"Among the greatest of all services that can possibly be rendered by man to Almighty God is the education and training of children, young plants of the Abha Paradise, so that these children, fostered by grace in the way of salvation, growing like pearls of divine bounty in the shell of education, will one day bejewel the crown of abiding glory." -Abdu'l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha, p. 133I recently completed my second day of training for my future as a volunteer Baha'i Education Class (BEC - formerly known as BESS) teacher in Australian elementary schools. It was a excellent day, replete with games, prayers, songs, consultation and hands-on learning. We had some fruitful discussions, fondly reflecting on what qualities our favourite teachers from our own school days possessed. By the end of the day, all of us had presented a lesson plan to the rest of the group and received helpful feedback and suggestions from our facilitators, both of whom have a wealth of experience as teachers themselves.
The main thing I took away from this installment of the training is that my job is not to indoctrinate the children with my own ideas, but rather to identify and then nurture the unique spiritual qualities - or to use Baha'i parlance, 'virtues' - that each child inherently possesses. The Baha'i Teachings encourage us to think of ourselves as midwives and miners, drawing out the potential of our students, rather than imposing our beliefs upon them. My prediction is that that these kids will end up teaching me more about virtues than I could ever hope to teach them. I'm thinking patience, tolerance, honesty, listening, humility and ensuring classroom unity will be at the top of my personal 'to learn' list!
Within the Baha'i Dispensation, a period where humanity has the opportunity and means to build a globally unified society, the importance of teaching children cannot be overstated. Each child who fulfills her potential enriches the lives of everyone around her, as well as those of generations to come. In a world where greed, inequality, poverty and injustice are duking it out with our collective desire for something nobler, the moral education of children quite literally becomes the foundation of the Formative Age:
"Regard man as a mine rich in gems of inestimable value. Education can, alone, cause it to reveal it's treasures, and enable mankind to benefit therefrom." - Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 260
Next week I start sitting in on Baha'i classes at the local elementary school as an observer. I'm so grateful for the well thought out training sequence, which is supportive, systematic and spiritually centred. For the next four weeks I'll get to listen and learn in a non-active role while I soak up the experience from the back of the class. It's a time for me to ask questions, consider my strengths and weaknesses - and gather tips about crowd control. The class I'm entering consists of 29 kids ranging from 5-11 years of age. That's alot of little souls, all at very different stages of intellectual, physical and spiritual development. There are going to be challenging moments, no doubt. Praise be that there's a wealth of Baha'i Writings to offer inspiration and encouragement. The fact that The Master Himself is supplicating to God on my behalf that I may succeed in this endeavour gives me such comfort and strength:"As to thy question regarding the education of children: it behoveth thee to nurture them at the breast of the love of God, and urge them onward to the things of the spirit, that they may turn their faces unto God; that their ways may conform to the rules of good conduct and their character be second to none; that they make their own all the graces and praiseworthy qualities of humankind; acquire a sound knowledge of the various branches of learning, so that from the very beginning of life they may become spiritual beings, dwellers in the Kingdom, enamoured of the sweet breaths of holiness, and may receive an education religious, spiritual, and of the Heavenly Realm. Verily will I call upon God to grant them a happy outcome in this." - Abdu'l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha, p. 142
I will keep you posted.
5 comments:
You just keep getting better. You are definitely my favorite new blogger. Our Spiritual Assembly was recently discussing this very program that you have in your country. I look forward to learning more about it from you.
God is the Most Glorious!
Thank you Phillipe. So much.
That's great that your Spiritual Assembly's been discussing Baha'i Education in public schools. It's a really unique program with potentially enormous implications for the wider community. Apparently the UK are adopting a similar approach based on the Aussie model. I'll keep you up to date as my experience of it unfolds.
And yes, God is the Most Glorious. Ya Baha'u'-Abha to that, brother of mine.
What you are doing is fantastic. There's nothing more enjoyable than working with children in such a capacity. I'm sure they're going to love having you as a teacher.
Thanks so much for you encouragement, Liz. So far I'm having an absolute ball.
You sound like you've had some experience in this area. Don't be surprised if I call on you for tips in the future!
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