Reach and Teach: Media Literacy

Posted on November 8, 2012 by zoeweil
Image copyright Institute for Humane Education.

I was excited when Reach and Teach, a peace and social justice learning company, shared my new TEDx talk, Educating for Freedom, taking the ideas in the talk about media literacy and analyzing ads a step further. Here’s a brief excerpt:

“When you see an advertisement for a store that’s offering the VERY LOWEST PRICES, for example, taking some time to think about how that store manages to get things at such low prices could provide a great lesson in suffering, cruelty, and destruction.

Lower prices might make you happy, but what damage do they do to get those low prices? Child labor? Slave labor? Bankrupting suppliers by making them sell the store products at a price lower than it costs to produce? ”

Read the complete post.

~ Zoe

Zoe Weil, President, Institute for Humane Education
Author of Most Good, Least Harm, Above All, Be Kind, and The Power and Promise of Humane Education
My TEDxConejo talk: “Solutionaries”
My TEDxDirigo talk: “The World Becomes What You Teach“
My TEDxYouth@BFS “Educating for Freedom”

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Filed under: critical thinking, humane education, media literacy | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

How Do You Want to Live Your 30,000 Days on Earth?

Posted on July 30, 2012 by zoeweil

Almost eight years ago, I read the book, Naikan, by Gregg Krech, director of the ToDo Institute in Vermont. Naikan is a Japanese form of self-reflection which focuses on three questions:

1) What have I received from _________?
2) What have I given _________?
3) What troubles or difficulties have I caused ________?

You can fill in the blank with just about anyone or anything. I’ve filled it in with individuals in my life, including close family members and friends; with things like air or water or trees; and, most often, with the simple concept of “today.” I find the practice powerful and transformative, providing a true reckoning of my choices and actions and an opportunity for experiencing greater gratitude and greater awareness.

No sooner had I finished the book than I contacted the author and we arranged a time to meet. We met both at his home/institute with his wonderful family and a few months later at my home/institute, again with his family. We’ve stayed in touch, but years have passed since we’ve seen one another.

I’ve continued to teach about Naikan through my writing and our graduate programs, and now I’m thrilled that Gregg has invited me to be a keynote speaker at the ToDo Institute’s Thirty Thousand Days conference August 2-5 in Burlington, Vermont. Thirty thousand days refers to the average amount of time each of us has on earth, and the conference is sure to be a powerful couple of days of talks, workshops, music, and film, all designed to help us live meaningfully, humanely, sustainably, and joyfully in the time given us.

There’s still room to attend. I hope to see some readers of this blog at this exciting event!

~ Zoe

Zoe Weil, President, Institute for Humane Education
Author of Most Good, Least Harm, Above All, Be Kind, and The Power and Promise of Humane Education
My TEDxConejo talk: “Solutionaries”
My TEDxDirigo talk: “The World Becomes What You Teach“

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Filed under: MOGO (Most Good) | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

We Must Be Solutionaries

Posted on July 9, 2012 by zoeweil

For my blog post today, I’m honored to share Marc Bekoff’s essay about my recent TEDx talk – Solutionaries – in Psychology Today. Here’s an excerpt from Marc’s essay:

“…The psychological underpinnings of Zoe’s talk make what could be just another lofty “save the world” presentation into something each of us can use, grapple with, and be inspired by. She articulates the psychological issues we face in responding to global challenges and then unpacks them and invites us to be part of what is clearly a joyful solution. If we’re going to make positive differences in the world we need to be enthusiastic and optimistic because there’s a lot of hard work to be done and it’s pretty easy to become discouraged and to give up. Zoe’s talk made me reflect on my own ideas about how rewilding our hearts can help us maintain hope and faith in difficult times.”

Read the complete essay.

~ Zoe

Zoe Weil, President, Institute for Humane Education
Author of Most Good, Least Harm, Above All, Be Kind, and The Power and Promise of Humane Education
My TEDxConejo talk: “Solutionaries”
My TEDxDirigo talk: “The World Becomes What You Teach“

Like my blog? Please share it with others, comment, and/or subscribe to the RSS feed. 

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Solutionaries: Zoe Weil’s New TEDx Talk

Posted on July 2, 2012 by zoeweil

For my blog post today I’m excited to share my new TEDx talk: Solutionaries. I hope you enjoy it! If you do, please share it widely and spread the word. Many thanks!


Zoe

Zoe Weil, President, Institute for Humane Education
Author of Most Good, Least Harm, Above All, Be Kind, and The Power and Promise of Humane Education
My TEDxConejo talk: “Solutionaries”
My TEDxDirigo talk: “The World Becomes What You Teach“

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“My Ongoing Problems With Kindness: Confessions of MOGO Girl” Debuts in U.S.

Posted on May 4, 2012 by zoeweil

On Thursday, May 10, I will be debuting my new 1-woman show, “My Ongoing Problems with Kindness: Confessions of MOGO Girl” in the United States. I’m excited. I’ve already had the nightmare during which the curtain opens and I flub my opening line and forget the rest while standing on the stage barefoot (which my director promises me is a very good sign!).

The show has already had its international debut (in Fredericton, NB, Canada), and the organizer had this to say about it:

“With healthy doses of wit, candor, and insight, Zoe Weil shows us just how tricky — and funny — it can be attempting to live as a full-time compassionate citizen on this wonderful, complicated planet.  If you like laughter, deep thought, and hearty challenges, then you don’t want to miss My Ongoing Problems with Kindness.  Long live MOGO Girl and her growing band of solutionaries!” – Kurt Schmidt

So, I feel set to embark upon this adventure, bringing the issues I care about so deeply to new audiences who wouldn’t otherwise come to a presentation or workshop but would come out to be entertained.

If you would like to bring the show to your community, please let me know.

~ Zoe

Filed under: humane education, MOGO (Most Good), Zoe Weil appearances | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Zoe Weil Interview in Forbes Magazine: The Heart of Education

Posted on April 26, 2012 by zoeweil
Image courtesy Amy Wilton Photography.

I’m delighted to share this interview of me that Michael Tobias did for Forbes Magazine! Here’s an excerpt from “The Heart of Education: A Discussion with Zoe Weil”:

Michael Tobias: In your opinion, why is humane education so important?

Zoe Weil: While there are many ways in which humanity is becoming less violent, less prejudiced, and less cruel, the reality of a warming planet with over 7 billion people and limited resources means we face potential economic, social, and environmental catastrophes. While every generation has faced its challenges, only in this century do we confront the possible loss of half of all species on earth, with the simultaneous breakdown of the ecosystems which sustain us all. At the same time, through the Internet, only in this century do we now have the capacity to work together across every border, and collaborate and innovate so quickly and powerfully. There is great and realistic hope that we can solve the challenges we face and transform dysfunctional, inhumane, and destructive systems, but we’ll be hard-pressed to succeed if children in school continue to be taught under centuries-old models, and if our grand purpose for schooling remains to “compete in the global economy,” which is the buzz phrase of our time regarding education reform.

Read the complete interview.

I’d love it if you could please share widely!

~ Zoe

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Debut of My 1-Woman Show: My Ongoing Problems with Kindness: Confessions of MOGO Girl

Posted on April 10, 2012 by zoeweil

On Friday, April 13th, I’ll be debuting my new 1-woman show, My Ongoing Problems with Kindness: Confessions of MOGO Girl, in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada.

For some time now I’ve been thinking about new ways to share humane education issues with different and larger audiences than typically come out to hear a talk or attend a workshop. It occurred to me that everyone likes to laugh and be entertained (especially me!), so I created this show to bring important and serious global issues to audiences in an entertaining format. I’m eager to debut the show next week and to bring it on the road in the coming year.

Let me know if you’d like to bring the show to your community!

Zoe

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Filed under: MOGO (Most Good), Zoe Weil appearances | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

My Lightbulb Moment: What We Do Matters

Posted on January 5, 2012 by zoeweil

For my blog post today, I wanted to share my Slant Series “lightbulb moment” story. Enjoy!

 

For a humane world,

Zoe Weil, President, Institute for Humane Education
Author of Most Good, Least Harm, Above All, Be Kind, and The Power and Promise of Humane Education
My TEDx talk: “The World Becomes What You Teach“

Like my blog? Please share it with others, comment, and/or subscribe to the RSS feed.  

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Teaching: The Most Noble Profession

Posted on December 30, 2011 by zoeweil
For my final blog post of 2011, I thought I’d repost my most widely-read essay of the year: “Teaching: The Most Noble Profession,” that was published on Common Dreams.org, a progressive news site. Here’s a short excerpt:

“Teachers are the agents of the future. Will our world be populated by people ready and able to meet that future as creative and critical thinkers; as wise, compassionate and knowledgeable citizens; as skilled and motivated solutionaries within their professions? The answer to this question lies with teachers. More than any other profession, teaching has the power to create a healthy, just, and peaceful world (or not). It has the ability to seed our society with informed, caring and engaged citizens (or not). It has the capacity to inspire lifelong learning and a passion for knowledge, understanding, and innovation (or not). Is there anything more important than this?”

Read the complete essay.

For a humane world,

Zoe Weil, President, Institute for Humane Education
Author of Most Good, Least Harm, Above All, Be Kind, and The Power and Promise of Humane Education
My TEDx talk: “The World Becomes What You Teach“

Like my blog? Please share it with others, comment, and/or subscribe to our RSS feed.

Filed under: education | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

My 50th Birthday Roast Video

Posted on July 29, 2011 by zoeweil

For today’s blog post, I wanted to share a video roast that my husband put together for me for my 50th birthday. I thought it was hilarious. Enjoy!

Zoe Weil, President, Institute for Humane Education
Author of Most Good, Least Harm, Above All, Be Kind, and The Power and Promise of Humane Education
My TEDx talk: “The World Becomes What You Teach“

Like my blog? Please share it with others, comment, and/or subscribe to the RSS feed.

Filed under: humane education, MOGO (Most Good), videos, Zoe Weil appearances | Tagged: , , , , , , | Comments Off

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