Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/72195
spotlight on education—arnold askew BY KARRIE OSBORN INSPIRATION FOR INSTRUCTORS Teaching is the passion that drives Arnold Askew. It's why he started Alabama's Red Mountain Institute for Healing Arts (RMI) 14 years ago. "The only reason I own it is to teach," he says. So why would a school owner, instructor, and therapist, filled with decades of wisdom and passion, feel the need to explore continuing education opportunities? SPIRIT, ART, CRAFT "Teaching is an art," Askew says. "Some people have a natural talent to teach, but there are still things to learn." For Askew, it was organizational skills and learning how to broaden his teaching style that motivated him, along with the rest of his staff, to take Carey Smith's Spirit of Learning courses through the Body Therapy Institute in Siler City, North Carolina. "As a teaching staff at RMI, we realized that each of us had incredible talents and yet we each had shortcomings. We knew we needed insight." Smith, creator of the Spirit of Learning concept, says her courses embrace and integrate the cognitive, emotional, physical, and spiritual aspects of the educational process. "The program provides a solid foundation in the knowledge and skills required for effective teaching, while exploring the dynamic relationship between philosophy and methodology in an embodied learning environment." Designed specifically for the touch training profession, Smith says her curriculum unites the passionate, life-giving nature of spirit with the art and craft of teaching. Askew says the staff's joint decision to seek out Spirit of Learning courses was seen as a way to improve their teaching abilities. "We were just pursuing the best way to do our jobs." Each group of RMI staff members returning from Smith's classes came back inspired. "Without exception we were impacted in positive ways that will last a lifetime," Askew says. "I think we saw a level of professionalism, compassion, and expertise that continues to inspire us years after the training." Not only did Askew and his staff benefit from the educational integration taught through Spirit of Learning, but Askew's students reaped the ultimate rewards. "We were able to reach students who before had fallen through the cracks," he says. As a result of the teachers' inspiration, students were more inspired and their overall grades went up. A DESIRE TO TEACH As an educator and Feldenkrais practitioner, Askew says learning is always a meta-theme. "How do we learn? How can we stimulate the learning process in ourselves as well as others?" he asks. "I love to learn but it has not always come easily. A variety of learning challenges led me to have to learn how to learn." As a teacher, Askew utilizes that awareness for his students. "As someone who has struggled to learn, there has always been in me a desire to teach, but in a way that is novel, that is sensitive to the challenges of other learners." Problem students, differing teaching styles, keeping lessons fun and focused—these things always prove challenging, even for the most experienced educator. Askew says Smith helps teachers be creative and imaginative in their process, whether it be outlining an anatomy lesson or dealing with disruptive students. He says Smith offers an excellent example of how to teach with passion, all the while creating a "hothouse learning environment." Many educators—Askew among them—have heralded Smith's Spirit of Learning courses. "The benefits have been numerous, profound, and multifaceted," he says of what he learned from Smith. "Part vision quest, part formal academia, part training in professionalism and leadership—you get out what you put in and Carey creates a space of "Each of us had incredible talents and yet we each had shortcomings. We knew we needed insight." Arnold Askew, Red Mountain Institute for Healing Arts founder 146 massage & bodywork september/october 2008