H&L Video Series
Sharing our Heritage & Legacy
Birchwood School of Hawken founders Charles and Helene Debelak discuss the goal of real education.
With a focus on Educating Children: Principles for Becoming, they draw from their knowledge of educational history, the science behind learning, and their own experience working directly with children and young adults.
Real education creates momentum toward lifelong learning and lifelong fulfillment. It generates internal motivation and capacity for growth through the accumulation of attitudes, habits, skills, and knowledge, which enables children “to become what they can become.”
With a focus on Educating Children: Principles for Becoming, they draw from their knowledge of educational history, the science behind learning, and their own experience working directly with children and young adults.
Real education creates momentum toward lifelong learning and lifelong fulfillment. It generates internal motivation and capacity for growth through the accumulation of attitudes, habits, skills, and knowledge, which enables children “to become what they can become.”
“If it is true that each generation has an obligation to introduce their successors to a higher plane of life, then we would like to add our portion to this aspiration. It has been our great joy to have a part in educating children to become all that they can become.”
Charles and Helene Debelak
Founders of Birchwood School of Hawken
Founders of Birchwood School of Hawken
Episode 1: Introduction
Charles Debelak explains how education creates momentum toward lifelong learning and fulfillment. It generates internal motivation for growth through the accumulation of habits, skills, and knowledge.
Episode 2: Reading
Helene Debelak explains the special role reading plays in creating momentum for growth. Reading is the quintessential educational experience for life. It opens windows for children to see, know, and experience stories that uplift them onto a higher plane of life.
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Episode 3: Self-Determination
Education should create momentum for growth. Charles Debelak discusses how central self-determination is in helping children grow and make positive contributions to their communities at every stage in their lives.
Episode 4: Self-Determination II
Competency is a key component of self-determination. Teachers, parents, and coaches can help children grow competency by guiding them through setting realistic goals, supporting them as they work hard achieving those goals, and then celebrating their accomplishment.
Episode 5: Competency & Success Cycle
Competency and the success cycle, as aspects of self-determination, are crucial for helping children habituate attitudes and habits that will equip them to continue to grow and develop throughout their lives.
Episode 6: Creative Problem Solving
Helene Debelak discusses creative problem solving (CPS) and the unique role this process plays in helping students grow lifelong. She provides a rich history of CPS, defines the steps involved, and explains how parents, educators, and grandparents model and coach children.
Episode 7: Cumulative Advantage
An early start toward habituating work habits, attitudes, skills, and knowledge needed for self-determination results in a cumulative advantage as students reach their teen years, equipping them to lead a life of growing and thriving.
Episode 8: Self-Determination Autonomy
Charles Debelak further explains the term self-determination and begins a discussion about autonomy, the second component of self-determination.
Episode 9: Autonomy II
Charles Debelak offers some practical suggestions about cultivating autonomy in young people. He calls on all educators – parents, teachers, and coaches – to be “partners in choice.”
Episode 10: Relatedness
Charles Debelak explains how relatedness in community supports lifelong growth and becoming. He also offers suggestions on how to cultivate habits and attitudes which help children grow in community.
Episode 11: Character
Good character is the greatest gift you can give your children.
Episode 12: Character II
Learn the “how” in the quest toward developing good character in children.
Episode 13: Courage
Teachers and parents can cultivate the virtue of courage. Charles Debelak offers practical steps on how to nurture and develop courage as defined as: (1) setting goals for growth; (2) defining the pathway to realize goals; and (3) understanding the sacrifice that must be made to reach a goal.
Episode 14: Self-Control
Charles Debelak explains how to help children cultivate the virtue of self-control.
Episode 15: Compassion
Continuing his discussion on how to help children develop good character, Charles Debelak offers some helpful advice on how children can grow in compassion.
Episode 16: Character by Design
Charles Debelak explains character development by using the term character by design.
Episode 17: Adolescence
This is the first of two videos on developing character in adolescents where Charles Debelak offers perspective and practical details.
Episode 18: Adolescence II
Charles Debelak explains the role of dialogue through which young people learn how to reflect and reason about the decisions and direction of their lives.
Episode 19: Justice
Charles Debelak discusses cultivating justice in children.
