The Peaceful Educator
John McDonnell Tierney
“The mission is quite simple really; I want to save the world.
You
may ask, does the world need saving? And if so, from whom or what?
My
answer is yes! The world needs saving…from us!”
John
McDonnell Tierney, PhD
Namaste,
When
Traprock Board Chair Pat Hynes invited me to contribute a blog to the Traprock Peace
Center Website, I admit, I had mixed emotions. Oh no, thought I, not another
blog! It seems like everyone is blogging
and twittering these days…makes me wonder who’s reading all this stuff. And
so, it is with some modesty and considerable trepidation that I too venture forth
into the blogosphere. I am truly hoping
to say something worth your time. I hope to inspire thought and good spirited
conversation. Mostly, I hope to advance my personal mission to be a “peaceful
educator” working for a peaceful, just, sustainable future for humans and other
living things.
SO, WHO AM I?
I
won’t give the “bio” here; if you want to know about me, visit
I will tell you these two things: I’ve been an educator for forty-five years and I am the grandfather of two amazing
little boys, Brendan 4, and Evan not yet a year old. In that combination, teacher
and grampa, I am skilled and motivated. I am really motivated to contribute a
better world for Brendan, Evan and all the grandbabies, and I possess an expert
level skill set useful in making a genuine “individual” contribution. As an
educator, I know how to organize complex information into accessible forms for
a reasonably wide range of learners. I understand that no matter how well I
organize information, there will be those who do not agree, who will not
believe, and/or just don’t get it. That said, I am counting on there being a
lot of folks out there who do get it.
I
have recently retired from a long career, mostly in higher education. Over that
time my mission has ever-so-gradually made itself clear to me reaching a climax
in the midst of a personal crisis this past winter. As much as I loved
professoring and interactions with students and colleagues, I came to
understand that a college was not the place that my true mission could
flourish. And so, On April 1st
of this year, I began (in my own little mind) my mission to save the world…oh
yes, that’s what it comes down to…saving the world.
THE “WHAT” AND THE “WHY”
I’ve
been doing my homework; trying to understand “powerful education;” you know the
kind of experiences that, well…”powerfully” move people. One of the things I’ve
found is that people tend to be motivated by ideas when they understand and
empathize with the reasons behind them. In other words, the “why” is more
important than the “what.” This is a
good thing, because right now all I have is the “why;” I’m struggling with the
“what.”
So…why
do I want to save the world? I’ll be honest; the very first thought that comes
to mind is of my two precious grandchildren; I’m saving the world for Brendan
and Evan. And then, of course, the “altruistic me” kicks in and I add “…and all
the grandbabies out there.” I fear the world we adults are bequeathing them. And
so yes, it is for them, for the children. This is the “why” of my mission.
As
I continue to struggle and reflect upon the “what;” a picture is slowly
emerging of a ‘what’ in which I might do what I do best…teach. And so, I have
declared myself “the peaceful educator” and now embark on the educational
design challenge of a lifetime; to promote powerful education and meaningful
learning for Homo sapiens. In this “blog” of mine, I propose to share my
thinking as it develops and evolves as I work though the complexities. I invite
good spirited conversations around these ideas.
And
so, if you are one of those people
who still hope for a better world as I
do, and if you are interested in
saving it, then you may find this modest “blog” (what a silly word) worth your
kind consideration.
Welcome
to my Blog!
John McDonnell
Tierney
