Opening Prayer

         First: please ask the children to sit at a circle. If possible, please girls and boys to sit alternated. Please ask them they have two minutes to find their right seats.

          Second: please tell the children that we, spiritist teachers, have one boss. Please explain to them that He is very demanding, but he also works very hard since he helps a lot. He doesn’t just commands. When we don’t know what to do, He sends help. He is always available if we want to talk to him (at anytime and anywhere). He is a great friend. We work without getting money from it. Our reward is the happiness we get from learning new things, being protected and cared by Him. Please ask the children if they know who He is.

         Please wait for the answers from the children – they could think this boss is the President of the Spiritist Centre, for example.

          Third: please tell them that Jesus is our boss; we are only committed to him (not to the President of the spiritist centre or the person responsible for the Spiritist Education department). Jesus is our Master and professor.

          Fourth: please make the children aware once again of the starting time for the spiritist education classes. Please remember them it is quite limited, if compared with the amount of time they spend at school. This is the reason why we need to understand what our objectives for these classes are so we can make the most of our time.

         Please ask the children:

          What do they want when they come to spiritist education classes?

          What do they search for?

          How do they intend to reach their objectives?

          What have they already learned at spiritist education classes?

          Have the lessons been useful at some point for them?

          Fifth: Please make it clear to the children that we learn Spiritism and Jesus’ teachings in order to be happier beings. The results will depend on each child. The spiritist teachers are going to do their part: prepare the classes, come to the classes, get on time for the classes, avoid collateral conversations, and pray at the right time to make the classes more productive; happier. They also pray for the spiritual friends to help with the spiritist education classes and the children.

          Sixth: Please remember the children that there are rules everywhere: traffic code of conduct, school behaviour policy, and their own house rules which were set up by their parents… Please ask the children to name any rules that reign within our society.

         Please question:

          Do you believe there should be rules at the spiritist education classes?

          Do they know any rules reigning within the spiritist centre? Switch on and off the lights, switch off the fan when you leave the room, put any waste in the bin, be silent at certain moments, turn off the tap, do not shout, etc.

          Why are rules so important? Rules are important because they allow the work to happen smoothly; hence, the children will get what searched for in the centre. Rules are very important and should be followed by everyone.

          Seventh: please invite them to organise the necessary rules for the good use of the future classes they will have throughout the year. Please split the children into groups. Each group should write in a piece of paper the rules they believe are really important for the spiritist education classes. They should have 10 minutes to complete this task.

          Eighth: please compare what was written within the groups. Please ask the children if they all agree with the rules that were written down by the other groups. Please ask they explain the reason why they accept them or not. As the children go through the rules, please remember them that they all will need to collaborate for it to work well.

         Obs.: if the children don’t write the following, you could also add these rules:

          respect School Start Times

          bring their material to class

          respect Jesus and your colleagues when it’s time to pray

          be silent when someone speaks

          take part in the activities

          please ask if you have any questions

          please avoid talking to your colleagues during class

          do not push or pull your colleagues

          respect your colleagues’ opinions

          do not make fun of your colleagues

          follow the rules

         Ninth: please make a colourful panel with the rules that were suggested by the children. This should be displayed in the classroom.

         Obs.: please print out a copy of these rules for each child and take it to their next class. This should be attached to their notebooks. Please remember these rules whenever necessary within the next upcoming classes.

         Click here to see the rules which were chosen by our class.

          Closing Prayer

          Class suggested being suitable for: 1st cycle (7 to 8 years old), 2nd cycle (9 to 10 years old) and 3rd cycle (11 to 12 years old).

         Translation: Carolina von Scharten, London, Sir William Crookes Spiritist Society linked to BUSS - The British Union of Spiritist Societies.



         

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