“The obvious fact is that our social life has undergone a thorough and radical change. If our education is to have any meaning for life, it must pass through an equally complete transformation. To do this means to make each one of our schools an embryonic community life, active with types of occupations that reflect the life of the larger society and permeated throughout with the spirit of art, history, and science. When the school introduces and trains each child of society into membership within such a little community, saturating him with the spirit of service, and providing him with the instruments of effective self-direction, we shall have the deepest and best guarantee of a larger society which is worthy, lovely, and harmonious.”
- John Dewey

Ananda Life Education Center offers standards based professional development for all educators. Each workshop embodies John Dewey’s progressive vision and employs innovative methods that honor both the educator and child. Our professional development series is a custom-approach. Just as every child is different, we understand that every educator also has unique needs. A common thread of all our programming is that we want our students to love themselves and learning, as much as we love to teach them. It is this philosophy that motivates our workshop design.

Most programming is available for both elementary and secondary levels. Please view our A-Z workshop series below:

Alleviate Test Anxiety
Testing has assumed a larger role in our school culture and this pressure is having a stressful impact on both the educator and student. In this unique yoga-inspired workshop, teachers are given tools to help alleviate test anxiety for children of all ages. Through an exploration of relaxation techniques, breathing exercises and stretching, children will develop healthier coping habits while also increasing concentration and focus. With the use of these skills children will begin to lay the foundation for a more positive self-image and the confidence to perform at their very best. Leave this workshop with a toolbox of helpful tips that will have a lasting effect long after test day.

Little Lotus Literacy:
"What I hear, I forget. What I see, I remember. What I do, I know." This powerful statement made by Confucius is the core of the Little Lotus Literacy Workshop. Educators learn various techniques to help children act out the words of a poem, plots of stories, lyrics to a song or any relevant written text. By experiencing emergent literacy concepts with their bodies, children are utilizing multiple senses which create powerful new ways of thinking, communicating and more information is learned and retained. Watch the hidden power of movement create eager and capable listeners, readers, writers and speakers.

Quotes and Quiet 
The quotes and quiet workshops is geared towards a social studies and literature curriculum.  Profound quotes are researched and/or selected by the teacher to create a more visual and reflective learning experience.  This workshop will be catered to the specific events and timeframes of your class, providing a personalized and custom approach for students.  Students will be transformed by words, silence and movement and will employ learning techniques that satisfy their own intelligences and style.