In the Classroom

[Antarcticwolf]

I'm not a fan of faith-schooling personally, but I'm about to start my teacher training to become an English teacher. I wondered if anyone had any ideas of novel ways in which I could bring a little bit of paganism into the classroom i.e. inspiring a love of nature, finding personal paths, meditation.

As a side note I want to say outright that I am not trying to convert a bunch of school kids, but I think that pagan religions have universal positive messages that it would be positive to try and put across.

Opinions? Comments? Ideas?

Blessed Be

[Doc_Holliday]

Re: In the Classroom

Dont have to be pagan to teach a love of nature. Just spend some classes outside reading the classes material in a field/forest.

[DanieMarie]

Re: In the Classroom

I think teaching a love of nature is a great idea, but I'd avoid going anywhere beyond that.

As a English teacher, you could maybe bring in books that have a naturalist element to them? I'm not sure which grade you'll be teaching, but "My Side of the Mountain", "Hatchet", and "Bambi" are good choices for younger readers, and "Walden" works for older readers.

A lot of books from the 60s also bring in a lot of themes about spiritual experimentation. I read a ton of stuff from that era as a teen and soaked it all up.

Even if you don't have much control over your reading list, you could at least recommend books?

[Antarcticwolf]

Re: In the Classroom

I think teaching a love of nature is a great idea, but I'd avoid going anywhere beyond that.

As a English teacher, you could maybe bring in books that have a naturalist element to them? I'm not sure which grade you'll be teaching, but "My Side of the Mountain", "Hatchet", and "Bambi" are good choices for younger readers, and "Walden" works for older readers.

A lot of books from the 60s also bring in a lot of themes about spiritual experimentation. I read a ton of stuff from that era as a teen and soaked it all up.

Even if you don't have much control over your reading list, you could at least recommend books?

I'll be teaching 12-19 year olds but I will be doing some placement with younger years and must admit I never even thought of using Bambi! Thats great thank you.

I certainly wouldnt be going much further than that. Thanks for the fab titles!

[Willow]

Re: In the Classroom

My first thought honestly was "isn't that kind of what some christian people do when they bring that kind of bias into their own classrooms?"

But as long as you're consciously aware of the boundaries, you're probably ok.
Seconding literature and atmosphere that is pro-nature.

[WinterTraditions]

Re: In the Classroom

Try to have some potted plants across the classroom, especially if you have some windows! My English teacher may be Christian, but she has a deep love for nature and spirituality. She has plants throughout her room, and she burns a single votive in a holder on her desk to bring in a fresh aroma; nothing too powerful, but it gets rid of the smell of a classroom full of sweaty teenagers!

[PsykhikosAnarchosNautikos]

Re: In the Classroom

Mythology speaks greatly about the pagan ideals without actually pushing anything. Mythology is just cool anyway and, at least when I was a kid in a Christian/Catholic minded county (still live here!), we learned a lot about mythology and even certain belief structure of the medieval period. Some of the fun stuff was left out, such as John Dee and Edward Kelly working for Queen Elizabeth, or how the Egyptians and Greeks actually worshiped their gods and their views on cosmogony, but at least we still got a taste of mythology.

Thinking about it deeper, folklore would be better to teach if you are allowed to, such as Irish Faerie lore, Native American beliefs (which we should learn more about in America anyway) and things along those lines. This way you are not pushing anything and teaching a bit of history and culture. A lot of kids love it, I know I did.

[DanieMarie]

Re: In the Classroom

Greek mythology is really important to literature as well. I'd second teaching that, if anything for educational purposes.

[Antarcticwolf]

Re: In the Classroom

My first thought honestly was "isn't that kind of what some christian people do when they bring that kind of bias into their own classrooms?"

But as long as you're consciously aware of the boundaries, you're probably ok.
Seconding literature and atmosphere that is pro-nature.

I certainly wont be preaching to them! But my belief is a part of me and i think it has a lot of messages that are universally good. Its those messages I want to bring in to my teaching. Not "Hey kids lets sing a hymn to the goddess today!" :P

- - - Updated - - -

Greek mythology is really important to literature as well. I'd second teaching that, if anything for educational purposes.

I have a joint honours degree on Classics so I certainly will be doing that! Thanks

- - - Updated - - -

Try to have some potted plants across the classroom, especially if you have some windows! My English teacher may be Christian, but she has a deep love for nature and spirituality. She has plants throughout her room, and she burns a single votive in a holder on her desk to bring in a fresh aroma; nothing too powerful, but it gets rid of the smell of a classroom full of sweaty teenagers!

Aww thats a great idea!

[DanieMarie]

Re: In the Classroom

Another idea: I'm not sure how it is in your area, and I'm sure the rules vary in different schools and districts. In my school, any teacher could start a club, and any student could start one as long as he or she could find a teacher sponsor to supervise it. Clubs could be about anything appropriate for a school. There was a bible study (prayer and bible study in school isn't done in Canada, but it's considered ok if it's on the students' own time and they're there voluntarily), a global issues club, a philosophy club (I started it!), and an outdoor club. The outdoor club was sponsored by a teacher who was really passionate about outdoor sports, and it had a pretty big following. They went hiking, learned about plants, and I think they even went on a couple of overnight hiking trips.

Anyway, i'm not really sure if you could do that while you're doing your training, but maybe if you had another teacher at the school to sponsor an outdoor club, you could set it up? It could also be an option when you're done and you have your own classroom. If you end up at a very open-minded school, you might even be able to set up a pagan-themed club.

[Dez]

Re: In the Classroom

Love what was said about mythology...that was huge for me as a kid.

Not so much for teens, but if you work with younger kids, the Delaures Book of Greek Myths is pretty good. Lots of pictures, organized by being. Norse one is pretty good, too, but borrows from Snorri enough that I find myself telling a few of them instead of reading them.

[thalassa]

Re: In the Classroom

Honestly...poetry.

Robert Frost, HD, Emily Dickenson, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Rumi, Mary Oliver...there's a long long long long list one could pick from there.

And a number of anthologies on the subject of nature poems and such. One of my favorites is called "Earth Poems"...most of the poems are excepted, but then you can just look up the entire piece.

Also writers like Aldo Leopold, John Muir, Sigurd Olsen...

[DanieMarie]

Re: In the Classroom

Wordsworth was also huge on nature. I'd also recommend Keats.

[Claude]

Re: In the Classroom

Teach them to think and interpret books in their own way! My biggest disappointment in English, especially World Myth, was that my teacher was an idiot. Most of her idiocy was obviously genetic, but she could have helped her case by teaching the etymology of the names of gods, heroes, etc. If you aren't teaching out of mythology book try getting your students to think about what the author is trying to say about ______. Most teachers will just throw their kids a book, tell them to read and then expect a three page essay about rather or not they liked the book. Don't give your kids superficial, cookie cutter assignments. Make them think for themselves. Literature and art are great ways to explore what it means to be human and what our place is in the Cosmos. It's a shame every time an English teachers misses the opportunity to take class material and teach their students something about themselves.

[DanieMarie]

Re: In the Classroom

We were always taught that you can take any interpretation you want, as long as you can support the idea with direct quotes from the work itself. No one really knows exactly what authors were thinking when they wrote the piece, even if they're still alive (though I suppose some authors talk about their works quite a bit in interviews). When it comes to oral tradition, even academics are often conflicted.

I guess some teachers take such a prescriptive view because it's easier. I'm glad I was never really taught that way....university was a lot easier when I could work out my own concepts and defend my own ideas.