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Abstract

This chapter discusses the spiritual dimension of education in Catholic primary schools in New Zealand, based on the findings of a recent, small, qualitative study. The views held by the teacher–participants on spirituality beyond the religious framework of their upbringing and work context enabled them to discuss the variety of ways spirituality can be understood and expressed. Teachers grappled with these understandings as they faced the challenge of including spirituality equally alongside the other dimensions of education, so their classrooms can be places of holistic learning for children. The influence of the teachers’ own spirituality on how they respond to children’s spiritual expressions, the spiritual potential of all areas of the curriculum, the teacher–child relationship and the spiritual climate of the classroom were important issues which will be dealt with in this chapter.

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