Spiritual Wellbeing
At school, we as teachers' monitor your children's wellbeing; spiritually.
60 minutes of Spirituality
Assign 60 minutes each week, where the learning manager will explore with the students and educate them on the different spiritual beliefs and cultures around the world. The learning manager will research what each culture believes in spiritually and how they celebrate their culture and spiritual beliefs. This 60 minutes each week aims to educate students on how different spiritual beliefs vary and how we must respect the decisions that other individuals and families make.
My Story book
The "My Story Book" activity requires the students to create their very own story book, starring themselves as the main character. The students are to base their story around themselves and their families spiritual beliefs. An example may include; one student deciding to create their story around Christmas, the student may create a story about a boy who was naughty on Christmas day. Another student may base their story around Buddha Day, which is a day celebrated in May on a full moon to celebrate the birth and death of the Buddha over 2,500 years ago. The students are then to present their story book to the class, displaying their different spiritual celebrations to their peers.
Art- Expressing my Spirituality
Students are to create an art piece expressing their spirituality and beliefs. The students are free to draw what ever they please, they are encouraged to relax and express their inner thoughts through drawing. Once each student has completed their artwork, they will be hung around the room for all students to see.
Justification
The spiritual wellbeing activities explained above have been created to ensure the students feel safe, comfortable and accepted in their classroom environment. Spirituality activities incorporated into the classroom aim to instil lifelong values within the students, such as; love, compassion, patience and forgiveness (Vialle, W.,Walton, R. & Woodcock, S. 2008).
The spiritual wellbeing activities explained above have been created to ensure the students feel safe, comfortable and accepted in their classroom environment. Spirituality activities incorporated into the classroom aim to instil lifelong values within the students, such as; love, compassion, patience and forgiveness (Vialle, W.,Walton, R. & Woodcock, S. 2008).
You can monitor your child's spiritual wellbeing at home too!
- Get involved in local churches and/or social events
- Travel different countries with your family to introduce them to different countries, cultures and spiritual beliefs
- Encourage your children to watch the local news to know what is happening in the world around them
Communication; how can we build a stronger teacher and parent relationship.
In order to build a stronger teacher and parent relationship, invite the parents into the classroom for a "spirituality day." Encourage the parents to come into the classroom to educate other students about their spirituality and cultural beliefs.