NEW EDITORIAL
BY GORDON NEUFELD, PH.D.
As parents are pondering the best path forward for their children and families during this pandemic, a number of pundits have been featured on Canadian news channels urgently stating that children NEED to go to school. One even stated that children need to go to school more than they or their families need to be kept safe from COVID-19.
Now there are many legitimate arguments one may make for school as well as for going to school, even when there are risks involved, but representing school as an essential developmental need is not one of them. Having spent much of my career training teachers and supporting the school system, I have great concerns over elevating school to the level of a basic human need. This not only puts undue pressure on the school system and the dedicated teachers who are expected to do the impossible, this attitude also undermines parents' right to make a choice over how their children should be educated.
It isn't hard to understand that children need to go to school for the economy to recover or that some children may need to go to school in order for both their parents to go to work. Nor is it hard to understand that some children may need to go to school to give their parents a break, or if coming from troubled homes, to find some safety and stability. The inference, however, in these dogmatic declarations is that children need to go to school for their own good - to learn, to not to be left behind, to socialize with their peers, to develop normally. The urgency in these statements suggests that parents would be doing their children a huge disservice by not getting them back into school as quickly and as completely as possible.
Do children really NEED to go to school to learn? or to socialize with their peers? or to develop normally? or to become fit for society? Is school the answer for every child? Is school as necessary for the child as it is to today's society and its economy? ... READ THE REST OF GORDON'S EDITORIAL →
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Whether returning to school or staying at home, the emotional health of our students is of utmost concern. We address these concerns in two FREE upcoming webinar panels, the first panel focusing on home education and the second on the school setting (see below).
In the first panel, Tamara Strijack and Deborah MacNamara will join Gordon Neufeld to continue the dialogue started in this editorial.
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EMOTIONAL HEALTH
AND HOME EDUCATION
ZOOM Webinar
Thursday, September 17/20
4:30 to 6:00 PM Pacific
Tamara Strijack, Deborah MacNamara & Gordon Neufeld
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EMOTIONAL HEALTH
AND SCHOOL
ZOOM Webinar
Thursday, September 24/20
4:30 to 6:00 PM Pacific
Tamara Strijack, Eva de Gosztonyi, Deborah MacNamara & Hannah Beach
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LIVESTREAM EVENT
PRESENTED BY GORDON NEUFELD, PH.D.
SATURDAY, SEPT. 26, 2020
9 AM to 4 PM PACIFIC
$90 PER PERSON
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A note from Gordon regarding the upcoming seminar...
I have been thoroughly immersed for the last several weeks in preparing for The Alarm Spectrum seminar. I get to do what I enjoy the most, distilling to the essence a myriad of seemingly unrelated bits and pieces of information. I have been particularly impressed as to the role of language in this exercise, either blinding us or enlightening us. Shifting language to approximate more what actually happens in the brain has been especially illuminating in putting these puzzle pieces together.
I have taken pleasure in mapping out the alarm response in step-by-step sequence as this enables us to pinpoint just where the trouble begins in the development of the various alarm-based problems. Knowing the origins of a problem certainly paves the way for making a difference. The spectrum analogy has grown on me as the material has come together. Just as a diverse array of colour is the manifestation of light in different wavelengths, so too is a diverse array of symptoms the manifestation of alarm felt in different ways. And rather coincidentally I might add, just as there are three primary colours in the visible light spectrum, there appear to be three basic types of alarm problems as well.
I am very much looking forward to sharing this material with those of you who can join us on Saturday, September 26th. Although the focus is on children, given that we all get alarmed, the material is entirely suitable for self-understanding as well. And although the presentation wasn't prepared with the pandemic in mind, it couldn't be more timely as we attempt to navigate these alarming times.
Not able to attend at the scheduled time? We've got you covered! All registrants receive access to the recording for 30 days. Registration closes on Sept 24th @ 4 PM Pacific.
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Registration for Scheduled Online Classes includes access to our Virtual Campus featuring Dr. Neufeld's course videos, online support, discussion forums, study guides, supplementary resources, and much more. Weekly live classes are recorded, so if scheduling is a challenge, it's easy to catch up.
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EARLY-BIRD DISCOUNT
Save 10% on select courses when you register at least 7 days in advance.
(Not applicable for Intensives or self-paced study format.)
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TUESDAYS
STARTS OCTOBER 6, 2020
10:00 AM TO 11:00 AM PACIFIC
RUNS FOR 6 WEEKS
$150 before discount
SAVE 10% PROMO CODE: 595004
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WEDNESDAYS
STARTS OCTOBER 21, 2020
3:00 PM TO 4:00 PM PACIFIC
RUNS FOR 8 WEEKS
$250 before discount
SAVE 10% PROMO CODE: 596004
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THURSDAYS
STARTS OCTOBER 1, 2020
10:00 AM TO 11:00 AM PACIFIC
RUNS FOR 22 WEEKS
$600
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THURSDAYS
STARTS OCTOBER 8, 2020
11:30 AM TO 12:30 PM PACIFIC
RUNS FOR 17 WEEKS
$750
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Exciting New Development!
Neufeld Institute Education Hub
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After years of being looked to for resources for teachers and administrators, two of our faculty members - Tamara Strijack and Eva de Gosztonyi - are spearheading this project to bring together material that flows from or is consistent with an attachment-based developmental approach and to make it easily accessible. The opening of a special website housing this project will be announced shortly in a newsletter especially dedicated to this purpose. If you are an educator, please stay tuned! |
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