The Living Wisdom High School was honored to have Nitai Deranja visit our campus recently. Nitai is the founding director of the first Living Wisdom School and president of Education for Life International. He joined our daily morning circle, observed our teachers in their class settings, and interviewed some of the students. 

 

Listening to Nitai’s interviews, I observed how open the students were about their experiences at the school. Nitai had a calm, joyful disposition, and had empathy and an understanding of how each student felt. His disposition was a pure example of what it is to be a teacher in a Living Wisdom School and provider of an Education for Life system.

 

Below are selections from a couple of the interviews:

 

 

Nitai: Can you tell me about your experience at Living Wisdom High School?

 

Current junior student: For freshman year, I wanted to take a computer science class, so Kshama set me up with an online program... If you want to take a class, they just make it available for you.

 

(This student along with fellow classmates just so happen to be co-teaching a coding class this semester for younger students and peers.)

 

Current sophomore student: I learned how to be punctual. In public school, I was never motivated, and I couldn't get to school on time. In the beginning of this school, I had trouble getting here on time as well. I liked this school, but it was like a habit. Kshama and Haze talked to me about the importance of being punctual. You can't get a job if you're not punctual. Now I have a job, and I haven't been late. 

 

Nitai: That's an important life skill.

 

Personally, I was often late for class. This habit started in sixth grade and I never had a teacher approach me to discuss the importance of punctuality. This is a small example of the type of life skills and attention to detail that the teachers at Living Wisdom High School give to their students.

 

(And bravo to this student for hearing his teachers and mentors and taking action on the guidance given to him.)

 

Mentorship and the conscious development of life skills are an integral part of students’ experiences at Living Wisdom School across the grades. We are glad and grateful for Nitai’s visit and the time and energy he offered to our students and teachers.