Philadelphia Yearly Meeting

of the Religious Society of Friends

Education

GEORGE LAKEY: STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS WITH DIVERSE LEARNERS

Written on:

On Saturday, June 5th at 11:00 AM, George Lakey, one of Central Philadelphia Monthly Meeting’s favorite authors, will return to discuss and read from one of his newest books.

FACILITATING GROUP LEARNING is an essential resource designed to help educators, trainers, workshop leaders, and anyone who assists groups to learn.  George Lakey will discuss the core principles and proven techniques of direct education, an approach he developed for effectively teaching adults in groups.  The author emphasizes critical issues related to diversity, as well as authenticity and emotions.

Please log in on the Zoom platform.  The login information is below:

URL: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84310739478?pwd=WnB0ckRuRDh4Z0V4K0V2dHRHUU52UT09

Meeting ID: 843 1073 9478

Passcode: 079030

George Lakey recently retired from Swarthmore College and has also taught at Haverford College, the University of Pennsylvania, Woodbrooke (England) and at Pendle Hill.  He has trained and launched national networks of trainers in the UK, New Zealand, Russia and Thailand.  In summary, he has led over 1,500 social change workshops on five continents.  His ten books have been about change, including HOW WE WIN (2018).  

“This is a must-read for people who teach adults of any age… Wonderfully well-written and rich with psychological and spiritual insights…  It represents the fruits of a lifetime of transformational teaching by one of the foremost adult educators of our time.” 

– Parker J. Palmer, author of THE COURAGE TO TEACH AND LET YOUR LIFE SPEAK

Reopen House Day: Philly’s National Historic Landmarks

Written on:

We’re celebrating the International Day for Monuments and Sites on April 18th by holding a “Reopen House Day” welcoming visitors back to the region’s National Historic Landmarks! Over 20 participating historic sites will offer…Tours, Virtual Programs, Special Events, Discounts & Prizes …AND MORE!
Arch Street Meeting House will have musician Jocko MacNelly playing live music on our historic grounds from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm, while inside the building, our “Ask a Quaker” program will be available from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm to visitors interested in learning more about the continued relevance of Quakers and Quaker history.
For more information on the event and participating sites, please visit: http://www.globalphiladelphia.org/nhl-reopen-house
–
Philadelphia is home to 67 of the country’s 2,618 National Historic Landmarks (NHLs). They represent some of Philadelphia’s most important historical places, events, and people and are found in neighborhoods throughout the city. The NHLs program is managed by the National Park Service and recognizes select sites on the National Register of Historic Places that represent outstanding aspects of American history and culture.
For more information, visit:
www.nps.gov/orgs/1582/index.htm or https://globalphiladelphia.org/heritage-map.

Let’s Talk About Equity in Education

Written on:

Join Moorestown Friends Meeting’s Anti-Racism Committee for a conversation with Quinton Law and Harry Lewis, leaders of Moorestown Alumni for Racial Equity & Inclusion (MAREI). MAREI formed in the aftermath of a teach-in on racism in Moorestown schools held last spring. (That teach-in was organized by a group that included two young Quakers.) MAREI developed a detailed Call to Action recommending specific steps schools can take to promote equity and inclusion, and are working with the board of education, New Jersey Legislature and others to implement meaningful action. Click here to join the discussion, or phone 646-558-8656 and use meeting ID 815 8781 6369.

The Door Inward: Adult Religious Education

Written on:

All are welcome to join Moorestown F/friends for a discussion of William Taber’s essay, ‘Four Doors to Meeting for Worship.’ Taber proposes that one way to enter the deeper experience of community worship is to imagine passing through a series of four stages, or doors. This essay describes these doors and invites worshipers to explore their thresholds; we are considering them in a series of four adult religious education sessions. In March, we reflect on the second door, The Door Inward. We discussed The Door Before in February, and will reflect on The Door Within in April and The Door Beyond in May. Hard copies of this essay, Pendle Hill Pamphlet #306, are available from Pendle Hill for $7.50. Click here to learn and share with us on Sunday, March 21 at 11:15 am, or phone 646-558-8656 and use meeting ID 785 699 478.

Let’s Talk with Local Farmers

Written on:

The Anti-Racism Committee of Moorestown Friends Meeting seeks to identify political and legislative priorities to support anti-racism. Given the Meeting’s roots in NJ farming, one obvious area of interest is agriculture. The committee acknowledges the systemic racism that permeates agriculture and farming in the United States. US Senator Cory Booker has taken note of the relative paucity of Black-owned farmland not just in NJ but throughout our nation. The direct connection between discriminatory practices of the USDA and the status of Black farmers was first documented by government-sponsored reports in 1997. The discrimination primarily took the shape of denying Black farmers timely access to government loans which caused Black farmers to lose their farms. The 2002 Farm Bill and the 2018 Farm Bill signaled progressive efforts to address this discrimination. While some progress has been made, e.g., an increase in the number of Black farmers and the acreage of Black farms, more is needed as the average farm income of Black-operated farms in 2017 was 40% of that of white-operated farms. To address this gap, the Justice for Black Farmers Act, co-sponsored by Senator Booker in late 2020, seeks to provide land grants to Black farmers.

On the recommendation of Member Pete Small, several committee members met for a tour of Free Haven Farm in early November 2020. We fell in love with the owners, the kale, and the fire sauce. Established in 2017, Free Haven Farms is a Black-owned farm in Lawnside, NJ. Its owners are Cynthia (Moorestown Friends School, 1997) and Micaiah Hall. The Halls are passionate about their mission of sustainability and attainability. To that end, Free Haven Farm produces much more than produce – farm tours, ag workshops, soil testing, garden consultation, a science camp for kids, and yoga and capoeira angola (Brazilian martial art) classes. Mr. Hall is the former Farm Director of Mill Creek Farm in Philadelphia. Dr. Cynthia Hall is an environmental geochemist and Associate Professor at West Chester University. Their farm reflects their interest in building bridges into the community through healthy food and food education for those with limited access to both.

Please join the Moorestown Meeting’s Anti-Racism Committee on Thursday, February 25 at 7:30 pm by Zoom for a conversation with Cynthia and Micaiah Hall. Click here or phone 646-558-8656 and use meeting #873 3565 8140.

Quakers in Education: Nitobe Inazo, Elizabeth Gray Vining, and Joseph Wharton

Written on:

This is the second in a series of articles about Quakers who’ve impacted the fields of education and contributed to global scientific, medical, political, or economic leadership. The first article was published on September 23 and covered Elise Goulding, Ezra Cornell, and Johns Hopkins.

Nitobe Inazo (1862-1933) was a Japanese Quaker who became the first Under Secretary General for the League of Nations. Nitobe was born into a samurai family on Honshu, the main island of Japan. While in college, he became a Christian and later a Friend. In 1884, He moved to the US for post-graduate studies at Johns Hopkins University. There he began attending Quaker meetings, telling friends, “I very much like their simplicity and earnestness.”

[Read more…] about Quakers in Education: Nitobe Inazo, Elizabeth Gray Vining, and Joseph Wharton

Quakers in Education: Elise M. Boulding, Ezra Cornell, and Johns Hopkins

Written on:

Quaker education has always been grounded in basic principles of the Religious Society of Friends. Each child has that of God within, and Friends’ education is centered in truth, practical learning, scientific inquiry, simplicity, and concern for civic society.

Quakers have a long history of questioning power and engaging in social action for human rights and peace. Today, many Quaker schools or Quaker affiliated institutions of higher education frame their learning environments with social or civic responsibilities and define community expectations through the lens of Friends’ values while still honoring the individual.

As the United States grew from colony to nation, the Quakers advocated for and delivered universal pubic education in Pennsylvania, built colleges, and created private Quaker secondary and elementary schools. The motto of the William Penn Charter School; “Good Instruction is Better than Riches” dates back to its founding in 1689 and still serves to describe Friends’ fundamental belief that knowledge outperforms wealth over time.

In the United States, Quakers were key to the founding of Haverford College (Pennsylvania), Guilford College (North Carolina,) Earlham College (Indiana), Swarthmore College (Pennsylvania), Johns Hopkins University (Maryland), Cornell University (New York), and the Wharton School of University of Pennsylvania (Pennsylvania). All that does not mean that Quakers were perfect. As we see in the stories below, the were human and also strongly influenced by their own time and place.

[Read more…] about Quakers in Education: Elise M. Boulding, Ezra Cornell, and Johns Hopkins