ASI Welcome Video Companion Guide

Please print this guide BEFORE you watch the next video in this module.

Welcome to the Awakened School Institute

A 12-Week Journey to Nurture the Spiritual Core of Education

In this introduction, Dr. Lisa Miller, and her guest Paul Pryor Lorentz will explore:

  • How every child — and every educator — is innately spiritual

  • What it means to create a spiritually supportive school.

  • Introduce the concept and background of the 12 practical “drivers” of spiritually supportive schools. 

Before You Begin:

Take a slow breath.

Reflect on what called you to this work — the why that brought you to teaching.

You are entering a community of educators re-imagining what it means to teach from the heart and soul.

(Fade out to video opening with Dr. Lisa Miller.)

PAUSE: Slide 1 — 0:19 (After Lisa introduces the Awakened School Institute)

Summary:

Every school has a hidden curriculum — the felt culture of relationships, belonging, and care that shapes how students experience school. The Awakened School Institute helps schools intentionally nurture the spiritual core of each child through relational, heart-centered culture.

Reflective Questions:

  • What is the “hidden curriculum” in your school — what do students feel is most valued?

  • When students go home, what do they say about how they were treated?

  • How do you currently help nurture students’ deeper sense of meaning or purpose?

PAUSE: Slide 2 — 3:38 (After Lisa explains the science and 12 drivers concept)

Summary:

Two decades of research show that every human being is innately spiritual — regardless of religion. Strengthening a child’s spiritual core builds resilience, ethics, and connection. The Awakened School model translates this science into 12 practical “drivers” of a spiritually supportive culture.

Reflective Questions:

  • How do you already support students’ inner lives — even without calling it “spiritual”?

  • What aspects of your classroom or school culture help students feel connected, seen, or valued?

  • What might it look like to intentionally strengthen that dimension?

PAUSE: Slide 3 — 6:54 (After Paul responds about teachers feeling unqualified)

Summary:

You don’t need to be a theologian to support students’ spirituality. This work is accessible — rooted in love, authenticity, and the culture of your school. Every educator can begin with who they are and what they value most deeply.

Reflective Questions:

  • What experiences in your own life have felt spiritually meaningful or life-giving?

  • How could you bring more authenticity or heart into your daily teaching?

  • Where do you already see the sacred showing up in your classroom

PAUSE: Slide 4 — 9:49 (After their discussion on spiritual hunger and meaning)

Summary:

As human beings, we long for connection — to one another, to nature, to something larger than ourselves. Education can help meet that spiritual hunger by honoring awe, wonder, and love as part of learning itself.

Reflective Questions:

  • When was the last time you felt awe in your classroom(s)?

  • How might you invite students into wonder, curiosity, or reverence for life?

  • How could your subject area be taught as part of a spiritual quest for understanding?


PAUSE: Slide 5 — 13:27 (After their discussion of authorizing one’s spiritual knowing)

Summary:

Teaching is an ongoing spiritual journey. Beyond content delivery, educators are guides who help students connect with meaning, purpose, and love. Authorizing our inner voice — our spiritual wisdom — allows us to teach from wholeness.

Reflective Questions:

  • What inner wisdom or intuition guides your teaching?

  • How has your sense of purpose evolved over time as an educator?

  • What might it mean for you to teach from your “spiritual core”?

PAUSE: Slide 6 — 16:17 (After Lisa’s explanation of spiritual democracy and the 12 drivers)

Summary:

A spiritually supportive school strengthens both the individual spirit and the collective soul of the community. Democracy itself depends on this deeper moral and spiritual fabric — the capacity to listen, respect, and love across differences.

The 12 drivers you’ll learn in this series are pathways for creating that kind of culture.

Reflective Questions:

  • What shared values and spiritual qualities hold your school community together?

  • How can you help your students experience belonging and mutual respect across differences?

  • What might a “spiritual democracy” look like in your classroom or school?

    End of Video



Slide 7 — Summary of Key Topics 

Summary: The Heart of the Awakened School Institute

  • Every child — and every educator — has a spiritual core that can be strengthened through school culture.

  • Spirituality is universal and not limited to religion; it’s about meaning, purpose, and connection.

  • The “hidden curriculum” of relationships and belonging shapes students’ deepest learning.

  • A spiritually supportive school grows from a pedagogical and relational culture, not a specific curriculum.

  • The 12 Drivers practical ways any school can nurture spiritual wholeness for students and staff.

  • Education, at its best, is a spiritual quest — a journey of awe, love, and purpose.


Slide 8 — Ongoing Reflection: Looking Ahead 

As you begin this 12-week journey, take a moment to pause, breathe, and look inward.

Reflective Questions:

  • What drew you to the idea of spirituality in education?

  • What are you most curious to explore about spirituality in education?

  • What personal growth or insight do you hope to experience during this series?

  • How might your teaching—or your school’s culture—be transformed by this work?

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