Switching on the Light of the World

"Oh Thou kind Lord! These lovely children are the handiwork of the fingers of Thy might and the wondrous signs of Thy greatness. O God! Protect these children, graciously assist them to be educated and enable them to render service to the world of humanity. O God! These children are pearls, cause them to be nurtured within the shell of Thy loving-kindness. Thou art the Bountiful, the All-Loving." - 'Abdul-Baha

Yesterday I had the absolute privilege of attending the first in a series of courses designed to qualify me as a BESS (Baha'i Education in State Schools) teacher. For those not familiar with the BESS Program, it's an initiative of the Australian Baha'i community whereby everyday people like me enter the public elementary school system to offer children moral and spiritual education from a Baha'i perspective.. Taking into account the Baha'i law that explicitly forbids preaching or proselytising, this will neccessarily involve a focus on teaching principles universal to all religions, rather than imposing the idea that there is a singular, 'correct' path to God.

On the agenda for Day 1 was the crucial matter of attaining our certificate in Child Protection. The Australian National Spiritual Assembly has devised a stellar policy designed to raise awareness about how to protect our most precious resource. Along with my fellow trainees, I learnt about the definition and scope of child abuse, explored what kinds of attitudes can promote and justify child abuse and enjoyed some excellent, albeit confronting consultation on how to deal with specific scenarios of physical, sexual and emotional abuse. I came away from the day feeling empowered with knowledge of how to identify signs of abuse as well as the protective procedure I'm responsible for following if a child - any child, not just my future students or fellow Baha'i's - ever disclosed to me that they were being harmed.

Perhaps the most moving part of the training was gaining a deeper understanding of how unspeakably valuable children are considered within the context of Baha'u'llah's Revelation. Our responsibility for nurturing their development has massive implications for the entire planet. According to ‘Abdu’l-Baha, every single child is "potentially the light of the world and at the same time its darkness: wherefore must the question of education be accounted as of primary importance." This matter of education concerns not only the training of the intellect, but also the training of the soul. Without moral guidance, loving protection and powers of example from adults around them, children risk becoming detractors from the solution to Earth’s ills, rather than agents of its execution.

I can't wait to start engaging with these precious gems and learning more about how they see the world and their place in it. While there are often several Baha'i children in each BESS classroom, they are the vast minority. So, the really stimulating thing for me is the opportunity to discuss the Faith with kids who, just like myself back in the day, may never have been exposed to any religious teachings. It's the kind of class I would have loved to experience in my own childhood. I wish I'd been privy to the idea that there was a religion that treated other major religions as respected partners working towards shared goals, or taught that God has asserted men and women are categorically equal. Truly, these two ideas alone might have saved me from almost 20 years of painful alienation from a God I'd (mis)understood as a competitive misogynist! Offering children an alternative to that genuinely excites me. Though I'm yet to see it, apparently the BESS syllabus is profoundly inspiring. I'm so looking forward to the rest of my training over the next two months. Expect regular updates.