tyranny: the “democratic,” for which every truth is relative, every insight personal and subjective. In a social organism, how can these potential tyrannies be reconciled? Can they come together in any kind of functioning whole? This is, I believe, where the “third space” emerges as a saving grace. ([Location 728](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00NDCO4DG&location=728)) - This third space is where the speaker might stand where the two circles intersect, a person who may have achieved significant learning, but has to also let it die, to let go so as to leave the audience in the larger hall free. Out of letting go, the speaker then works with the audience to see what comes to life, just as a dramatic performer works with the audience in a living way. And members of the audience have to likewise “let go” of preconceived notions and attitudes so as to fully experience what is shared. This mutual act of taking in and letting go in both spheres is a rhythmic process. It represents the “mood of the threshold” that lifts each one beyond their normal “selves.” ([Location 733](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00NDCO4DG&location=733)) - So for both a teacher and a parent, it is possible to enter this third space in which more is created than the sum of the two. In the human encounter one can have a threshold experience in which new insight is born, insight that is the result of the breadth brought forward by the parent and the depth of a teacher's pedagogical understanding. The third space is often found in-between, the moments between sentences, between meetings, between coming and going. So if we can pause sometimes in a dialogue, or ask for a followup meeting, a night to ponder, then we are opening a third space for spiritual insight to enter. The in-between or third space is then an opportunity for grace, and the spiritual worlds often respond with a gift of insight. The work of parents and teachers can then be seen as an earthly sacrament, a blessing on the school and all the children within. ([Location 738](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00NDCO4DG&location=738)) - fearing parents is like a pilot who fears high altitudes. ([Location 1076](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00NDCO4DG&location=1076)) - What burdens the heart needs to find expression in one form or another; it needs release. A painter might do it through color, a musician by playing an instrument, but one art form that is available to all humans today is conversation. It can be harmful to psychological and even physical health if one bottles things up and nurses bitterness. The story needs to be told in order to start the process of letting go. So therefore I urge that within a school community individuals develop social compassion to the point that if someone leaves a school, others reach out to listen and help hold the sorrow. It may not always be wanted, or it might not be the right time, but at least the gesture of reaching out could become part of the social technique of community. ([Location 1118](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00NDCO4DG&location=1118)) - Reaching out with compassion is not only needed by the one who is suffering, but by the whole fabric of the community. Our humanity is made visible not only in joy but also in sorrow. ([Location 1123](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00NDCO4DG&location=1123)) - For the teacher or parent who has left a school, even after some closure conversations, there remains many months, even years of processing. Again, there are no magic pills or solutions, and time does seem to bring about healing gradually. Yet there is one technique that I have found facilitates the inner processing, and that is the three-night exercise recommended by Rudolf Steiner in his karma lectures.1 Briefly stated, one is advised to form a clear mental picture of the event or situation that occurred. If it was a series of things, one could pick one day or one event that typified the struggle. See the people in your mind's eye; picture the scene as if you were there again. Then take it into sleep so that it can be worked on overnight. Then do it again the second night and a third. Observe yourself upon waking each morning. What happens is that the original event or situation is worked on by the higher members of our being, and transformation occurs (see my book School Renewal). Many people do this unconsciously as a matter of “processing,” but if one does this exercise in full consciousness each evening and morning, the transformational process is accelerated. ([Location 1125](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00NDCO4DG&location=1125)) - I suggest that part of regaining a degree of peace regarding a challenging situation is the perspective that is widened. We see more from the top of a mountain than when we are immersed in the trees below. Spiritual practice and an understanding of karma can help bring perspective. ([Location 1147](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00NDCO4DG&location=1147)) - Note: Ken Silvestri’s wider lens - A crisis or conflict is the ultimate wake-up call. It is often a moment when all those concerned awake at the same time. Everyone starts to focus. Suddenly we realize we didn't really know the people around us! ([Location 1227](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00NDCO4DG&location=1227)) - In a crisis, the higher selves of people around us often emerge for the first time, and it is good. We see with new eyes the tremendous human potential, the vast resources available to the school! ([Location 1236](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00NDCO4DG&location=1236)) - In my work with schools I have found that organizations sometimes go through a perfect storm. Just at the time of a budget crunch, or a personnel crisis, the school is subject to a dance of the shadows. The untransformed, less conscious aspects of key individuals emerges in a macabre dance, feeding off the shadow images of the others. They may not all be dancing under the moonlight, but sometimes it feels that way. What can be done in such a situation? A course of action (or intervention if one is a consultant) varies based upon the case at hand, but in general, the first step is to hold up a mirror and move from confrontation of the other to self-confrontation. In my assessment interviews, I often ask for “the story” followed by, “What has been your role in this narrative?” Then eventually to, “If you could go back in time, would you have done things differently?” These kinds of questions promote self-reflection and self-assessment, a key ingredient in group/organizational change. I often work with individuals before taking on large-group exercises. ([Location 1242](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00NDCO4DG&location=1242)) - Then in terms of the larger group or organization, I might find an occasion to ask them to list patterns of behavior that have held them back and ones that they aspire to. So on one column they might write: indirect talking about each other in the hallway or teachers room. On the other side of the chart they might say: talking directly to the person concerned. Out of this we develop some Rules of the Road, or group norms. After the list is completed, I ask if there are some that need clarification. When that is done, turning to the forward-looking list I ask, is there anything on this list you do not agree with? Usually there is none, if we have done the clarifications thoroughly. Then, much to their surprise I ask, Do we have agreement that these are qualities we aspire to for our interactions going forward? The consensus on this piece often comes as a tremendous surprise to a group that has been at odds. . . . “What! We all agreed to something!” And with a small step forward we have started to step back into the Light pole of the organization and the shadows have had to pull back a bit. For this is the central task of group work: how can we help each individual, each parent and teacher, stand in his or her light in service of the whole? Not someone else's light, but their own, with all the shades of color and difference that makes each person such an untold story. By coming together we can embark on a voyage of discovery, and together do what no one of us could do alone. With group processes and facilitation skills that are honed like a well-tuned musical instrument, it is possible to reach a place in which each person finds their rightful role, just as each musician has a separate instrument to play in an orchestra. However we need a common score, the mission of the organization, and the aspirations in the Light pole to keep us together. It can be done, and when we are successful, the music is pleasing for all to hear. ([Location 1250](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00NDCO4DG&location=1250)) - Parents seek renewal and strength through their association with a Waldorf school. Some find it through the festivals, others through conversation with other parents, and some want to engage in self-development, inspired by the example of some of the wonderful teachers and other parents they meet in the school. This is a most subtle aspect of school life, in that one has to leave everyone free in terms of individual spiritual life. One cannot impose on the inner, sacred sanctuary that comprises the Self of another human being. Thus, one has to wait for a question to arise. A discussion of a PTO and other more outer forms would not be complete without mentioning this aspect as well. It is part of the revealed mystery of community. People are drawn together out of a mutual desire to evolve. This is a potent force behind a school. Just as the sap rising in New Hampshire maple trees in the spring is a reality—and a sweet one for those who like maple syrup!—so the forward-looking, self-actualization force in a striving human being can become a resource for health in a school community. Our striving provides nourishment for a school. ([Location 1272](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00NDCO4DG&location=1272)) - Thus, with a clear mission, regular attendance and specific tasks, a PTO has a chance to make valuable contributions to a school. If the faculty and staff have confidence in the work of this organization, it is advisable to have the chair and vice chair meet with the school's overall executive leadership team once a month to coordinate agendas and compare notes. One then starts to approach what one could call a collaborative leadership model of school governance. ([Location 1336](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00NDCO4DG&location=1336)) - Alumni–parent relations should be one of the highest priorities of any school. ([Location 1410](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00NDCO4DG&location=1410)) - There is an international need to look at the teaching profession from a career perspective, especially in regard to our most experienced teachers. Can we pool our resources, for example, to create a pre-retirement professional group of roving mentors who could be called upon to visit schools that need help? Can we create service apprentice programs for new teachers that would be run by long-serving colleagues? What about research fellowships? Visiting scholar programs at teacher training colleges? We need to be at least asking these questions and forming proposals to address the life cycle issues of our experienced colleagues. The stronger the light, the greater the shadows. ([Location 1501](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00NDCO4DG&location=1501))