I have been a student at RSE for about 18 years now and, over the years, I remember many teachings about the brain and the extraordinary power and potentials that lie therein. One of the most magnificent things about learning at Ramtha’s School is that no lesson is taught without an opportunity to apply what is learned through a discipline. Through continued practice, and to my utter amazement, I was able to accomplish disciplines like Fieldwork®, Analogical Archery^SM and The Tank® repeatedly. Equipped with life-changing experiences I followed my passion and did my own research on neuroscience and how it could be applied in a classroom with children.

The program I have subsequently been developing is called C.R.E.A.T.E.™, which stands for “Consciously Realizing Every Attitude and Thought into Experience.™” The program’s purpose is to acknowledge how our thoughts and attitudes impact our experiences in life and to inspire students to be conscious of and intentional about their experiences; in this case, to be intentional about their learning at school. Among other techniques, we have the awesome and rare opportunity to facilitate some of the RSE disciplines, like Analogical Archery^SM, the Neighborhood Walk® and Fieldwork® for the kids. Additionally, I include age-appropriate lessons in cognitive and social neuroscience for students age 3-12, because I want them to know at an early age what an amazing machine they have in their head and the great things they can accomplish when they are focused on their goals. I am passionate about this program, because I feel that in general education is missing an important component of development: consideration for and learning about the impact of our thoughts, attitudes and emotions. These are an integral part of a child’s social and emotional learning.

Driven by my passion, and supported by my extraordinarily open-minded colleagues at the Phoenix Rising School, I get to work with the most amazing beings of all – our children. Every day, we get to explore this remarkable area of learning. I am thrilled to see that science is now supporting the idea that teachers get training in neuroscience, and have been honored to realize how unique Phoenix Rising is in this regard.

We recently applied for a grant with the Northwest Association of Independent Schools – our accrediting agency – to help create an online neuroscience primer for teachers. In collaboration with colleagues from other member schools and a professor from the University of Washington’s College of Education we will be supporting this important learning for instructors to help change children’s classrooms beyond the boundaries of the local community.