Living Our Core Values: Respect, Integrity, Service, Stewardship of the Natural World, and Curiosity

• In Event: Spirituality in Education: Becoming an Awakened School

Abstract

Purpose & Perspective

The purpose of this presentation is to share research which shows how our school’s five core values (respect, integrity, service, stewardship of the natural world, and curiosity) cultivate students’ spirituality. Each provides an avenue for the unfolding of our spiritual core, an opportunity to look beyond the self, to consider one’s relationship to others and the world around. We believe that each is best integrated through direct encounter and reflection. Such interdependence of ethos and experience is foundational to our programming and curriculum.

Methods

This session will present data from our observations, school materials and interviews with faculty, staff, and students. Data were collected and analyzed collaboratively with researchers using a grounded theory approach (Charmaz, 2008). This presentation will share how three aspects of our school’s awakened culture support students’ spirituality.

Findings

Community Service
Every student and faculty member is engaged in one of 35 different services, ranging from care of endangered species in our zoo, to monitoring our fire safety protocols, tending the farm, creating publications for our communications office, teaching ESL to local migrant farm workers, or serving on our environmental council. Community service is built right into the schedule.

Ninth Grade Discovery: “One Journey, One Journal”
This year-long program takes the ninth graders on a journey of discovery about the self, and relationships to others, the community, the natural world, and the universe. Each weekly session includes practice in building community norms within the group, kinesthetic activity like hiking, and reflective writing practice. Topics include: mind-body health, relationships, and encounters with the natural world, including the zoo and farm, the wetlands sanctuary, night stargazing, and bird watching.

Tenth Grade Human Development Curriculum
Tenth graders meet weekly in small groups, facilitated by two student leaders and one faculty member. “The goal of such a curriculum, broadly stated, is a) to foster cooperation, communication, and respect for individual differences throughout the community, and b) to help each student to accomplish the developmental tasks of adolescence, identity, wellness, core values, and decision-making.” (course catalogue)

Conclusions

Each of these signature programs operates in a group setting, and develops self-awareness, cooperation, healthy risk-taking, empathy, and empowerment. They provide direct encounters and experiences with time for reflection, which we have shown to be a proven model for spiritual integration. Through our observations and interviews, we have found that these practices are some of the most impactful in nurturing students’ spirituality and the health of our community.

Significance of Work

At a time when many young people are suffering from isolation and disconnection (Miller, 2015), our school warmly welcomes students who have not felt a sense of belonging elsewhere. These programs reinforce a school culture that is centered on belongingness, so that each student is seen, known, and valued for who they are. The significance of our work is that we are better able to understand how to support students’ inherent worth, connections with others and the natural world, and to build transformative relationships.

Author

• Cameron Hardy, Millbrook School