ABOUT - Zachary  Reznichek 

STUDENT IMPRESSION of my work by an 11th grade student:

“The introduction you gave me to philosophy changed the way I view life forever. 

I remember clearly how I walked out of your class: we had just talked about essentialism and existentialism and my mind just changed. 

Everything I had believed in and thought up to then was questioned and it left me with a feeling of falling without orientation. I wrote you about it and we sat down the next day and talked about it and you told me that this was the first step of being reborn as a leader. You said that without any doubt. And the way you seemed to have put thought into my person and you believed in me touched me and gave me a sense of strength and safety to tackle my inner conflict. 

You never told us what to do; you provided food for thought, but more importantly you provided a safe accepting environment for us to blossom in without fear of anybody taking advantage of the fears we exposed to ourselves and one another. 

I will never forget the feeling of that time and it shaped my idea of society, social interaction, and education and laid the foundation for my vision today: where most societies today fail to look under the mask of superficiality and to provide meaning. You helped us break down within ourselves every wall or ignorance we had and provided us with a feeling that was true and meaningful. 

You didn’t guide us to any curriculum goal, you guided us to our self and to the world. 

You never thought something we did wasn’t good enough, you encouraged us to be our best and you accepted if we were not sometimes. 

I remember how we read Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar: you didn’t explain to us how to understand it like most teachers would. You just let us come in, pick a character and read to each other and afterwards reflect on what we read. And never in my life have I enjoyed an English course so much. 

You showed me how to reflect on myself through mentorship and in your mindfulness and philosophy class, and it has become one of my most important and most used skills in a world where most people never learn how to reflect.”   - Max Wöltje (11th grade, Green School Bali)

Teaching at Green School

My own impression of my work:

I help people align or re-align themselves with their goals and motivations.  

When others struggle with who they are, I help them find a transition from merely existing into being.

Years of creative projects, mindfulness practice, academic achievement through life-skills training and philosophical research have led me to one concept that clarifies my personal and professional outlook: AUTHENTIC MOTIVATION. When I consider the issues that people bring me, we derive together practical motivational strategies through a prism of authenticity in terms of life, love, fear, relationships, education, labor, work, action, economy, political philosophy, emotions and the body.

Narrative, Mindfulness and Concluding are the three pillars of distinguishing one's self and the key frame work I use to develop reflection and life skills in groups and individuals.

My own daily meditative practice has been going on for over 20 years, and I became Certified as a ".b" Mindfulness instructor in 2012.

My MA thesis in Educational Studies at Concordia University in Montreal was focused on identifying inauthentic methodologies in Western curriculum and practical steps to reverse them and motivate students, teachers and administrators. 

Professional Profile

·         Innovative motivational career reflects 20 years’ experience in strategy development, brand continuity, teacher and leadership training, community building, team efficiency, conflict resolution, curriculum philosophy, incentive and marketing research, interview protocol, and authenticity.

·         Academic sector focus on teacher training, supplemental instruction, test invigilation, policy and protocol development, e-learning, leader recruitment, department liaison, data reporting, and methodology development and adaptation.

·         Self-help sector focus on individuals suffering from burn-out, compass-spin, writer’s block, and despondency. 

·         Focus on concluding: guides people to reform the value of their work by training them to conclude their schooling, sessions, classes, presentations such that it generates retention of the self, one's passion, one's students or clients through confirmed acquired knowledge and a positive “legend” surrounding one's distinct self.

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