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About The Heritage Institute
Who We Are
Fr: l-r, Beth Daye, Yvonne Hall, Issy Olivia
Rear: l-r, Windwalker Taibi, Shirley Hendricson, Sharon Dudley, Maggie
Seymour, Mike Seymour
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We are a diverse group from all parts of the US who share many values in common-values that lie at the core of the institute itself. We are moved by the social and economic injustices of the world and feel a need to speak out and take action. We share a love of nature and a deep sense of commitment to living simply so that others may simply live. For that reason, we are deeply concerned about the threat to nature and the whole community of life caused by the thinking, values, life styles and politics of our society as a whole. Above all, we see our separate lives and our
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work together as forms of personal and spiritual practice; we commit to reflect on our calling relative to all that we are and do. In one way or another, we are all teachers as well as students, and we have a calling to help children grow into adults who are happy and fully self-realized. We make this calling a reality at The Heritage Institute through the service and programs we offer to inspire teachers.
We hale from all over the country and were all drawn to the Northwest and Whidbey Island, in particular, for its natural beauty and the promise of a more whole way of living. Our office is located at the south end of Whidbey Island 45 minutes north of Seattle in Washington State. From our windows we see the Cascade Mountains and Puget Sound in the distance-while just across the way in the tall evergreens we see eagles watching over us, inspiring us to be peaceful and work towards a just and sustainable future. They call us to rise above the ordinary, and we heed that call.
Our Philosophy: Educating for Humanity
Educating for humanity is a necessity if we are ever to achieve meaning, heart, peace and sustainability for the human family. We must support wholeness within each
Mike & Beth at MLK Peace march in Seattle
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person as a foundation to create unity between individuals, communities, nations, and between humans and the great natural web of life of which we are a part.
At the individual level, we seek to educate the humanity of each person, supporting them in discovering their own unique gifts and purpose, and fostering the growth of personal meaning and fulfillment. Individuals connected authentically to themselves are best
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able to relate meaningfully to others and contribute to social harmony.
At the collective level, educating for humanity
means recognizing the interdependence and unity within the human family, acting consciously to address social and economic injustice of any form. It recognizes that we cannot have a true peace as long as crushing inequalities between people are allowed to persist, promoting envy, violence and leading to environmental destruction from the failure to achieve social cohesion and consensus.
Standing for justice & peace
MLK Peace march in Seattle.
About 3000 people along Yesler street.
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At the other than human level, educating for humanity means realizing our interdependence with the natural world and our role as responsible members of the larger earth family. We must move away from a human-centered view of the natural world as a resource existing for the benefit of man, and begin listening to the language and wisdom of nature, according her rights at least equal to those we give ourselves.
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Finally, at the spiritual level, educating for humanity defines being human as being one consciously with an underlying unity that gives varied but equal meaning to all of life. It means sensing and respecting the one spirit inherent in all of life, allowing us to celebrate the rich diversity of religious and spiritual expression and the spirit within all things.
Our History & Program
For over 25 years, The Heritage Institute (THI) has been a leader in progressive continuing education programs for K-12 educators. Beginning in 1977 with a handful of field studies on the natural history of Washington state, our program has grown to include courses in most subject areas and teaching methodologies across the K-12 curriculum.
Joining Teacher Demonstration in Olympia
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Our workshops and field studies are offered throughout the four northwestern states of Washington, Oregon, Montana and Idaho, while our distance education program reaches teachers around the US and the world. Global travel studies take groups of teachers to Asia, Hawaii, Europe and Central America for immersion studies in the natural and social history of other cultures.
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We offer 1-2 day workshops in many cities: Seattle, Tacoma, Olympia, Vancouver, Portland, Pendleton, Yakima, Tri Cities, Spokane, Boise, Bozeman, Great Falls and Billings. Our field-based studies use as our classroom the towns, historic sites, forests, rivers, watersheds and coastal areas that constitute the most pristine bioregion in the lower forty-eight states.
Our philosophy of Educating for Humanity provides the framework and inspiration for our leading edge perspective on teaching and learning and for our vision of schools as enriching and productive learning environments for all children. Our goal is to renew teachers with learning experiences that empower them to inspire children with the joy of learning and a care for the whole community of life.
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