Who could disagree with those who say that kindness, courage, willingness, self-control, and honesty are important? These are not confined to the teachings of one religion. In the joy we feel in helping others, satisfaction from doing our best, and peace of mind from telling the truth, we experience how these values improve quality of life. We can see these values are part of everyone's heritage, regardless of religion, and offer a basis for emphasising the oneness of all humanity. At an individual level, they contribute greatly to a sense of self-worth.
I began to wonder, "What does 'non-sectarian' mean?" Soon I came across an article by Paramhansa Yogananda: "Educational authorities deem it impossible to teach spiritual principles in public schools because they confuse them with the variety of conflicting forms of religious faiths. But if they concentrate on the universal principles of peace, love, service, tolerance and faith that govern spiritual life, and devise methods of practically growing such seeds in the fertile soil of thechild's mind, the imaginary difficulty is dissolved."
Encouraged, I began classroom discussions on values like honesty, kindness, and cooperation. We also read about people whose lives demonstrated these qualities. The students developed good intellectual understanding of the concepts, but their behaviour remained unaffected.
Then something remarkable happened. One morning it snowed. I went along with the children's pleas for special recess. However, shortly came an inadvertent shove, then a wayward snowball, and everyone was angry. I called the students in. After calming down, we had a discussion. I said: "Anyone who wants to go back out will have to pledge to practice cooperation." The students solemnly did so, settling into wholesome, cooperative play. Later, when I asked which recess they'd enjoyed more, every hand went up in favour of the second. All agreed that practising cooperation made the difference. They maintained it over the ensuing months.
Here was the alternative I'd sought! Direct, personal experience had enabled the students to appreciate incorporating positive values into daily life. I began using activities like games and role-play to help them gain personal experience of different values so they could feel the effects of positive and negative behaviour.
When the children became teenagers, no longer was it enough to learn about values within school confines. More challenging scenarios were needed. The solution was "service-adventures". The first took us to a Mexican orphanage where the students spent two weeks in a completely foreign lifestyle. This new context provided many opportunities to renew appreciation for qualities like calmness and kindness. The students changed in lasting ways. Here again were the cheerful, exuberant youth I'd watched growing up... and who later matured into thoughtful, responsible young adults.
For most children, the greatest obstacle to value discovery is restlessness, commonly due to over-stimulation from exposure to videos, computer games, music, and TV. Helping children calm body and mind - especially through yoga, meditation, and introspection -- enables development of sensitivity to appreciate values. In turn, affirming and practising non-sectarian spiritual values improves quality of life for children (and adults!) by fostering success and fulfillment amid life's countless challenges.
Forty years ago when I started the first Education for Life School in the USA, we couldn't envision its later expansion and accolades. Now we can point to so many young adults with strong character, creative life-affirming jobs, and sense of personal fulfillment... and to joyful, balanced education as a proven road to academic success.
