The Gentleman’s Breakfast Club: Using Paideia Principles to Inspire

Achievement

Presented by Tony Goldston agoldston@randolph.k12.nc.us

Visual Arts Education

“If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as a Michaelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, 'Here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.”― Martin Luther King Jr.

About Paideia

Paideia is a holistic approach to life-long learning with roots in ancient Greece. The Paideia Program argues for a public education that is at once more rigorous and more accessible.

Paideia is a more kid-friendly way to learn. Students don’t just sit there absorbing information; they learn how to be learners. Paideia teaches creative thinking. – Amy Burke

The Paideia Principles

• That all children can learn.

• That they all deserve the same quality of schooling, not just the same quantity.

• That the quality of schooling to which they are entitled is what the wisest parents would wish for their own children.

• That schooling at its best is preparation for becoming generally educated in the course of a whole lifetime, and that schools should be judged on how well they provide such preparation.

According to the Principles of Paideia

The three callings for which schooling should prepare all students are:

To earn a decent livelihood. To be a good citizen of the nation and the

world. To make a good life for one’s self.

More Paideia Principles

The primary purpose of genuine learning is to develop the emotional, social, spiritual and physical aspects of a learner’s mind, with the teacher acting as a facilitator of growth.

The end result of the Paideia approach is the growth of the mind’s understanding of basic ideas and issues.

Key Elements of The Gentlemans Breakfast Club

The program is designed to help young men develop skills that will aid them, not only during the middle and high school years, but well into their adult lives.

Primary Focus of the Breakfast Club

• Respect for self and others.

• Communication with adults and peers.

• Making wise choices.

• Education Options.

• Goal Setting.

• Making a difference at school and in the community.

• Character Development.

Four Guiding Principles of The Gentleman’s Breakfast Club

1) Be impeccable with your word. Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid

using the word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love.

2) Don't Take Anything Personally. Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and

do is a projection of their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won't be the victim of needless suffering.

(developed from the book: “The Four Agreements”, by: Miguel Angel

Ruiz)

3) Don't Make Assumptions. Find the courage to ask questions and to express what

you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness, and drama. With just this one agreement, you can completely transform your life.

4) Always Do Your Best. Your best is going to change from moment to moment; it

will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick. Under any circumstance, simply do your best, and you will avoid self-judgment, self-abuse, and regret.

(developed from the book: “The Four Agreements”, by: Miguel Angel Ruiz)

“Excellence is not an act, but a habit. The things you do most are the things you do best.” Marva Collins, American Educator

“I tell [kids] they don’t have to be an athlete to acquire self-image. Be what you are. Writer. Student. Let it happen and draw off of that.” Jasmine Guy, American Actress

RESOURCES http://www.paideia.org

http://www.learnnc.org/lp/editions/paideia “Wisdom Of The Millennium”, by Helen Exley

“The Four Agreements,” by Miguel Angel Ruiz

“The Artist’s Way”, by Julia Cameron

“Mindfulness and Meaningful Work”, by Claude Whitmyer

“African-American Wisdom”, A Book of Quotes and Proverbs, Compiled by Quinn Eli

“The Variety of Religious Experiences”, by William James

“Touchstones: A Book of Daily Meditations for Men”, Hazelden Foundation Education Materials