275. The Sterile Classroom
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In our zeal to separate church and state, we have effectively removed any concept of the supernal or the spiritual from the classroom.
A child grows up today learning about a face-value world centered around his own self. There is no awe.
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Latest Comments:
How can you blend secular studies with awe? It is true, I believe, that the secular classroom can lack a recognition of the Creator, and become totally separate to Him, but I don't know exactly how one can find a place for Him in that classroom, without compromising the secular learning...
If you want the secular learning to be represented thoroughly and accurately too, it seems difficult to bring in G-d. How can you fuse the two harmoniously?
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in a secular class this is what we want-if not you go to religous school
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I am a teacher and have been working in the field of education for over 10 years. I like to think that I bring my relationship with G-d into my classroom everyday. I attempt to connect to the souls of my students, and allow them to connect to mine. We examine the human condition and bring our own beliefs into the discussion.
Although I do not proselytize my own faith I do feel as if morality, compassion, and love are daily components of my lessons. I firmly believe that this opens the door for spirituality into my classroom.
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Ah, true. But..
sometimes awe discovered amidst deficiency ushers greater appreciation. and self infused application.
it is important to know.
to learn.
but to find. discover.
awe is part of the process, is it not?
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Most children I run across have their heads full of bogeymen and superstitions. And their parents are worse. They are the first to purchase some wacky vitamin product that claims to eradicate the flu from some snake oil salesman who gets paid to go on Ophra.
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"...supernal or the spiritual missing from the classroom."
Shalom Rabbi Freeman,
When I was a child, and had no formal Jewish education in NY, my mother, of blessed memory, would cut G-d's glorious creations from our garden at home and bring them into the classroom. To see the beautiful, bright, yellow flowered forsythia bush branches, and the pretty, pink crab apple tree blossoms during my learning day, remains in my mind as spiritual.
In my adult life, I have continued the tradition of always bringing bouquets of garden flowers wherever I go, so others can feel G-d's presence, even if words are not spoken. Today I e-mail the flowers to people who may not be getting out to a garden.
In the classroom, surely the children can continue to read poetry and writings, and play music and paint a sunrise, expressing awe and one's loving and compassionate connection to G-d and human kind, and share acts of chesed / loving kindness and charity.
Blessings,
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The purpose of the separation between church and state was never to keep G-d out of the classroom, or raise self-worshipping children. The purpose was to protect the freedom to practice whichever religion we choose. By separating religion from government, no religion can impose itself on the nation.
Barack Obama is famous for his 2004 speech in which he said that this is not a Christian nation, but a Christian nation, a Jewish nation, a Muslim nation, a Hindi nation, and a nation of non-believers. But this idea can be traced back to Sam Adams who said the same thing.
Point being, the separation of church and state was made in order to promote G-d fearing children.
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As a teacher, I sincerely disagree with today's posting regarding a lack of awe in the classroom based on your assetion that this exists because the supernatural is not taught. There is plenty to be in awe of when we look at the world's "face value.' Whether it be in the beautiful simplicity of a mathematics equation, the orderly function of scientific formulae, or the heart stopping moments when the world's poets speak to us most deeply. Where there is no awe, it is only where a teacher fails to instill and inspire this in his or her pupils. In "Heaven on Earth," the Rebbe himself talks about the elevated nature of the mitzvot that are earthbound and concrete. Certainly, there is awe to be found in tefillin both because of their effect on their wearer and the detail of their manufacture as well as in their origins.
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Yochana, thank you for saying that all kids needs age appropriate Character Development classes from start to finish of school. Character Development must be the nucleus of all education. Teaching kids how 2 live compassionately, peaceably, & non-materially must be the #1 goal of all education. Math, science & language r extracurricular. We can teach math, science & language after the kid masters compassionate, peaceable, non-material living, just like a good karate teacher only teaches a person after they prove they only intend 2 use karate 4 self-defense. Wise teacher will not teach karate to person who habitually engages in aggressive behavior because they will use the karate to hurt people for no reason, & that is how we must deal with kids. When kid proves their #1 goal is 2 live a compassionate, peaceable, non-material life then we can teach them science, math, language, etc. If we teach math 2 kid who bases their decisions on compassion & empathy then the kid will use math 2 build the world around them in a compassionate manner. If we teach math 2 kid whose #1 goal is 2 satisfy their own desires they will use math 2 satisfy their own physical desires at expense of other people & animals.
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