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One
snowy Wednesday in February, a solitary British backpacker came
to visit Holma College for one of our open courses.
Since
she had travelled far the day before and seemed rather in need of
a rest, we didn’t worry when she only participated in half
of the first day.
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Apparently,
however, she had felt frustrated by the morning session and decided
not to find out if the afternoon, or the next two days, would change
her mind.
It
was unfortunate that any of our guest students would leave their
dissatisfaction unvoiced, but even more unfortunate that this particular
student wasn’t more vocal.
Unbeknown
to us, Ms. Martin was actually visiting to get a general impression
of Holma College for her web travelogue hosted by BBC North Yorkshire.
Incomplete
impression
We
regret that Ms. Martin didn't enjoy the half of a day that she spent
participating in our three-day course.
What
we regret even more is that she would generalize her brief experience
with a single course onto the whole of Holma College, without any
formal interviews or active investigation into what our school is
about.
Although
traditional education is often about passively receiving information
from the instructor, at Holma College we encourage students to actively
engage themselves in the courses.
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This
particular course did require a certain level of commitment and
involvement. Yet with an open mind, willingness to give, and receptivity
to new ideas, most students would, and indeed did, benefit greatly
from the course.
However,
not all of our classes require such high levels of engagement. We
invite Ms. Martin to another course that may meet her needs better.
Learning
at Holma College
Holma
College features a wide Integral range of educational styles, from
more dynamic body-oriented courses like the one she attended, to
the more traditional lecture-style courses.
Throughout
the program year, we offer open courses in innovative subjects ranging
from Life Affirming Leadership to Eco Philosophy or Quantum Physics.
Don’t hesitate to check out our website for more course information.
While
we are happy to offer our open courses as a service to the wider
community, they are far from the focus of our school.
Holma
College is a learning community where people from around the world
study and work together with a shared vision for personal and global
transformation.
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Together,
we learn and aspire to practice the newly emerging Integral Philosophy
as a comprehensive focusing lens for personal development.
The
Integral approach offers a language with broad applications to students’
lives, including both an academic structure of analysis and vital
personal practices such as meditation, dance, and yoga.
Global
projects
Over
the course of the year, we work on projects to bring the lessons
we learn to the world, some as small as designing a better compost
and others as big as founding international retreat centres.
If
Ms. Martin travels east next year, she should visit Khujand, Tajikistan,
home of a new branch of the University for Global Well-Being that
a team of this year's students are founding.
Perhaps
on the way she'll run into the Hope Bus, a rolling display centre
for new ways of living that four other Holma students are presently
creating. At Holma College, we make our visions a reality.
Holma
College of Integral Studies is truly a dynamic alternative to mainstream
education. Like anything new, it takes time and inquiry to understand.
First impressions are not always sufficient for a rich sense of
the whole picture.
An
invitation
We
wish our mysterious backpacker had let us know that she was a writer
so we could have spent some time formally discussing our education
with her.
With
a few interviews over a few cups of tea, we are sure Ms. Martin
would have left us with an entirely different understanding. We
warmly invite her to do so any time in the future.
Read
Rhoda's review: Holistic education?
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