To Guard and Cherish
Cultivating Compassion in Education
About
Why Compassion in Education?
"Education is not the filling of a pail but the lighting of a fire."
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-William Butler Yeats
A Successful Education Starts with Compassion
When teachers embrace compassion, both for themselves and their students, a transformative shift occurs. It allows teachers to move beyond a purely academic focus and recognize their students' emotional well-being as an essential part of the learning process. This compassionate lens fosters a richer, more authentic educational experience that inspires curiosity and collaboration in the learning process, bringing education to life.
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Teachers can cultivate compassion for themselves by cultivating rich inner lives through contemplative practices making them better equipped to meet the challenges of teaching in today's society.
When teachers take time each day to connect to their higher self through meditation and contemplative practices, they find richer depths to the experience of education, enabling them to see beyond the outward moods and attitudes of their students into the mysterious dimensions of complexity that make up each sacred individual they have the honor of educating. At To Guard and Cherish, we believe that teachers can do more than educate the intellect. Today educators have an opportunity to make a true and lasting positive impact on their students' developing sense of self and well-being.
Compassion Supports Equity and Inclusion
Cultivating compassion for students supports equity and inclusion in education by motivating teachers to tailor their teaching approach to individual needs, honoring the unique backgrounds, experiences, and learning styles of each student. Equity provides equal footing from which all students can be successful and a sense of belonging that ensures all students have the opportunity to thrive.
Mission
Melissa has worked in the field of education for 18 years. Her research, culminating in her PhD dissertation, explores the transformative power of strong student-teacher relationships and the role of contemplative practices in fostering them.
As a former Waldorf teachers, Melissa is a strong advocate for compassionate teaching practices and the continued need for education reform. You can read her article, "Compassionate Education and America's Mental Health Crisis: How empathetic teaching supports the minds, bodies, and souls of vulnerable students" in the Summer 2024 issue of LILIPOH Magazine.
Her book, "To Guard and Cherish: Contemplative Practices for Waldorf Teachers," is now available. Click here to buy.
Melissa continues to strive for ways to bring greater compassion and care to education in America through various educational initiatives. Please visit our Contact page to discuss opportunities for collaboration.
Educational Background
Dr. Melissa Nilsen graduated from St. Kate's University in St. Paul Minnesota in 2005 with a BS in Education. After teaching in public elementary classrooms in Bloomington, Minnesota, she went on to complete her MA in education at the Great Lakes Waldorf Institute where she also completed her Waldorf teaching certificate. She and her family moved to California in 2014 where she took her first Waldorf class. She graduated from the California Institute of Integral Studies in 2022 where she defended her dissertation, Teaching with Higher Senses about the importance of the student-teacher relationship.
