I believe that spirituality is part of the whole person. The medicine wheel describes the well-being of a person to be balanced and healthy in all four quadrants; Mental, Emotional, Physical, and Spiritual. Spirituality does not have to be connected to religion and can be described as more of a humanistic quality where we all have a place on the earth and we all have a purpose. With the prevalence of mental illness in our society, which statistically appears to be increasing, it seems as though we, as a society, are missing some major pieces to the puzzle of human wellness. Connections to meaning, community, earth, and purposeful being are spirituality, and if we do not have these things the future holds great despair. I feel that teaching spirituality in schools, through a “humanistic” lens, should be considered as essential as teaching literacy or math. After all, if students do not have purpose and meaning then what will drive them to want to learn the ABCs and 123s?
Melanie Baerg
Hi Aurora!
What a wonderful connection you’ve made between learning, spirituality and overall well-being. Feeling that we have a purpose is deeply connected to what we value as individuals, and taking the time to “connect” with ourselves through whatever “spiritual” means are a fit for us (e.g. connecting with nature, church, meditation, etc.) can help to bring our values into focus. Modelling this for our students is invaluable for so many reasons, as you have highlighted.
onewithanimalsatunbc
Absolutely!