Developing the Whole Child:
Celebrating the Spirit of Each Child
Dr. Ruth Wilson defines spirituality in the context of education and human development.
“What do Froebel, Pestalozzi, Montessori, and Rudolph Steiner have in common? Many of us recognize them as significant contributors to the child-centered approach to early childhood education, but what we may not realize is that they were also pioneers in the holistic education movement and believed that education should contribute to the spiritual development of children. They all viewed the young child as more than just a growing body and mind. They saw a spiritual dimension to human development as well.”
“What do Froebel, Pestalozzi, Montessori, and Rudolph Steiner have in common? Many of us recognize them as significant contributors to the child-centered approach to early childhood education, but what we may not realize is that they were also pioneers in the holistic education movement and believed that education should contribute to the spiritual development of children. They all viewed the young child as more than just a growing body and mind. They saw a spiritual dimension to human development as well.”
- What is one "asthetic mode of knowing" an "other way of knowing" that you would bring to your classroom environment?
One important "other way of knowing" activity that I would bring to a classroom environment is play. I think that play, specifically unstructured play, is important for children to explore their world at their own pace. It would be less a time for me, the teacher, to guide the child's learning, and more a time for the child to follow their intuition and satisfy their curiosity. I think the aspect of unmediated play is particularly important for today's children. Their schedules are as busy and structured as their parents' schedules! This phenomenon coupled with the hard truth that classroom arts (or school arts programs) are being underfunded, under-appreciated, or altogether cutout, does not bode well for children's freedom to explore "other ways of knowing." There is a pervasive climate of competition in schools. The expectations for students to work hard and provide measurable outcomes of their learning (i.e. high test scores) are always rising. This leaves little room for flexibility in the classroom for important activities such as exploring nature and learning through arts-integrated teaching methods.
- How have you preserved your "aesthetic way of knowing?" If it's diminished, how can you get it back?
I believe I have preserved some of my aesthetic way of knowing because I call myself an artist. My sense of self and my faith are most honestly and fully expressed through my visual art. My spiritual development and my development as a painter are intertwined. As a spiritual being, my faith is constantly being transformed by the "magic and essence" (Wilson, 2008) I experience in the world. There are stages in my life when my aesthetic way of knowing has waxed and waned. I have found that in my adult life, especially after graduating from college, my aesthetic way of knowing has been gradually diminishing. I am rarely afforded moments of 'unrestricted play' -- moments when I can sit with my thoughts and reveries, rely on my "primary perceptions" to take in the multi-dimensional world around me, and fully open up to the "transcendent part of [my] being" (Wilson, 2008). One way that I can strengthen my aesthetic way of knowing is dedicate more time to art-making and spending time outdoors, engaged in play.
- How do Froebel, Pestalozzi, Montessori and Steiner inspire you to guide a child's spiritual development?
After reading these educators' beliefs about what a classroom environment should look like, I would like to create an environment that fosters what Pestalozzi calls "holistic development" (as cited in Wilson, 2008) with special care attention focused on nurturing spiritual development. If Montessori's claim is true, that children "literally incarnate the world around [them]" (2008) and everything they see forms part of his soul, then it is critical that educators provide safe, stimulating, nurturing and child-centered learning environments. If we spark a child's curiosity to learn about the world around them, they will have a life-long hunger for knowledge. I believe that all humans have a spiritual core, and that adults, in their roles as mentors, teachers, guides, parents/aunts/uncles/etc, have a responsibility to build upon what Froebel identifies as the "living core of the child's intrinsic spiritual capacities" (2008). It is important for me to remember, even in my own spiritual journey, that the process of development is more important than the outcome. Outcomes may not always be evident (especially in measuring spiritual development), but the process itself is stimulating. I want children to experience wonder and awe in nature. I desire that their souls yearn for a relationship with a God who is Great.
REFERENCE
Wilson, D. R. (2008). Developing the whole child: celebrating the spirit of each child. Early childhood NEWS. Retrieved June 15th, 2014, from http:/www.earlychildhoodnews.com/earlychildhood/article_view.aspx?ArticleID=545