Nurturing the Spirit: In Non-Sectarian Classrooms

by Joe Servello (Illustrator), Aline D. Wolf

A must have resource for every teacher! This book explains how the fundamental purpose of Maria Montessori's work was to bring about a more peaceful world by nurturing the spirit of the child. Aline Wolf includes discussion about such important issues as: What is the meaning of the word spirit? How is nurturing the spirit fundamentally different from teaching a specific religion? How can we nurture the spirit in non-sectarian classrooms? How can teachers become spiritually aware? and How can we explain spiritual nurturing to parents? This book is also available in Spanish.

Genres: Education, Nonfiction, Teaching, Spirituality

194 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1996

Reviews

[Audrey · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book. I love its premise that children's spiritual lives need nurturing, even in a non-religious school setting. As someone who anticipates working in the public school system, I felt the topic was particularly relevant.

The problem is that the author doesn't actually provide a way to nurture spirituality without promoting a religious outlook. What she does is promote a specific brand of new agey spirituality that has long been in vogue with middle-class progressives. It's disingenuous to pretend that her brand of supposedly non-sectarian spirituality is palatable to people of all religious traditions. It's a system of beliefs typically endorsed by people from specific cultural backgrounds. Montessori schools (which this book is intended for) tend to recruit students from that cultural milieu, so it isn't surprising that she found her ideas widely accepted. At the same time, I think the parents I usually work with would be uncomfortable with a lot of the things she proposes. Moreover, on a personal level, I have a hard time taking her outlook seriously. She refers to astrology as a "science." She talks about Native American religions in the fawning, but condescending and overgeneralized way that was typical of 1990s progressivism. For me, the low point was this passage:

"Are we converging toward a spiritual unity--an omega point--as Teilhard de Chardin suggested? As cosmic educators, we do not have to believe that such spiritual phenomena will come about but we should not rule out any spiritual phenomena, such as extrasensory perception, that may be a harbinger of the future of evolution."

I can definitely think of some religions that would be horrified to classify ESP among "spiritual phenomena."

I don't want to be entirely negative. I did like some of her ideas. I liked the exercise in personal silence, where a child sets a timer for a short period of time and attempts to be entirely quiet and still for the duration. I think parents of any religious tradition can support the idea of their children learning to be quiet and calm for short periods of time. It can act as a springboard to a variety of religious activities from prayer to meditation, but it is not an intrinsically religious activity. For the atheist parents out there, it has intrinsic mental health benefits and can become a basis for important coping skills. Sadly, such suggestions are the exception more than the rule. I would still recommend the book for people with a specific interest in the topic, but it shouldn't be taken too seriously.

[Hanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven’t read much previously about how to nurture a child’s innate spirituality. The author of this book sees spirituality as an essential part of being a human (even a very small human)…and so views supporting children in the development of their spirituality as just as much a part of the teacher’s role as instructing children in their letters or in how to zip up a coat. The book makes a distinction between spirituality in general (defined as a sense of awe and wonder, an enjoyment of nature, openness to mystery, ritual and appreciation of beauty) and particular religious traditions. I appreciated a lot of the ideas that this book offered in terms of activities to do with children to connect them with their spirituality. The book also emphasized nurturing the questions and validating children’s spiritual journeys rather than definitively answering their spiritual questions. They recommended saying things like “That is an interesting question that a lot of people have thought about for hundreds of years. I’m glad that you’re thinking about it too. What do you think?” Or “some people think this and some people think this. What do you think?” The book tilts a bit more philosophical than practical…but a good important book that I’m glad that I read.

[Bridgid · Rating 3 out of 5]

I appreciated that in the chapters I've read so far for class, the author stresses the importance of the spiritual preparation of the teacher. It seems many rush the process of becoming adequately prepared, and think only in terms of curriculum. But working with children requires so much more - character, patience, self knowledge. I am grateful to have the time to carefully observe myself in preparation for the task I have chosen.

[Meghan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book I will read every summer. It really speaks to me about nurturing not only the childs spirit in the Montessori classroom but also the teacher.

[Tracey Bruce · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book and so many ideas to encourage peacefulness, love and kindness in the classroom.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first 2/3 contain a lot of common sense, and is a bit redundant. The last 1/3 had some nice ideas for games and activities to do with children in the classroom.

[Jillian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book a lot, but wish it had gone deeper in to many things. It needs an accompanying, more academic version and I'd be very happy. I read it as part of my Montessori training, but there's examples from Steiner-Waldorf and Friends classrooms as well, and is applicable to any classroom.

[Christine Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book.

[Corazonita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly inspiring

[Macandamanda Mcgee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Completely inspirational, full of wonderful ideas! A book to read and reread over and over!! I loved it!!!!

[DeAnne Wolfgram · Rating 5 out of 5]

A favorite from my Montessori teaching days