The Role of Spirituality in Schools Research Paper

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role that spirituality can have on the development of young children the classroom in terms of character, moral fiber, decision making, sense of self-worth, sense of respect for others, sense of giving to the community, and expectations for growing in maturity. It aims to address the problem of children not developing to their fullest capacity in these terms. It examines the question of whether spirituality if taught within the classroom can have a positive impact on childhood development and act as means of closing gaps that are left by modern curricula which does not focus explicitly or directly on spirituality or its role in customs, cultures and societies throughout history other than in an indirect or merely academic capacity. This study aims to explore the role of spirituality in a pragmatic or practical sense and whether it can be effectively utilized in the classrooms in America without creating situations that are negatively impactful on students, families and teachers. The problems that are expected to arise are related to cultural and religious sensitivities as well as issues related to ideas about religion in public schools. One important distinction will be to separate or draw distinctions between the concepts of religion and spirituality, though this too may serve as a challenge as the two may be defined separately but remain related. The study takes a phenomenological approach to the issue by employing observational methods in the classroom, as well as interviews with students, families and teachers.

Section 1a.

The challenge that will be addressed in the paper is how to incorporate cultural and spiritual cues into the classroom so that school children can be better rounded as they develop.

Section 1a.

The problem pertaining to this study is that school children in America are not allowed a spiritual focus in the public schoolroom, even though spirituality is a major part of all cultures throughout history. The issue in America is that the separation of government and religion creates a vacuum so that there is a purposeful denial of asserting any religious or spiritual aspect in the classroom. The result is that children are not given adequate moral guidance for development, and behavioral problems can ensue.

Section 1a.

Briggs, M., Rayle, A. (2005).

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Incorporating spirituality into core counseling courses:

Ideas for classroom application. Counseling and Values, 50(1): 63-75.

Cecero, J., Prout, T. (2014). The faculty spirituality questionnaire and its relationship to teaching style. Religion & Education, 41(1): 100-112.

Kernochan, R., McCormick, D., White, J. (2007). Spirituality and the management teacher: Reflections of three Buddhists on compassion, mindfulness, and selflessness in the classroom. Journal of Management Inquiry, 16(1): 61-75.

Mata, J. (2014). Sharing my journey and opening spaces: spirituality in the classroom.

International Journal of Children's Spirituality, 19(2): 112-122.

Suhor, C. (1999). Spirituality -- Letting it grow in the classroom. Educational Leadership, 56(4): 12-16.

Wilson, J. (2015). Engaging culture, race, and spirituality: new visions. Intercultural Education, 26(3): 255-257.

Section 1b.

The principles that apply to a servant leadership and spiritual leadership approach that teachers can adopt in the classroom are humility, social intelligence (SI), and emotional intelligence (EI), and serving others. Humility is a strong leadership principle because it shows a willingness in the teacher to listen and not judge others; pride is a characteristic that is identified as being associated with negative leadership, whereas humility is the opposite. SI and EI are related principles that show that a leader is able to be sensitivity, understanding, caring and capable of reacting in a way that is not offensive but rather positive and reinforcing of values. Serving others is a third leadership principle that puts others before one's self and shows by example how leading by helping others to meet their own needs is an effective strategy for illustrating the kind of core values that create a positive and other-centered (rather than self-centered) culture.

Section 1b.

The principle of humility is important and relevant because without it, a leader will appear arrogant, proud, and self-centered, and none of these are traits associated with strong, effective or positive leadership

The principle of demonstrating SI and EI is important and relevant because it shows that the leader is caring, open to realizing the needs of others, and showing sensitivity in how ideas are communicated so as to give support to persons in a social and emotional manner.

The principle of serving others is relevant because it is part of the core of most spirituality systems,.....

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