Children\'s Spirituality, Temperament, Self-control/Teacher. What

¶ … Children's Spirituality, Temperament, Self-Control/Teacher.

What is spirituality and why is it important to children? Spirituality, in context of this essay, doesn't refer to any hidebound body of dogma or rules; rather it goes beyond that in referring to a true wholesomeness and integrity of experience where, using Webster's definition, the child is taught to show "much refinement of thought and feeling." Rather than existence becoming trite and mundane, as happens for so many people, and rather than the child developing into a cynical distrustful adult, the child gains an enduring freshness of perspective and faith in people in God that directs all his relationships.

Children too are physical beings with a spiritual purpose. They too need to appreciate their significance in this world and the significance of the world for them as well as the significance of other humans. People and nature are related -- all in one glorious meaningful cycle for God. Realizing and internalizing this, children become more confident in themselves, more open and generous in their communication to others, and more integrated as a human being. The world is a happier place to them; they are more open to 'love', beam it, and become more resilient, secure, and emotionally healthy human beings.

Albert Einstein was once asked, "What is the most important question that a human being needs to answer?" And he answered, "Is the universe a friendly place or not?" (Jenkins 1995). This is the message that the parent and teacher hope to -- should -- impart towards the child.

Some consider spirituality to be apart from the world where spirituality exists as it were in a vacuum and the individual isolates himself from the world considering interaction with the world to contaminate him. Such a message may stunt the child, causing him or her to view the world as a hostile domain. Spiritualty, rather, is a more broadminded expanded way of seeing the world.

There are various writers and psychologists who even perceive Spirituality to be another component of IQ in the line of Emotional and Social Intelligence. A ream of books came out on this subject in the beginning of the millennium with titles that orbited around Spiritual Intelligence (for example Noble, 2001; Sisk & Torrance, 2001; Zohar & Marshall, 2000). Each of these books insisted that spiritual skills for the child would help him or her in her secular education (or in the so-called 'secular' world) and that spirituality is a significant and neglected part of the cognitive realm. According to Zohar and Marshall (2000) for instance it is:

The intelligence with which we address and solve problems of meaning and value, the intelligence with which we can place our actions and our lives in a wider, richer, meaning giving context, the intelligence with which we can assess that one course of action or one life-path is more meaningful than another (pp. 3-4).

Internalizing spirituality in our children is never more important than today where division between state and religion is severe and where uncertainty, fear, anxiety, greed, and selfishness amongst a horde of other evils can so easily afflict and topple our children. The current tensions, too, arising from terrorist attacks in the U.S. In 2001, in Bali in 2002 and in London in 2005, and the continuing apprehensions in the Middle East have spread a blight on religion that has made 'spirituality' a corrosive name. Yet, it need not be so. Spirituality is distinct from religion and it is, in fact, a secular concern that, when taught correctly, is as important schools and communities as the development of children's cognitive, physical, social and emotional competences and skills.

In a practical way, spirituality can be categorized into three elements and each of these elements can be practically addressed by teacher and parent: