“GROWING TO BE GOD”
VALUE BASED EDUCATION FOR CHILD DEVELOPMENT
'Growing up to be God' is an educational program for child development in which teachers can freely decide the lesson content based upon the children present, their age and their characteristics. This gives a possibility of one to speak their heart out, while having the human values as a foundational basis, thus giving space to the true meaning of education.
One may wonder how to teach if they haven't yet started transforming themselves yet. We don't have to wait to be perfect. It is a path of continuous self-education. The students will therefore seize the teacher's effort to be improve and emulate him or her.
All children are seeds of light seeking love, inspiration, guidance and the promise of a world of harmony and love. Adults have a great responsibility to offer them a place, a world in which to express that light.
LEARNING TO BE HUMAN
"School should not be considered just an ordinary place for teaching and learning. It is the place where consciousness is awakened and illuminated, purified and fortified; the place where the seeds of discipline, duty and devotion are planted and grown to produce fruit. " - Sri Sathya Sai Baba
"To educate" means to bring out the divine perfection that is already in us.
What is important is to learn to be a human being and this can only be taught through spiritual education.
Only young people can improve this world by developing a good character; here then the school must not only train 'good students', but also 'students who are good', who are professionally prepared but also loving and attentive to others.
WHAT ARE THE HUMAN VALUES?
Being educators in this day and age means helping children
discover their divine nature,
find their place in the world,
discover talents, qualities, and internal resources to be used for the good of others through the implementation of Human Values.
A Human Value is what gives value to life and to a human being, and makes him divine.
A Human Value creates a loving environment in which one feels valued and loved.
These are the pillars of spirituality and education:
Love
Truth
Right Action
Peace
Harmony
Justice
Non-violence
They are Values that guard the highest moral truths, the common heritage of all the great civilizations and religions of the world.
These values contain many others related to them: kindness, friendship, taking care of others, honesty, courage, trust, respect, tolerance, collaboration etc.
Only by acting with love towards others will we be able to live human values in their fullness. Values that are capable of guaranteeing a joyful and peaceful existence. But to awaken them we must put them into practice, otherwise they will always remain at the bottom of our heart and will serve no purpose.
CHARACTERISTICS OF TEACHERS / EDUCATORS
The conscious teacher embodies those qualities that are incorporated in the letters of the word TEACHER:
T - TRANSFORMATION
"Only what the educator has achieved in himself can be passed on to the child." Rudolf Steiner
The letter "T" stands for spiritual transformation. It is an inner journey of awareness to realize and manifest one's divinity. Surely the teacher must provide knowledge related to this world, but such knowledge alone is incomplete. He must touch the hearts and thoughts of the students. First of all, the transformation must take place in the teacher, who thus becomes an inspiring example for the pupils, leading them in turn towards a spiritual transformation, speaking to them about God and His immense love.
E - EXAMPLE
The teacher must take the well being of his students to heart and take care of them, teach them with love and with their own example because children learn what the teacher is. Only an exemplary teacher can create exemplary students. For this reason he must first transform himself, demonstrate with his own behavior that he thinks what he says, and that he does what he teaches (coherence between thoughts - words - actions).
A - AWARENESS
that God is in each of us. We cannot love others if we think they are "others", that they are different from us. The teacher sees the inner Divinity in all the students and does not distinguish them based on their behavior, accepts them because the circumstances are what made them what they are. The teacher should be able to see the inner unity of all children despite the external differences, loving them not like others, but as their true self. Each child is playing his role based on the time, space and circumstances in which he was born and raised. If the teacher truly believes that every child is divine, he will be able to keep him close to his heart and make his transformation possible thanks to his efforts.
C - CULTURE
The culture of the country in which it is taught is very important. It is necessary to design the teaching material in the context of that country, using stories and texts. If an Indian story is told to a Japanese boy, he won't grab the concept or the teaching. Culture feeds unity and a sense of belonging, makes it easier to understand one's roots, and is a means of transmitting values.
H - HEAD, HEART & HANDS
Consistency between thoughts, words and actions is fundamental. The head represents the intellect, the heart compassion, the hands the ability to do things. If head, heart and hands do not work in unison, you cannot teach, because you are not consistent and without consistency you cannot gain the trust of those around us. The teacher must be guided and inspired by his heart.
E - ENVIRONMENT
The environment in which we teach must therefore be healthy, clean, bright. Everything must be organized. Where it is taught, how it is taught, what the teacher wears and the quality of the place influence the minds of the students. A calm mind learns better.
R - RELIGION
The essence of every religion are the values, the brotherhood of men and the fatherhood of God.