Teachers, students and administrators use the Five Wisdoms to create a learning environment that celebrates the full human being. Our system sparks curiosity and respect for each person’s unique energetic make-up. It balances mastering specific disciplines with personal growth, allowing students to unfold their full array of colors!

Learning styles

• Vajra—intellectual; using analysis, abstractions, and general principles
• Ratna—amassing information, doing research
• Padma—intuitive, creative, and empathetic
• Karma—by doing, trial and error
• Buddha—repetition using simple, basic concepts; sleeping on it; osmosis

Benefits Include

- Teachers recognize and appreciate student energy styles, seeing how they manifest and relate with other styles. They learn about their own style and develop ways to work with colleagues, students and situations. Teachers are fundamentally able to guide and evaluate each student’s educational journey.

- Students recognize the energy styles of each other and their teachers and learn to relate with each style. They gain an understanding of how each energy quality deepens the learning process. They see the Five Wisdoms as a foundation for ongoing learning, understanding and creativity throughout life.

- Administrators understand the energetic makeup of students, teachers, staff and the board. They learn how to work with and encourage the energies to create a harmonious and well-functioning educational environment.

The Five Qualities of a Fully Educated Person

1. Openness and respect for immediate experience: we acknowledge our direct perception of the present moment, including ambiguity and uncertainty, chaos and confusion – in ourselves and the environment. Openness involves developing a clear, accurate and open-ended relationship to experience. In order to act with intelligence and confidence, we must proceed from this foundation of awareness and curiosity.

2. Intellect and insight: we hold passion and curiosity for learning, including critical thinking, analysis and insight. We facilitate an understanding of the world and ourselves, enabling us to articulate our experience in precise, creative ways. This quality involves proficiency in understanding principles, structures, logic and relationships. It is the willingness to maintain a larger view regarding situations, beyond self-interest, and taking on different perspectives.

3. Resourcefulness and appreciation of the richness of the world: we use creativity to increase knowledge and appreciate the world. This quality taps the resources we have and cultivates hidden, inner talents —intellectual, emotional and pragmatic. It involves developing our ability to respect many modes of human expression, experiences, creativity and cultural background.

4. Interpersonal and communication skills: we relate with and communicate effectively with others. We value the experiences of others and use these experiences to learn about self and others. This quality focuses on the various modes of interpersonal communication: reading, writing, speaking and listening, including communication through non-verbal artistic media like music, movement and visual arts. We connects with others empathetically, with interest and curiosity about other people’s lives. We give and receive feedback skillfully.

5. Effective action: we apply learning and insight to the world, placing openness, insight, knowledge and effective communication into action. This quality involves becoming organized, responding effectively to demands, sustaining interest and carrying projects through to completion.