By Katrina Sandar Delaunay
This blog consists of excerpts taken from Katrina Sandar Delaunay’s scholarly paper, “A Self-Reflective Journey Exploring How Spirituality Deepens a Progressive Educator’s Practice,” which was one component of the Plan B Portfolio she submitted to University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (UHM) College of Education (COE) Curriculum Studies (CS) Department in partial fulfillment of the requirements for her degree of Masters of Education. Katrina will graduate from the UHM COE Progressive Philosophy and Pedagogy, MEd Curriculum Studies program in December 2022.
Spirituality is cultivated when joyful dispositions ignite
Ever since I was a young child, I have wondered about the inherent source of a thriving person. Described by Yos (2012), the person who lives a flourishing life is: whole, integrated, compassionate, grateful, joyful, and living purposely in the present moment. A thriving human responds freely and is flexible to new experiences without fear, but instead with a deep sense of inner wisdom. That said, the current state with which we find our society, inundated by fear, over-competition, materialism, racism, and bias, has made it incredibly difficult for humans to thrive or engage meaningfully and purposefully in their lives. The reality of our current world is that it is an upstream swim to a place where thriving can occur. In this blog, I explore the relationship between “spirituality” and progressive education, and wonder whether the intersection of the two might be a resource for finding meaning, flourishing, and becoming a thriving person in our modern world.
William James tells us that spirituality is “a belief that there is an unseen order, and that our supreme good lies in harmoniously adjusting ourselves thereto” (Children’s Spirituality, Nye, 4). It is not the same as religion.
Religion is a specific set of organized beliefs and practices, usually shared by a community or group. Spirituality is more of an individual practice and has to do with having a sense of peace and purpose. It also relates to the process of developing beliefs around the meaning of life and connection with others (ReachOut, 2022).
Research shows that people develop spirituality over time, and according to early childhood educator Deborah Schein (2018), a person’s spiritual development evolves out of cultivating and nurturing: (a) love, deep connections, self-awareness, and a positive sense of self; (b) basic dispositions ignited by moments of wonderment, awe, joy, and inner peace; and (c) the development of more complex dispositions (or prosocial personality traits), which are expressed in acts of caring, kindness, empathy, and reverence (2018, p. 138). Schein (2014) concludes that early childhood programs, which apply elements of spiritual development to students’ school experiences, make positive impacts on their current and future growth.
To further expand on the presence of spirituality in an educational context, Parker Palmer (1983) describes spirituality as a catalyst for sincerity and truth in the classroom. For Parker, spirituality involves students and teachers being open-ended and continuously constructive:
Spirituality wants to open us to truth–whatever truth may be, wherever truth may take us. Such a spirituality does not dictate where we must go, but trusts that any path walked with integrity will take us to a place of knowledge. Such a spirituality encourages us to welcome diversity and conflict, to tolerate ambiguity, and to embrace paradox. By this understanding, the spirituality of education is not about dictating ends. It is about examining and clarifying the inner sources of teaching and learning (1983, p. xi).
Well-aligned with many of the overarching aims of the progressive education movement, spiritual dispositions and practices in school seem to support learners in becoming their full selves; humans who will contribute in the creation of a better future society and better world.
As a part of my journey in the UHM COE MEd-CS, Progressive Philosophy and Pedagogy program I worked to construct a theory of how spirituality deepens the aims of my progressive education practice. I reviewed the literature defining and describing the history of spirituality in education and schooling. I developed a better understanding of the discernment between spirituality and religion, supported by the scholarship of educators, social activists, philosophers, and researchers who confidently underpin this assertion. To move from theory to practice, I designed a qualitative self-study, to investigate: How does cultivating spirituality in a classroom deepen the aims of a progressive education? My main sources of data included records, personal reflections, and observations documented and collected during a 5 month time period in my kindergarten classroom at Punahou School. After analyzing the data, three main themes emerged, which now help me to frame my current understanding of spirituality, progressive education, and the intersection of the two.
Rituals and Reverence Support Community
The first main theme to emerge from my research is that spiritual rituals and attitudes of reverence support progressive educators in fostering and strengthening school and classroom communities. “Ritual is an indispensable element for an authentic community because in it we come together to name and celebrate, to lament, grieve and let go and to create and recreate our common task” (Fox, 1988, p. 262). And reverence is the “ability to experience amazement and respect” (Schein, 2018, p. 123). Data from my study revealed how ritual and reverence–or spiritual moments during transitional periods throughout the school day–increased feelings of shared connection and close relationships.
Kindergartners engage in a Peace Rose Ceremony to resolve a conflict during outdoor play
In the Sun Ceremony Ritual students orbit the sun, marking the years of their lives
One example was taking time to “oli” or collectively say a sacred Hawaiian chant together to mark the beginning of the school day. Through this practice of ritual and reverence, children demonstrated strengthened connections to one another and their place of learning. I noted students and teachers “felt-sense of cohesive natural calm and mutual care among the group…Children embraced each other and their teachers in the holding of hands, hugs, and in their joyful facial expressions.” Other examples included: Peace Rose Ceremonies to resolve conflict, Sun Ceremonies to honor birthdays, and Gratitude Circles to express appreciation and acknowledgement. In each of the practices, teachers “act[ed] as experienced guides, co-learners, and brokers of community resources and learning possibilities. Their expertise [was] not so much in their stored knowledge–although this is important–as in their capacity to help students acquire the skills and dispositions of effective learners [and meaning makers]” (Smith, 2002, p. 593). Examples like these show how progressive educators can create more meaningful educational experiences by purposefully designing opportunities for ritual and reverence throughout the school day, over the course of a school year, or as an integral part of a P-20 program.
By design, regular moments of ritual and reverence cultivate and nurture the spiritual development of individuals and strengthen the quality of the communities they work and play in. Bruce and Eryman (2015) summarize it well:
Building a better society was seen by progressives as requiring the development of aware, engaged, and responsible actors, who become so through individualized, self-directed learning. At the same time, enabling individuals to ‘participate effectively in the affairs of their community’ establishes the environment for their own learning and the ‘aesthetic, spiritual, and cultural growth’ [needed for a fully functioning and thriving democracy] (p. 7).
Now that I’m at Hanahau’oli School, I see how built-in practices of daily (e.g. morning flag, assembly, morning meetings, sunshine kids, and shaking the hand of the Head of School at the end of the school day) and annual (e.g. Makahiki, Stepping Stones, Oratories, and Olympics) opportunities for ritual and reverence fulfill the progressive mission of the school and improve the lives of individuals and the quality of our community.
Spiritual Dispositions of Wonder, Awe, and Intellectually Safe Spaces of Communal Inquiry are Mutually Supportive
The second major finding from my study showed that there is an inextricable link between inquiry and the spiritual dispositions of wonderment and awe. Awe, often experienced as “respect and wonder sometimes mixed with a little fear” (Schein, 2018, p. 80), was observed unfolding within the safe spaces created for cooperative inquiry in my classroom. Guided by a “philosopher’s pedagogy” (Makaiau & Miller, 2012) and using the practices of Philosophy for Children (P4C), I saw my students asking deep spiritual questions of themselves and one another. These questions were the spark that launched meaning making (the co-construction of knowledge with peers and teachers), interconnection, and they flowed naturally and fruitfully in the time we had together.
One example of a spiritual question that surfaced within our safe community and that was voted on by the students as a topic of inquiry was: “How are humans like trees?” The students’ responses and remarks reflected wonderment and awe:
Some people walk by trees and don’t even know they are alive, but they are… Humans are similar to trees because they start off small and then they grow big like us… Humans are like trees because when they are by themselves they are not as strong as when they are with 14 other trees…just like when humans are in teams because teams are stronger.
Looking closely at a caterpillar with wonderment
I reflected on the contemplative nature of these very young children while they listened deeply to the stories and thinking of their peers. In my journal I wrote: “I could see their worldviews were opening up. It was as if thought bubbles were appearing above their heads stating, “Just like me and a tree, everything is connected”, “The collective temperament of the community was contemplative… I could sense hearts and minds connecting.”
Throughout the year, they asked more questions: “ Who made the first baby?”, “What is God?”, “Does everything die?” I continued to reflect on the felt-sense of awe observed in my students:
Children were really wanting to hear what their peers had to say about these spiritual wonderings. They seemed satisfied to contemplate such deeply meaningful topics. Heads were turning and eyes were wide-eyed and attentive. I felt good about providing a space for the children to dialogue about meaningful topics that perhaps hurried life doesn’t provide time for. The awe I observed in them had me thinking if the children had been craving this type of discussion all along.
Ann Margret Sharp, a key player in the beginning of the now worldwide P4C movement was acutely interested in the spiritual dimension of community of inquiry experiences like these. She concluded, “yes, there is an empowering spiritual dimension to philosophy for children. This dimension is embedded in the procedures, practices, and everyday behavior of the community as they struggle to understand themselves and other…” (Sharp, 2010, p. 9). As I wrapped up my research study, I wondered how we can create more opportunities for students and teachers to grow their sense of awe, making it a habit of mind utilized throughout their life, a springboard for engaging in deep and meaningful philosophical inquiry personally and in community? How can more teachers make classroom learning meaningful like this?
A Progressive Educator’s Personal Spirituality Is a Resource
The final theme to emerge out of my study was the need for the ongoing development of a progressive educator’s personal spirituality. As I reviewed the pages of introspective reflections–recorded while studying my students–I found that the nurturement of my personal spirituality through practices like meditation, contemplation, and prayer empower my progressive teaching practices. I observed how these sorts of practices empowered and strengthened my progressive philosophy and pedagogy in two ways. First, the wisdom and intuitive thinking cultivated through personal spiritual practices enabled me to serve as a guide to my students, versus a teacher who merely transmits knowledge. Second, my own spirituality proved to be a moral compass from which I could enact a values-based education “giving learners access to ethical vocabulary [and practices] based on human values, such as respect, justice, integrity, harmony, trust and honesty”.
As I read through my reflections I observed myself relinquishing control, allowing students’ real thinking and feelings to lead our experiences. Here is one example:
On the way back to the classroom from Oli, N and C took a detour around the garden and discovered a fallen nest and baby bird. It was clear that all of the children were invested in this occurrence. There were many emotions flowing. As a result, I made a decision to follow the interests and feelings of the children. We proceeded with an inquiry, in wonderment, about how the nest had fallen. Together we reasoned that the windy weather had blown the nest and baby bird out of the tree. In awe, we wondered if the mother bird was worried about her baby and of the baby bird’s destiny.
Mindful and acutely aware of the children’s yearning to investigate their own truths and meanings of spontaneous happenings, I created space for these types of authentic experiences to emerge and develop from the students themselves. In reflection, I realize that much of the direct instruction I did about morals, virtues, and values were grounded in the fact that I was open to dedicating time and attention to my students’ budding curiosity about the spiritual dimensions of being human. This openness is a product of my own spiritual consciousness and practice, and I’m hopeful that other educators engage in practices like these to create more opportunities for personal satisfaction and meaningful work with students.
Final Thoughts
Progressive philosophy and pedagogy invests in the education of the whole child. It is human-centered, developing in students both the inner wisdom and external resources needed to grow and maintain a flourishing life and a better future society. To achieve these worthy goals, bell hooks tells us that “spirituality belongs in the classroom because it is the seemingly magical force that allows for the radical openness that is needed for genuine academic and/or intellectual growth” (2010, p. 150). Spirituality, she tells us, can improve “how we live in the world and how we relate to self and others'' during the time we spend in schools (p. 150). However, as my research has shown me, very few educators, including progressive educators, openly explore, discuss, and study the spiritual dimensions of teaching.
My year-long inquiry into the intersection of spirituality and progressive education has made me realize that more progressive educators might want to seriously consider spiritual development as a mechanism to deepen and support their progressive teaching practice and the experiences of children in school. “As we allow ourselves to experience cosmic mystery, we might be able to join the mystics in their experience of what they called the divine, and what we might call the spiritual dimension of living” (Sharp, 2010, p. 6). It might just be this spiritual dimension of living that will buoy teachers and students in current times, providing hope for a better future.
Works Cited:
A. M., & Bornstein, J. C. (2012). In the Beginning was the Deed: Empowering Children's Spiritual Consciousness. Thinking: The Journal of Philosophy for Children, 20(1), 3–10. https://doi.org/10.5840/thinking201220Sharp1/22
Bruce, B. C. & Eryaman, M. Y. (2015). International Handbook of Progressive Education. Peter Lang.
Fox, Mathew (1988). The Coming of the Cosmic Christ. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco.
Hooks, bell. (2010). Teaching critical thinking: Practical wisdom. Routledge.
Makaiau, A. & Miller, C. (2012). The Philosopher’s Pedagogy. Educational Perspectives, 44 (Numbers 1 and 2), 8-19
Nye, Rebecca. (2009). Children’s Spirituality: What it is and why it matters. Church House Publishing.
Palmer, P. J. (1983). To know as we are known. Harper & Row.
Schein, D. L. (2018). Inspiring wonder, awe, and empathy: Spiritual development in young children. Redleaf Press.
Schein, D.L. (2014). Nature’s Role in Children’s Spiritual Development. Children, Youth and Environments, 24(2), 78–101.
Smith, G. A. (2002). Place-Based Education: Learning to Be Where We are. Phi Delta Kappan, 83(8), 584–594.
What is spirituality? Spirituality | ReachOut Australia. (n.d.). Retrieved December 20, 2022, from https://au.reachout.com/articles/what-is-spirituality
Yos. B Thomas. (2012). Raising the Bar: Love, the Community of Inquiry, and the Flourishing Life. Educational Perspectives. Vol. 44. 52-57
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Katrina Delaunay is an early childhood educator at Hanahauʻoli School. A former Punahou School kindergarten assistant teacher and Hawaiʻi State Department of Education Special Education teacher, Katrina envisions children as competent and capable of contributing to a more compassionate and just world. Her work in education is centered on human flourishment and well-being. Katrina is a passionate practitioner of Philosophy for Children Hawaiʻi. She holds a B.A. in Psychology, a Post Baccalaureate Certificate in Special Education, a Philosophy for Children Hawaiʻi Endorsed Certificate, and a MEd-CS in Progressive Philosophy and Pedagogy from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Katrina lives in Honolulu where she enjoys the wonder and awe of the natural world with her husband and two children.
