Ms. Laura Weaver

Laura Weaver, director of programmes at PassageWorks, feels that nurturing the inner lives of our children has never been so important.

She said: "When young people lose their sense of meaning and purpose, when they have no internal compass, there is nothing to stop them from acting in destructive ways towards themselves and others. However, when students are invited to explore meaning, purpose and relevance, when they experience connection to self, to others, and the world around them, they will choose to act in life-sustaining ways."

The PassageWorks experience suggests that bringing out the spiritual side of students can also have an effect on their behaviour. Ms Weaver added: "We see again and again that when students feel these connections, they naturally choose behaviours that are compassionate.
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Ms Weaver says that one of the keys to encouraging connection and a sense of spirituality in kids is through the creation of caring communities, where it is safe and appropriate for students to drop their masks. They believe that when young people are supported through vulnerable transition times, and acknowledged by caring peers and adults, they are more able to constructively move through major identity shifts, and discover new capacities and insights.

Ms Weaver continued: "We invite students to develop a sense of what they value so that they can understand when the choices they are making are actually sabotaging what they most long for. In the presence of their peers and a mentor/teacher, students are invited to share these values, hopes, dreams and questions."

There is plenty of evidence, too, that getting the emotional and spiritual side of children's lives sorted is paramount to academic success. Ms Weaver sees academic and social-emotional learning goals as "integral". She added: "When students are engaged in school on a social and emotional level, they are more open and available to learning - brain research and learning theory acknowledges this connection between emotions, engagement and learning."
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"Teachers are the heroes of our communities," Ms Weaver said.
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Ms Weaver also warns that our collective failure to provide strong role models could have long-term ramifications both personally and in society, and feels that we have to wake up and recognise the crucial role of the teacher as a mentor.

She added: "When students don't find real-life heroes and mentors, they search them out in the media and in their peer communities.
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Ms Weaver explained: "Beginning a class with a playful activity or a moment of silence to help them become present, to process what has just happened in the hallway, to engage their bodies.

Facilitators: John McCluskey, Bruce Rose, and Laura Weaver

Laura Weaver
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Laura Weaver, Assistant Director- Programs

Laura Weaver is the Program Coordinator and Lead Facilitator for the PassageWays Newcomer Transition Program, and Project Coordinator for our Demonstration and Research Project. Laura holds a Master's degree in English/Creative Writing from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Before joining the PassageWays staff, she taught college-level English for five years, where she had extensive experience developing curricula and working with young adults. Before her graduate work, she co-founded and directed Bridges: a small, all-volunteer agency dedicated to serving the needs of hungry and homeless people in the greater Philadelphia area. Laura has also participated in volunteer work of all kinds, including working as a crisis counselor in a domestic violence shelter and as an advocate and educator with various anti-racism organizations. Finally, she is a mother of two children, one of whom participated in a PassageWays 5th grade Transitions Program.

Laura Weaver
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Laura Weaver, Assistant Director- Programs

Laura Weaver has worked for over a decade in the field of education and social service.As the current Assistant Director for Programs at PassageWorks Institute, she serves as a facilitator in the classroom, acts as a coach for teachers implementing the PassageWorks model, and assists with curriculum writing and program development.Before joining the PassageWorks staff, she taught college-level English for five years and co-founded and directed Bridges: a small, all-volunteer agency dedicated to serving the needs of hungry and homeless people in the greater Philadelphia area.A published poet, Laura holds a Master's degree in English/Creative Writing from the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Laura Weaver serves as the Program Director of The PassageWays Institute, a nonprofit organization dedicated to educational renewal.Her work has appeared in Hayden's Ferry Review, Bellingham Review, Rattle, Prairie Schooner, Many Mountains Moving and other journals.Laura holds a Master's degree in English/Creative Writing from the University of Colorado at Boulder.
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Featuring Contributors to Vol VII, No. 1: Jeffery Bahr, Gerald Callahan, Robert King, Jeffrey Ethan Lee, Veronica Patterson, Barbara Sorensen, Laura Weaver, Kathy Winograd & Jake Adam York