Extravagant Grace

Extravagant grace can involve patience, nonviolence, and the tenacity that comes from standing up for what is right, rooting deeply in connection, and not succumbing to fear and anger. This sounds like something extraordinary but this chapter explores how extravagant grace may exist in teaching and learning moments practiced with intention and love. I share stories of teaching in the aftermath of the 2016 US presidential election and how tools such as nonviolent communication, honoring emotions, and reflecting on purpose can support extravagant grace in teaching and learning. I discuss how important it is to create activities that touch our spirits and emotions and how this opens us up to each other and to learning together in ways that intellectual exercises can never do. As we learn to educate for peace, justice, regeneration, and change, we are also learning to heal our disconnection from earth and each other. While the waves of our outer world often seem choppy and threatening, we can go under the surface into the deep still waters to connect with the greater flow of life, with extravagant grace.