_.

Teaching Children's Classes Grade 1

Ruhi Institute

Books in the Series:

Book 1

Book 2

Book 3

Book 4

Book 5

Book 6

Boak 7

BookS

Copyright © 1987 by the Ruhi Foundation. Colombia First Edition 1997

Reprints: 2000, 2002t 2003

Reflections on the Life of the Spirit

includes: "Understanding the Baha1 r Writings'j "Prayer"

"Life and Death"

Arising to Serve

lncludes : 'The joy of Teaching"

"Deepening Themes" "Introducing Baha'i Beliefs" Teaching Children's Classes, Grade 1

includes: "Some Principles of Baha'i Education" "Lessons for Children's Classes, Grade 1" Co nd ucti n9 C I asses fo r Child ren"

The Twin Manifestations

jn cl u des; " The Greatnes s of this Da jI" "The Life of the Bab"

"The Life of Bah~u'lIah" Teaching ChUdren's Classes, Grades 2 and 3

includes: "Lessons for Children's Classest Grade 2" "Lessons for Children1s Classes, Grade 3"

S piritu a I Growth tncludes :

"The Spiritual Path"

t'Becoming a Tutor for Books 1-5"

F emily Prosperity includes

"Bah~'1 Family Life"

"Giving: The Spiritual Basis of Prcspenty"

The Covenant includes:

"The Covenant of Godt'

"The Covenant of Baha'u'llah"

ISBN; 81 ~86953·23·X

Printed at : J. K. Offset & PaCll;aging. New DiIIh~ -110020

Contents

To the Collaborators , ,... 1 - 3

Some Principles of Baha'f Education , .. 1 - 17

Lessons for Children's Classes, Grade] t - 80

Conducti ng Classes for Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I -It

TO THE COLLABORATORS

This book is the collection of three units aimed at helping individuals who wish to undertake the highly meritorious service of teaching regular classes for the spiritual educalion of children. It is assumed that those who study it have already participated in courses in which at least the content of Book 1 of the Ruhi Institute has been covered.

BaM'fs who have taught the Faith in receptive areas will not be surprised to see that the Rulli Institute places a strong emphasis on children's classes. The insistent desire of newly enrolled believers. especially in rural areas and the outskirts of large cities, for their children to be educated by Baha'f teachers is well-known. Unfortunately, there have never been enough teachers to respond to this well-justified demand. and for some reason or another. many capable Baha'Is who could teach children have not attached the necessary imponance to this act of service on which the future of new generations depends.

It is important to mention that BaM'f children's classes are not like the classes of indoctrination which are common in many other religions. Even though children are instructed in the principles, teachings and basics beliefs of the Faith, the emphasis is on learning to think. to reflect and to apply spiritual laws to the life of the individual and society. Especially during the early years of childhood, great attention is given to the development of spiritual qualities and to those beliefs, habits and behaviors that constitute the essential attributes of a spiritual being.

The desire to avoid indoctrination or catechism should not. however, lead to laxity in religious instruction. Doctrines that have disregarded religious education for children and have left them to acquire their own standards and beliefs. supposedly by free choice, from their interactions with society, have greatly contributed to the present state of moral disintegration. The proponents of these doctrines do not seem to appreciate the fact that there are political, economic and cultural interests in society which aggressively promote their own desired patterns of thought and behavior. But even if this were not so, there is no reason to suppose that a new generation of children will be able to create a better world without an education which Is basically spiritual. Humanity, left to its own devices without divine guidance. has produced nothing more than chaos, injustice and suffering.

Although the dynamics of educating children vary greatly from community to community in the BaM 'f world, the importance of the enterprise is a matter on which all can agree. Moreover, it is evident that the key to success in any ambitious plan for the spiritual education of large numbers of children is the training of teachers. It is hoped that this book will help Baha'I institutions and their agencies, especially regional and national institutes, in their efforts to substantially increase the number of dedicated and well-prepared Baha'I children's class teachers.

The first unit of the book, "Some Principles of Baha'I Education", is concerned with certain basic concepts. There is no educational system in the world today that can properly be called "Baha'f", Such a system can only be created through the efforts of numerous educators working in diverse settings and cultures over an extended period of time. Nevertheless, certain principles and concepts can be identified that should influence endeavors to develop elements of B "M'f education, and this unit briefly examines some of them.

One of the basic concepts tiiscussed in the unit is the nobility of man. It is essential for the participants in the course-future teachers of children-to understand the impact this

extremely important principle will have on the kind of education he or she will eventually offer. By the mere acceptance that each student is ... mine ricb in gems of iaesttmable value", the teacher of a begiming children's class takes an enormous step away from cunatt educational practices. Yet the acceptance of this concept is not, in itself, sufticient. Babl'f teachers should also be familiar with the nature of spiritual qualities and know enouah about human talents and capacities to be able to discover these gems in their students and actively help polish them. They also have to be fully aware of the importance of helping children develop habits and patterns of behavior that are in keeping with a Bab4 'f way of life.

In general, this unit is not complex and, like all Ruhi Institute materials, is taught in courses that are conducted tutorially. ntis is best done by dividing the participantS into small groups and allowing each group to move along at its own pace and accordina to its own rhythm. This point is crucial, because an attempt to accelerate or slow down any participant's pace, forcing him or her to move at the same rate as the OIbers, can hamper the learning process. In this respect it should be noted that the tutor's role is not any less important for the fast Ie amen than it is for those who leam at a slower pace. The tutor should discuss all of the sections with each group of stndents. A·Ruhi Institute course should not be treated as an independent study by the participants, the results of which are merely checked by the tutor. Some discussion with the tutor it needed so that participantS understand the materials presented in each section It three levels of ccmptebension: the melllinJ; of the words and sentences, the application of the concepts in oneil life and wort, and their implications for certain related situations. For • fuller expllDltion of these three levels of comprehension and how to help partiCipants achieve them, pI.eue refer to the introduction in Book I entitled "To the Collaborators".

The second unit, "Lessons for OIildren's Ouses. Grade 1", is designed for the training of teachers of first grade BahA'f dIikIren'. cluses. To acbieve this purpose. it eXamines methods that help teachers CClOduct clusea effectively. The unit also oontains 15 lessons for the children's classes themselves. Each lesson cmsists of five parts: memorization. of prayers and quotations. songs, stories. games aod co1orina. It is suggested that these IS lessons be repeated with the children two or three times dlrougbout the year, making R total of 3Q to 45 classes. In helping the participants in the course understand the lesson plaris and the methods for conducting them, the tutor sbou1d keep the following points in mind:

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The development of capacity for holding a simple children's class, and the acquisi· tion of the eorrespondingskills. require a great deal of practice. It is to be expected. then, that this course will be long and sometimes even difficult Teaching a lesson to children demands more than reading the material and understanding its content. The tutor should allow a great deal of time for the future teachers \0 practice giving the classes ,IS they study the course.

The majority of people who teach children generally try to recreate for them tho same leaming experiences they had in their own formative stages. To counteract this nonnal tendency, this unit offers detailed suggestions to which the tutor and the participants should pay close attention.

It is hoped that childRn's classes will provide a means for developing in the children attitudes and spiritual qualities that will bring them closer to God. In the lessons for grade one, the emphasis tson spiritual qualities, and little attention is given to general knowledge about-the Faith. When the foundation of the chlld's character has been established, there is ample time in later years to impart the necessary knowledge .

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. 2· To me Collaborators

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The methodology of the children's classes combines different activities, all focused on the principal goal of motivating the development of attitudes and spiritual qualities. All these activities revolve around the Creative Word, which alone has the power to awaken spiritual susceptibilities in the children, and a strong emphasis is placed memorizing the Creative Word. Memorization has an even greater effect if what is being memorized is well understood. For this reason, each lesson includes material to help children understand the meaning of the quotation, as well as activities to help further this understanding. Unfortunately, at this point, there is not an abundance of songs. games and stories which directly reinforce the ideas presented in the quotations to be memorized. It is hoped that. in the future, many more such activities will be created and compiled for the use of BaM 'f children's class teachers.

The stories of • Abdu 'I· BaM. presented in the lessons are of the greatest importance, because He is the Exemplar of Baha'I life. They illustrate in a concrete way the spiritual qualities that are being explored, and it is well known that concrete situations help, especially children, understand abstract explanations. Some participants may have trouble learning how to tell stories in a way that brings them to life for the children. The ability to remember the details that give excitement to a story and to present the events of the story in an effective way can be acquired by means of constant practice.

The lesson plans that are included in the unit require very little in the way of materials and outside resources. Besides the teacher's knowledge, acquired through the training offered in this course, only coloring sheets and crayons are needed. The coloring sheets can be simply reproduced by the teachers themselves by tracing them from the sample sheets corresponding to each lesson.

It is recommended that participants begin putting their new skills into practice as -they go through the course. This will allow them to prepare themselves for the time when they will take on their own classes. New teachers may feel nervous the first time they face a class of, say, 20 children, so it is advisable to let them start out alongside experienced teachers or with a small number of children-perhaps four or five. It is also possible to hold classes which only teach the quotations at the beginning, fithout worrying about stories, songs and other activities. As the teacher develops confidence, more children can be added to the class and other elements can be introduced.

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A cassette tape of the songs used in the lessons accompanies this material. Teachers may wish to use the cassette, not only to prepare themselves for the class, but also to help the children learn the songs.

When the results of the initial effons of the Ruhi Institute to help train teachers were evaluated, it became evident that a course on how to manage a children's class was also necessary, especially for those who choose the education of children as a special area of their service to the Cause. The last unit in this book. "Conducting Classes for Children", was developed to answer that need. As in the other courses, the participants should study the unit in small groups with a more experienced person as their tutor. Each section should be read aloud once or twice and then consulted upon by the participants. An important objective of the unit is to help the participants achieve a balanced understanding of how to keep a class happy and full of love. yet also highly disciplined. BaM'f teachers of children should develop a capacity to inculcate in each child the spiritual discipline that results from love and trust in God, and not impose discipline through fear of punishment.

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To the Collaborators - 3

1\

Some Principles of Baha'i Education

Purpose

To understand some of the basic principles of Bah,i'{ education of children.

SECTION 1

The purpose of this course is to help you develop your capacities as a teacherofBahA'f classes for children. These are simple classes which any interested person can teach every week to small groups of children in a BahA', community. In these classes. the children memorize prayers and quotations from the Writings. listen to stories and simple explanations of the Teachings, and sing and play. Undoubtedly, you are very eager to start your work. as a teacher of BaM" children's classes, so you should study these pages carefully and meditate on their content.

By studying the following quotations of Bahli 'u 'llMt and • Abdu'I-Bahli you will begin to appreciate your work as a children's class teacher. It will help you to memorize these words and have them always in mind when you teach.

"Blessed is that teacher who shall arise to instruct the children ••• " I

"Among the greatest of all services that can possibly be rendered by man to Almighty God is the education and training ofchildren ••• ,,1

" According to the explicit divine Text, teaching the children is indispensable and obligatory. It followeth that teachers are servants of the Lord God, since they have arisen to perform this task, which is the same as worship. You must therefore offer praise with each breath, for you are educating your spiritual children. "s

J. Answer the following quesdoos:

a. What is one of the greatest services that can possibly be rendered by man to Almighty

God? _

b. What do the BahIi" Writings say about the teaching of children?

c. What act.is the same as arising to teach children?

2. Decide if the following statements are true or false:
a. In the BahIi'! Faith. the teaching of children is obliga-
tory. TO FO
b. When we teach children. we are worshipping God. TO FO
c. Bah4'fs do not have to think about teaching children
because most children go to school TO FO
d. By teaching children. you are raising spiritual sons
and daughters. TO FO·
e. Teachers are servants of the Lord God. TO FO 2 - Some Principles of Bahli" Education

SECTION2

In studying t;he Writings of the BaM'(Faith. we find counsels and teachings which show us bow to offerttue education. One teaching has to do with the attitude oflove and understanding that teachers should $how to all their students. Your students will be very special to you; they will not be just sornepeople you are required to teach. Each student is a unique creation of God, endowed with hisIbet own talents and capacities. Later, we will talk about some of these talents, but for now, what is most important to undentand is that everyone has the capacity to know the Manifestations of God. to obey Their laws and to progress spiritually. No child is incorrigible. All can be good and all can develop spiritual qualities.

You should carry in your bead the assurance that hwnan beings are created noble. In yQUI" classes. you can help your students demonstrate this nobility.

1. A few phrases are written below about what we have just read, but with blank spaces. Fill in these blank spaces with the appropriate words. For example. if we write: "No child

is ., , you would write the word "incorrigible".

The attitude of love and; that teachers should show towards

all tbeir is very important. The attitude

of and understanding that teachers show toward their students is

very . Each studentis.acreationofGodcndowed with her

owo""--- ,andi...- . However>- _

has the capacity to know the -----"of God. to obey

'Their and to spiritually. AD have the

capacity to the of God, to _

Their laws and to~ _'"piritually.

Your students will be very to you: they will not be

just you me required to teach. The attitude of

______ and. that teachers show towards

their. isvery important. Your students will be

very to you. Bach stlldent is a unique of

God. endowed with his/herown and, _

All have the capacity to the Manifestations of God,

to Their laws and to, spiritually.

All children can be and all can develop, _

_________ . You should carry in your the

_________ tIw human beings are created, _

In your classes. you can ..... your students to,_---'- _

this nobility,

Some Principles of BahA'i Education· 3

2. Can you write the two phrases from this section that you consider most important? Why

are they important? _

SECTION 3

Now read carefully the following words of Bah4'u'1l4h, and complete the phrases that follow with the appropriate quotations.

"Regard man as a mine rich In gems of Inestimable vaIue. Education can, alone, cause it to reveal its treasures, and enable mankind to benefit therefrom.''''

Baha. 'u '11411 teaches us that man is like "'"- .rich in gems of in-

estimable. • Man is as a mine. in

__________ of value.

__________ can. alone. cause it to .-&ts

treasures and enable mankind to the,refrom.

SECTION 4

Now. memorize the words of BaM 'u 'nan and think about the following questions: What are some of the gems that we possess? Can we consider the virtues latent within us, such as love and kindness, justice. truthfulness. trustworthiness. constancy, integrity and sincerity, as some of these gems? What do you think about the capacities of the human mind. its powers to discover the world of nature. to produce beautiful works of art. to express beautiful and noble thoughts? And what would happen without true education? Could wetShow forth all of those treasures which God has conferred upon us?

Consult about these ideas with the participants in your group.

SECTIONS

We can think of two types of teachers: those who believe-in the words you have just memorized. and those who do not understand them. The second type of teacher believes that his students know nothing and that it is very difficult for them to learn. He may even accuse them of being stupid. It is as though he had some empty containers which. little by little, he hopes

4 - Some Principles of Bah4'{ Education

to fill with information. You, on the other hand. believe that your students possess hidden gems which you will help them discover. This is why you are going to do an that is possible to help them participate in the class: you are going to converse with them, listen to their opinions, and see to it that Bah4'u'lW!'s teachings develop in them the capacities God has bestowed upon them.

Suppose someone put thirty big containers in front of you and told you to fiB them with water, spoontul by spoonful. Would you like to do this? Would you be happy if this were your tlSk in life'1

Now, suppose you were given a mine of precious gems and that every day you were to search out and discover new. hidden jewels in the tunnels of the mine. Does this seem more agreeable to you?

We see, then, that by applying the words of Bah4'u'lW1 to your work, you not only help the children, you also make your own task of teaching much more agreeable.

SECTION 6

We have said that children have many capacities. Now let us think a little about this imponant word, capacity. First. let 'Us consider some physical objects. We can say that a candle has the capacity (or potential) to shed light. Does this mean that the candle give off light by itself, or inust you do something to it first? Clearly, the candle has to be lit so that it can shine; yet, even when it is not lit, it has the potendal to illuminate its surrpundings. Of course, other ob~ do not have this capacity. For example. a pencil is not going to give off light, no matter what we do to it. On the other hand, a pencil has another capacity; we can use it to write. Yet, can a pencil write without being sharpened? Or must we sharpen the pencil so that we can use its capacity?

Now let us consider the capacities of children. Some of theu capacities are the special talents they have. One Person may be able to run very we11j another may have a very pleasant voice. Someone may have a talent for artistic wort, and another may show signs of being good in the sciences. What other talents might some of your students have?

You, as a Bah4i'C teacher. have to search in each one of your students to find their talents and assist their developmem. You should always be aware of each of your.students, think about them, and try to discover their capacities. With some children, this task. will be difficult. but you should persevere. Remember that, of all talents and capacities. those having to do with spiritual qualities are the most important

1. To remember d'lese ideas better, fill in the spaces with the appropriate words.

We say that a cancDe has the capacity 01", shed

______________ .TOO ~huthe~ __

orpotenlialto give offlight. 1becandle doeSDD _

unless someone:...- -'. yet, even when it is

Some Princlples of Babd'f Education - oS

not lit it has the, 'to illuminate. Other objects, which

cannot give offlight. have other . 'There are other

objects' which carmot shed but have capacities.

For example, a pencil is used for . You can. _

with a pencil, but it has In be . Before bein&'COo- ,

the pencil has the~ to, but it has not yet

demonstrated that capacity.

2. So it is with the capacities of children: children must be educated to show forth the treasures they possess. Continue filling in the spaces and think about some of these capacities.

Children have different for doing _

things. For example. one ma.y be able to, very well.

another may have a very pleasant • another may have a talent for artistic work. and still another may show signs of being good in the _______ . You, as a Bah4'{ teacher, have to in

eachone ofyow: for their talents and assist them to become

_______ ---' You shouldsearchin one

of your students for his talents and, and assist them

to • You should. be, aware of, of

your students,, about them, and try to:....- _

their

._--------

You should always be, ,of each one of your think

about them , and try to, -...Jtheircapacities .. With some children,

this will not be easy. but you shoul""- _

SECTION 7

Having CCRDe to some understanding of the nobility of man as a very important theme in the Baha'i Teachings. we can now direct our attention to certain objectives of Baha'i education.

Why do you teach children? What results do you want to achieve? To begin your consideration of these questions, read and meditate 00 the following words of • Abdu 'I-BahA:

U As to thy question regarding the education or children: it behooveth thee to burture them at the breast ortlle loveotGoclt and urge them onward tc the things

6 - Some Principles of BahA'I Education

of the .,Int. that they may tum their faces unto God; that thelrwaysmay conform to the rules at pod l.'ODduc:t and their dlarac:ter be second to none; that they make their own") tbe graces and praiseworthy quaUtlesof humankind; acquire a sound knowlecl. of the various branches ofleamlna, so that from the very be&lnnlnc of Jlfethey may become spiritual beinp, dweUen in the Kingdom, enamoured of the sweet breaths of holiness, and may receive an education religious,. spiritual, and oftbe Heavenly Realm. VerilywUl I call upon God to grant them a happy outcome in this.'''

1. Complete the phrases with words from the above quotation:

• Abdu'l-BaM says that it us' to nurture children at

the breast of the ofOod., them

mward to the lhingsofthe . The teacher must'-- _

them onward to the things of the that the Y may tum their faces

unto . The teacher should help children so that their ways

may to the of good.

________ . They should make their all the

_______ -.and praiseworthy of humankind.

The teacher should help the cbi1dren so that their ways confonn to tbe'-- _

of g<xxI , and that they make their own all the:...-- _

um. qwffides.CMM~fiomme~~~. _

of • should become, beings,

dwellers in the enamaJred oldie sweet breaths of _

and may receive aneducation, , _

andofthe:......._ ---'Realm. Otildren, ftan the very _

ofUle, should become betngs,, ...-. ·,n the

_____ _ ,of the swee ofholiness. and

may receive an education,_______ _ • and of

~~ ~~.~~we~~:......._ _

atthe, ofthe, ofOod. and urge

them onward to the things of the • help them so thaI ~eir

ways to the rules of good.'- _

thattheymake theirown all the ~I _

qualities of humankind. They should acquire a sound of the

various branches of I so that from the very _

of • they may become spiritual -

Some Principles of BahA'I Education - 7

dMUers in the , enam.ouml of1he sweet _

of ,and receive an education _

spiritual, and of the Realm.

2. After having studied • AtxIu 'I·Bah4's words, what do you think the objectives of Bahfi classes are? What do you want to achieve with the children? You already know that your principal goal is to help them develql in themselves the spiritual qualities of a true Bahn. From infancy, they should be educated spiritually and be attracted to pure, upright and holy deeds. Now, fill in the following linea with phrases, as in the examples:

Examples:

I must help children to be bUthful. I must help children to be fair.

Imu" ~ _

Imu" _

Imust _

Imus' _

lmun _

Imust -------------------

SECTIONS

Now think a little about this question: Can you help children acquire spiritual qualities if you, yourself, do not constantly demonstrate them? Read and memorize the following words of BaM'u 'll4h:

IIWhoso ariseth among you to teach the Cause or his Lord, let him, before all else, teach his own sel', that his speech may attract the hearts 0' them that bear him.'"

-

Do you think it is only important to demonstrate these quaIlties in the presence of children? Suppose that a teacher tells a lie when none ottns students are present. Will this have an effect on hiS class? Will his words be effective Iatet when he teaches triJ.thfulness to his students?

SECTION 9

10 succeed in teaching heavenly virtues to children, you must sow the seeds oflove for God and fear of Ood in the pure soil of their hearts. 'Ibey should leara that we were created by the infinite love Ood has for His creatures, and that we are continually protected and nunured by this love. You can teach them to be conscious of all the blessings of God: the bounty of having recognized Bah,'u"llAh, the joy ofbeing able to grow through His words, and even the smallest

8 • Some Principles of Baht'1 Education

blessinss of their daily lives. And, you should teaCh them that because they love BaM 'u 'lWl they should obey His laws. Now. read and meditate on the following words of Bah4 'u '1l4h:

"The Tonaue of My power hath, trom the heaven of My omnipotent &lory, addressed to My creation these words: 'Observe My mmmandments, for the love of My beauty.' Happy Is the lover that hath inhaled the divine fralrance of His Best - Beloved from thesewords, laden with the perfume of a grace which no tongue am describe." 7

.ILet the name of the love otGod burn brightly within your radiant hearts. Feed it with the oil otDivlne gpidanc:e, and protect it within the shelter otyour constancy. Guard it within the gloJH of trust and detachment from aIJ else but God, so that tbe evil whisperinls of the unlOdly may not extinguish Its nabt.' I •

"0 Son otBeina! My love Is My stronpold; he that entereth therein is safe and secure, and he that tumeth away shall surely stray and perish.'"

1. Complete the following phrases with words from the preceding quotations:

We should observe the commandments of God for love of HiS, _

We should the commandments of God for the

_______ ot His beauty. We should the

commandments of God for the~ o,f His, _

The flame of the love of God should bum within our

_______ hearts. The of the love of God should

bum within Our hearts. The _

of Ihe love ofGDd shwld bum within our _

hearts. We should observe the of God for love of His

____ -...::....-. We should feed the tlameofthe of God with

~ the of Divine .We~

the flame of the ,of God with the oil of~ _

guidance. We shoti1 the flame of the. _

of God with the oil of Divine . We shoUld -protect. it within

the of our constancy. We should protect the flame of the

love of wiUtin the of our constancy.

We should it within the shelter ofour _

Weshould:.....- theflameofthe. ·ofGod

within the globe of and from all

else but God We should the flame ofthe _

of God within the gIobe of and"--- _

from all else but God. We should guard it within the globe of _

Some Principles of Bah4'f Education - 9

and, fmm allelse butGed. We should guard it within the

_______ of ~.m hom

all else bu"- . The flame of tbe o,f God

should bum within our radian"'- _

We should feed this flame with the oil of guidance. We

should proteCt it within the shelter of our . We should guard

it within the globe of and from all

else but God. We should feed the flame of the love of God, protectjt and guard it so

~

that the evil whisperings of the ungodly may not extiilguish its, _

Whoever enters ihe stronghold ofthe, o,f God is safe and

______________ .~roooonthe. ~of

the ofOod is, ---iand _

Whoever enters the, ofthc, of ODd

u, ud~ __

SECTION 10

We have said that to succeed in cultivating spiritual qualities in children you must sow in their. hearts the seeds of the Jove of God and the fear of God. 1be concept of the fear of God ts very deep and important; we are only going to touch upon it here. When we love scm:eone a &feat deal • .m are longing for his love, it causes our heart the great,eSt pain if his love does not reach us. We know that the love of God is the very cause of our existence. If for one moment we did not receive the blessings ofOod, we would faIl into the deepest degradation. Our wrmgdoings and our disobedience to the laws of Bah4 'u 'n ... are like barriers that separate us from the spiritual world and prevent the blessings of that world from reaching us. That is why we feel the fear of God: a fear that if we disobey Him we will not receive His favors. The fear of God is what keeps us on the straight path and protects UI from our ego, our corrupt desires, and deeds which are displeasing to God. Thus, the teacher may mention from time to time that certain acts are not pleasing to God; or, when a child does something praiseworthy, . he may tell her, for example, that this would bring joy to the heart of I Abdu'leBah4.

1. Complete the following phrases with words from the preceding paragraph:

In order to succeed in cultivating spiritual qualities in children you must sow in

ttm 1aI1s the seeds of the rlGOO an:l the. _

ofOod. To in cultivating spiritual _

in children, you must in their heans the seeds of the

_____________ -.....;of God and the of Ood.

When we someone a great deal and are longing for his love. it

causes our heart the greateSt if his _

10 - Some Principles of Bah4'l Education

does not reach us. When we a great

deal and are longing forms love, it causesour heart the greatest _

if ove does not reach us. When we __

someone a great deal and are longing for his , it causes our

heart the greatest if love does not to reach us.

The love of, ...... is the cause of our __

Our wrongdoings and our to the laws of SIM'u 'lhUJ. are

like that us from the

'---------- '----------------

world and prevent the' ,of that world from reaching us. Our

_______________ ,mdou wrellire _

that separate us from the and

prevent the of that world from reaching us. 'When this happens we

feel the of Got a fear that by disobeying Him we will not

receive His favors. When this happens. we the _

of the fear that by _

Him we win not receive His __

This fear of, is what keeps us on the straight, _

and us from our • oor _

__________ , and which are not

,pleasing to _

2. Memorize the following words of Bah;i 'u 'll~:

"Let God be your fear, 0 people, and be ye of them that tread the path of righteousness." It

SECTION 11

In this course we have learned that, according to • Abdu 'I-BaM, it is incumbent on us to

nurtUre children at the breast of the of God and to urge them

towards the things of the • We should help children so

that their ways may to, the rules of good _

that they make their own all the an _

qualities of humankind. Children. fmm the very beginning of their li yes, should become

_______________ , dwellers in the. ~ _

Some Principles of Bah"! Education· 11

enamoured of the sweetbreaths of holiness. and receive andeducation _

__________ .umof~ __

To succeed in teaching the heavenly virtues to children. the seeds ofthe __

of God and the of God must be sown in the pue soil of

their beans. They should learn that we were created by the infinite love which God has for His c reatures and that we obey BabA'u 'lW1's laws because oflhe love we feel for Him.

We should observe the commandments of God for love of His _

The flame of the of God should bum brightly within our radiant

_________ . We should feed this flame with the oil of Divine

___________ • and protect it within the shelter of our __

We should guard it within the of _

and detachment, so that the evil, ,of the ungodly

w1lln~, iUl~hL

We have also learned that. for children to acquire spiritual qualities, we ourselves must show in our daily actions that we possess these qualities. We must obey BaM'u 'lllib's teJching:

"Whoso arlseth among you to teach the Cause olbia Lord, let him, before all else, teach his own selt, that his speech may attract the hearts of them that hear him."

SECTION 12

The habits and customs we learn in childhood become part of our daily actions for a lifetime. You need to recognize the importance of habits, as well as the importance of the spiritual qualities you are helping your students develop. What she does when she gets up in the morning, whether she reads the newspaper every day. what she has for breakfast, where she goes for amusement. whether she likes to be near nature, whether she. has to have a radio in her ear at all times, and a thousand other habits are usually acquired at an early age, and good or bad, are difficult to change later. Yau should strive to influence your children to form habits that are in hannony with the BaM'f way of life. Among such habits are praying in the moming and at night. attending the Nineteen Day Feast, keeping clean. and many others. During the next few mOftths, think about your own habits; examine them well, and decide if you have to change some of them. As you think about your habits, make a list of Ihe spiritual habits you are going to teach your students

12 - Some Principles of Baht'! Education

SECTION 13

The following situations could easily occur in your classes. Can you apply the principles you have learned thus far to resolve them?

A. George is a very mischievous boy. He is always bothering the other children and ta11dng during class. When you ask him about the lesson, he almost always knows the answer. What would you do with him?

1. Throw him out of class because he bothers everyone and does not let the other children learn.

2. Give him. more difficult worlc so he can use his intelligence, won't become bored, and will be too busy to bother others. Also. ask him to help the other children with their lessons.

3. Put him in a comer of the classroom, farfrom the rest of the children. wberehe cannot bother anyone; that way you can easily forget about him.

B. Gila never causes trouble. She comes to class and is very attentive, but she never answers any of the questions. You teach ber an idea. but the next minute she forgets iL What should be done with her?

1. Dismiss her from class because apparently she is not learning anything.

2. Patiently try to find other ways of encouraging her and she responds.

3. Tell her she is stupid, and that it would be best to hold a special class for her after the other students have gone home.

4. Other:

C. Obuya is much younger than the Dlher children. He never laughs or speaks unless someone asks him a question. He tdes very hard. but the rest of the Billdren laugh at him becauSe he is not capable of answering correctly. What would you do with Obuya?

1. Tell him to leave because he is too young.

2. Teach Ihe cbildren not to laugh when he answers incorrectly, because all people, including small children, should be respected.

3. Call his parenu and tell them they should wait until be grows up a little before sending him back to school

~ ~r __

Some Principles of Bah4't Educatk1D. ~ 13

D. Kumar is much older than the others. studies hard. and understands a great deal; but be seldom attends class because he feels too old for the group. What should be done with Kumar?

1. Dismiss him because he is too old.

2. Do special projects with him. For example, teach him toteach the younger ~ldren: have him help some oftbe children every week. and if you teach another class in the same town, take him there so that he can gain more experience.

3. Tell him that he is already too old to study and that if he would like, you will teach him a profession, such as carpentry or masonry.

4. Other:

E. Luis always holds up his hand even thoughhe never has the correct answer. He is always critical of the children who bother others or talk during class. What would you do with Luis?

F. In a certain class there are several children who tmderstand. much faster than the rest, and they ask very advanced questions. What do you think the teacher should do with these children?

1. Scold them, because it seems they are trying to do better than the rest, and this is not fair.

2. Push the rest of the class so they willleam faster.

3. Answer their questions in such a way that aU the students understand. Also, give more difficu1t work to the more advanced students, but 00 not make the difference public, so that no one feels inferior or superior to the others.

4. Separate the more advanced students and say that lltey are examples for the others.

O. A teacher sends roe of the children to buy some classrocm supplies. The child retams with only part of the change. A little later. the teacher sees the child eating candy and thinks that the chUd spent the change an sweets. What shoold the teacher do?

1. Scold the child, telling him that he is a thief and should never have bought the candy.

2. After class, go to the store and ask: how much the supplies did cost. If the child did not tell the truth, later call him aside and remind him finnly but lovingly that Baba 'u 'llah 's teachings forbid us to steal and tell lies.

3. Go to the store immediately to ask how much the supplies cost and, if the child did

14 • Some ~ples of Bah6'1 EducatiOn

not tell the nth, come to class and say ." It is very sad that there is a child in our cl ass who cannot be trusted"; then tell thedass what happened.

4. Say to the class, "Who wants to go to the store and see if it is true that the supplies cost this amount of money'l"

5. Remain silent and do not do anything.

H. &me children are playing in the classroom instead of listening to the teacher. although he has kindly asked for their attention. What should the teacher do now?

I. Analyze why they are misbehaving. If it is because they are tired. change the activity. Possibly it is only one child who is causing problems; in this case, he should be separated from the others.

2 Tell those who are playing that since they have been misbehaving for such a long time you are going to punish them.

3. Have them leave the classroom because you wiD not stand it any more.

4. Call their parents. Telllhem about the misbehavior and scold them for having such disruptive children.

1 The children hand in an assignment. You discover Ibat some were done very carefully andothers were oot. The children want you to grade the homework, but you do not want to hurt the feelings of some of them. What is the best tlting to do?

1. Say that some of me assignments are very poor and should be done over, more carefully.

2. Take one of the carefully prepared assignments and show it to the children, saying "This is how.the homewotK should be done: clearly, and in good handwriting."

:t Punish the children who did not bring a carefully prepared assigrunent. and threaten that if they do not bring in good work the next day "they will not be allowed to attend class.

4. Privately congratulate each child who brought in a carefully prepared assignment; privately, tell the others. "Yourhomeworkis fine. but it could be better if you had done it more clearly and neatly. I am sure you will do better on tomorrow's assignment. ,.

J. A teacher brings a poster to class to show the children. Laterite finds marks on it. and two children accuse each otherofhaving scribbled on it. How is the tcacherto know who did it?

1. Since he does not know. he should punish both children.

2. Since he does not know, he does not punish anyone.

Some Principles of Bah6'f Education - ] 5

3. He asks each dliJd invidually, and dum the entire ClUB. 11ds' way, k is easier for him to make a fair decision and koow which child to punish.

4. The teacher asks his favorite student to find out what happened. and tell him afterwards so that he CUI punish the guilty child.

S. ~r. __

K. One little girl has problems lcaming in a group. She sits alone in I comet, playing, and does not pay attention in class. The teacher notices that the child does not understand things as well as the others. What CUI the teacher do?

I. Call her back to the group and teD her that by paying more attention she will u n - derstand things better.

2. Punish her for being naughty.

3. Have ber leave the class because, with 20 other students in the class who want to progress, the teacher does not have time to spend with a child who is always behind.

4. Since she is- not inlerruptinJ the class, let her do what she wants; wbile others are woridng on inc6viduaJ. pro~, dedicate special time to her.

L. One child Ims memorized more prayers than the others. Whenever the occasion arises. she says them aloud. in a sweet voice and with a great deal of devotion. Should this child always be allowed to say the prayers because she recites them better than other children do?

M. In your class, one child always arrives dirty and no one wants to sit beside him.

Naturally; the child feels sad and rejected. What should you do? Send him borne to clean up? Speak to him alone: to find out about his home situation? Does beHve with his parents? Does his mother leave early for work? Has anyone in his home taught him how to stay clean?

N. Andrew is a child nobody understands. When,his classmates start an activity, such as painting, be wants to play; and when they are playinll be WUlts to paint. In other words, Andrew always does thinp at the wrong time. What are )'OV going to tell him? Is this a habit of Allcmw's or a contrary anitude?

O. Sachiko is very attentive and studious. At home she is encouraged to be first in everything and often is told that she: knows more than other children. That is why every time you ask the class a question sheil the finttorespond. even though she may not kDow the correct answer. Every time you give the class an usipunent. she finishes 8m and asks. • 'Isn't mine bener than everyone else's· '7 What are you loinl to do to change this habit of Sachiko 's7 How cm you help her feel loved and appreciated? What spiritual qualities apply to ber situation']

16 - Some HncipIes of BIh4'{ Educldon

REFERENCES

1. BaM'u'llAh, "BaluJ'l Education, A Compilation", p. 9 (1977 U.S. Edition)

2. 'Abdu'I.Bah4, "Selections from the Wrilingsoj 'Abdul·BaM", p. 133 (1978 Bah4'i

World Centre Edition)

3. 'Abdu'l·BaM, "BaJui'( Education, A Compilation", p.33

4. Bah4'u'lhili, "Gleaningsjrom the Writings of BaM'u'lldh", CXXlII, p. 260 (1976

u.s. Edition)

S. 'Abdu'l·BaM. "Selections from tM Writings of 'Abdul-BaM", p. 142

6. Bah4'u'll4h, "Gleanings from the Writings of BaM' u' il4h", CXXVIII, p. 277

7. Bah4'u'll4h, "Synopsis and Codi/icalion of the Kitab-i-AqtJos", p. 12

8. Bah4'u'U4h, "Gleanings from the Writings of BaM' u' lldh", CLIII, p. 325·326

9. Bah4'u'll4h, "The Hidden Words", No.9, Arabic

10. Bah4'u'1Wt, "Geanings from the Writings of Bahd'u'Udh", CXXVIII. p. 275

.... '

Some Principles of Bah4't Education - 17

Lessons for Children's Classes Grade 1

Purpose

To learn to teach simple children's classes consisting of memorization of prayers and quotations, songs. stories. games and coloring.

LESSONS FOR

, CHILDREN'S ACTIVITIES

SECTION 1

• Abdu 'I·BaM tells us that 11 ... the beloved of God and the maid servants must train their children with life and heart and teach them in the school of virtue and perfection. They must not be lax in this matter; they must not be Inefficient. tt 1

One way to assure that this desire of • Abdu 'I~Bah4 is fulfilled is to establish classes for children in every community. In order to do this, it is imperative that more and more people dedicate themselves to the teacbing of children. When a person begins to teach it is not very important that he or she knows a great deal about theories of education. What matters is desire and dedication. Teaching is a science and an art which can gradually be learned through study and experience.

Questions:

1. What does • Abdu 'l-Baha say in the above quotation about the education of children?

2. How can you belp carry out • Abdu 'I-Baht's instruction?

3. How much do you need to know about education to begin a simple class for children?

4. What is more important than your knowledge about education?

S. How do you think you can learn the an and science of education?

SECTION 2

The first series of classes that you will establish with children will consist of only a few activities. Before each class you will have to review these activities and prepare your lesson well. One activity should always be the memorization of a quotalion from the Holy Writings or part of a prayer. Therefore. we should think about the nature of memorization. Why do you think it is so important to memorize the Holy Writings?

4 - Children's Qasses

1bc Word of God revealed by His Manifestation has far-reaching effects on the heart of • child. Remember that, in the mystical sense. the univene was created through God's utterance of .. wocd "Be". Imagine. then, the effects in the Hves of children when the Words of ~ with Jll their power, are engraved in their hearts.

In order to help the children learn 1l prayer or quotatlon. by heart, y.ou must first explain iIIlDeIIdna to them. 1'berefore. one of the first capabilities which you are go1na to develop as I tcac:ber 11 that of explaining cleady the meanings of prayers and quotations. First, study eatefully the following: approach which a vet)' experienced teacher has used to explain to cIIilcRn the meaning of this prayer.

"Oh God, auJde me, protect me, make of me a ~nina lamp and • briUiant star. Thou art the Miply and Powerful. tt'

Guide:

1. lohn is lost and cannot find his way home. Sooo, he meets a friend who shows him the way. 'Ihe friend guides lohn to his home.

2. Sunita is very sad because she does not know whether to study or to look for wort. She asks herparerus for their opinion. They give her good advice. They guide Sunita.

God is our Best Friend. That is why we say in this prayer, U Oh God, guide me. .. Towards what does God guide us?

1. We are outside and it starts -to rain. so we run and stand under a roof. The roof protectS us.

2. A very fierce dog attacks Ming Lin& and she runs to her mother, who protects her from the dog.

3. Our parents proteCt us from people with. bad intentions.

God is our True Protector; that is why we pray, "Oh 000 ... protect me.':

Shbdng Lamp:

1. Where there is no HBht, there is dadcness. Where there Is darkness, we cannot see and we. became lost. A lamp can give off light. bUt someone has to tum it en The bean is like a lamp which can give off spiribJ.a1light; that is why we pray to God, ..... make of me a shining lamp. ,I

Bah4'u'll4h wants the whole wodd to know that Bah4'is are noble. kind and wise. and dull; they joyfully help others. Bah4'u 'Udh wants us to be like brilliant stan guiding the world of humanity. So we aslc. ofOod, " ... make ofme ... a'brilliant star,"

Finally, we testify that God is the Mighty and the Powerful

Children's Classes - S

SECTION 3

After explaining to the children the meaning of a quotation,lIle next step is to ~lp them memorize it. Surely, in your life you have memorized many quotations and poems. How can this be done? Once the meaning of a quotation is understood, memorizing it is very simple. The quotation is divided into parts.and you begin by memorizing the first part. Later, the second part is learned, and then both parts are repeated together. You continue on in this way until the entire quotation is learned by heart. For example, in order to learn the prayer in Section 2, you begin with "OIl God, guide me ...... and ask. the children, sometimes individually and other times as a group, to repeat the words. Then you combine • 'Ob God, guide me" \\ith • 'protect me ... ,' , repeat the two phrases together, then add ••... make of me a shining lamp ...••• and so on with each phrase until the end of the prayer. Once the whole group of children has repeated the entire prayer. each child is patiently helped to recite the prayer by heart.

Undoubtedly, as a conscientious B~'f teacher. you will wisb to begin your new tasks by teaching yourself. Therefore, when you look at the fifteen lessons presented further on in this course, dedicate some time to studying the meaning of the quotations, thinking; about the examples given to clarify the meaning for the children, and memorizing the quotations.

SECTION 4

Aoother activity that can be done with the children is to sing spiritual songs which fill their hearts with happiness. · Abdu 'I-B ah4 says:

"The art of music is divine and effective. It is the food of the soul and spirit. Through the power and charm of music the spirit of man Is uplifted. It has wonderful sway and efrect in the hearts of children, ror their hearts are pure and melodies have areat influence in them. The latent talents with wbich the bearts of these children are endowed will nnd expression through the medium of music.' "

This quotation from the Writings of 'Abdu 'l-Baha indicates the imponance that music can have in our lives. We can imagine, then, how wonderful it is for children to learn to sing beautiful songs from the time they are very young.

In general, children love to sing, and teaching songs is one of the 'easiest things to do in a BaM'f children's class. Again, the key to success is practice. You yourself should sing the songs with someone who knows them, paying special attention to the rhythm and the melody. If you can listen to the songs on a tape recorder. you willleam them much faster. With thechildren, you also have to sing the songs over and over until they have learned them well. The words of the songs are memorized in much the same way as those of the quotations, only this time the words are repeated along with the melody.

In order for you to be able to s1d.11fully guide the children through this activity, we suggest that you learn the songs of the fifteen lessons of this course well, either from your tutor or by listening to a tape recorder.

6 - Children's aasses

SECTIONS

Anotbcr very important acdvity that can be carried oot in a cbildren's class is story- 1e1liIJi. What importance can stories have in children's education? Many sIOriea and l18l1'atives iIIU8tl'Ite 1be priDciples and spiritual ,qualities and show us how to apply them. 00. stories Ibow clearly the rcwuds for good deeds.and the coosequences of bad behavior. Children can benefit greatly from the ideas which stories contain and. in the world of the imagination, can pin QpC1'ieocc whidl wm be valuable to them in the ftxmatioo of their characters and penonaIidea.

We know that BabA 'U'll4h designated His sm, • Abdu 'l-Bah4. as the Perfect Exemplar cAttle BIhIf teacbings. Stories about His life help us to understand how to apply the Bah4'f teac:binp in our own Uves. OUldten should learn many stories about • Abdu 'l-Bah4 so that they will always have His example in mind

QueItkn:

1. Why are stories important in a child's edueation? _

2. Who is 'Abdu'I-BahA?

3.' Why is, it imponant to leam stories about the life of I Abdu 'J-Bahil?

;.

~i SECTION 6

K'

~,' Storyte1lingis an an. In orderto attain a degree of excellence. one must become familiar

~," withlbe basic principles of this art and later dedicate many bours to its practice. First of all, to

~, tell. story well, it is necessary to be well acquainted with it In this section. we are going to

~'", llUdy in detail a story about the childhood of I Abdu 'I-Bah4 in order to see how a teacher should

t;,- go about narrating; it for the childrm.

~.',

;:

OM day BaM' u'lJAh sesu 'Abdu.'l-Bahd to inspect the wort of 1M slllpherds who were

taking CQI'~ of His slll~p. 'Abdu'I-Bah4 was a small child at till time, and the per~cutJons against BaM' u'llAh and Hisfamily had fIOt yet started. BaM' u'lldh the" had a good deal of land ill the mDIUltaillS and owMd loTge herds oj sheep. When the inspection wasjlntslted and 'Abdu.'/-BaM was ready to lMve, the man who had accom· panted Him ,-aid, lilt u your lather'S custom to leave a gift lor each Shepherd." 'AbdM'l-BaM became slUnt/or a whlk, becawe H.~ did ftOt June anything to give them. Tiu nt4II, ~er, insisted that tlte shepherds ~re upectlng something. TMn '!thdM'/-Bahd hod 411 UUa thal rttadllUm ury happyl He would give the Ilt4pherds 1M shlep they were taking care of! BaM' u'lldh wtU very much pkased when he heard about fAbdu'I-Bah4', generous thought& toward& 1M sheplterdr. He Iuunorously remarUd that everyone had better rake: good can of 'AbdK' '·Bahd becaue .someday he

O1ildren's Classes-7

would ,ilIt ltinutlf away. OfC0UT8~, tIUs Is UiJCtty what 'Abdu'I~Bah4 tUdlO1' 1M 'at a/Hilli/t. H~ gavt evoythlra, He had, tach tJNl nuy mtJIf&tIIt of His life, to IIumanlty, to IIIIItt UI and brlIIg IU trw happtMM.

The first thing 10 examine in a story Is the mlin tbeme. In this case, we can say that 1be stOIY'S main theme is the generosity of • AbdIl'l~B~ 'I1Icn we sbould ideRtify those pans of 1bc story which arc directly "related to the main 1heme. Which are these parts? • Abdu'l~Bah4's 1hought to Jive the sheep to the shepberds, and the pleasure shown by Bab4 'u 'lldh when He beard of this spirit of generosity. Thus. it is very important that those pans be well stated when you narrate the story to the children. What would-it be like if you forgot to mendoo the last part, or if you did DOt put sufficient emphasis in your voice when you said, • 'He.-would give the shepberds the sheep tbey were taking care of?" To clearly demonstrate this point, read the story aloud and pay close attention to how you say the two parts of tho story that relate to the main theme. Repeat this exercise with the other participants in your class.

Now. even though we have identified tbe essential pans of the story, the rest of the story cannot be forgotten. It must be narrated in such a way that the children become enthusiastic, interested, and will learn the central message. Would this be a story if you simply said that 'Abdu '~Babd, in His childhood. gave away an entire herd of sheep to the shepherds who worked for His father, and that BaM'u '1l4b. saw in this act the ample" generosity of His son1 There are always details in a story which give it more feeling and make it more interesting.

What are those elements in our story1

~ 'Abdu'I-BaM was a small child when tbis happened.

- When the inspection was finished, the man who had accompanied • Abdu'I-BaM told Him that BaM'u 'Wb. always used to give something to the shepherds as a gift.

- • Abdu 'I-BaM became silent for a while because He did not have anything to give them

- Finally, this idea came to Him and He felt very happy.

Now that you are aware of these points, narrate the story to a group of classmates. To prepare yourselfweU as a children's class teacher, it would be good for you to dedicate some hours to studying antlleaming: the stories in the fifteen lessons of this course. Remember that, before telling a story, there are three major questions to answer: 1) What is the main theme of the story? 2) What are the part5 that directly relate to this theme? 3) What are some important

details that make the story more interesting? •

SECTION 7

After learning the stories well. U is important for you to develop your own stoJytelling techniques. You will have to tell the stories many times. listen to your own voice and observe your own gestures. Yet. throughout all this, you must remember that the purpose of telling a story is to teach something impOrtant to the children, and that you are not acting in a play. Thus, you should tell the stories with joy and feeling. but your feelings must be sincere. You must know that children easily detect a lack of sincerity.

8 - Children's Oasses

You should feel a great love for the children while telling the story and thus create a apecial aunosphere of closeness between you and them. Yet. this aunosphere should at the same time be one of anticipation and drama. The tone and volume of your voice should change a:cording to the story's development. and your gestures, though simple, should correspond to each pan. of the story. Children are not going to be interested in a story told monotonously by someone who is like a statue. You must practice until you learn to communicate emotions such as joy, sadness, anger. fear and courage through changes in tone of voice and gestures

You should also think about the rhythm and pace of the story. If you talk too slowly, the children will become bored, and if you talk too quickly, Ihey cannot follow the story.

In summary, there is an entire series of factors that affect the art of storytelling. To perfect this an. more than anything else, you need to practice. Therefore. dedicate some time to narrating the stories that you have already analyzed with some of your classmates. Think about .the various factors, such as voice. gestures. emotions. Describe factors besides these which are a part of the art of storytelling.

SECTION 8

Someone once said that the work. of children is to play. In fact. games help children leam and. practice many skills and concepts. For example, through games children learn to cooperate, to pay attention, to obey rules, and to coordinate their movements. Thus, the teacher can use games the same as a blackboard or a reading book. That is why another element of our classes for smaIl children is games. Most of the games that have been chosen for these classes are cooperative games.

Cooperation and collaboration are key elements for achieving the unity of the family or of the community. Often we complain a great deal that there is no cooperation in the community. The reason for this could be very simple: maybe people have never been taught how to oo1laborate.

In order to acl)j.eve cooperation, first you need a common goal. AU the people involved should seek the same end, for example, the estabHslunent of.a school. Nevertheless. having a common goal does not automatically bring success. It is essential that everyone lend personal support to the project. leading to the completion of the goal. .

Furthermore, each person must understand that his support is essential for the achievement of the goal. The word "essential" not only means that something is important, but also that it is necessary. So, each person '5 support is not only important, it is also necessary, because if each one does not contribute a share, it may even become impossible to achieve the goal.

Cooperation has a third element that is worth consideration. It is not enough that all participantS have the same goals and that all collaborate. One's contribution and the contributions of others have to be coordinated. For example, two people are going to cooperate in order to make a fence. Both want to build the fence and both want to collaborate. Nevertheless. one comes on Saturday and the other on Sunday. They did not accomplish their goal because, in order to put up the barbed 'Nire, both of them had to be there at the same time.

Children's Classes - 9

Sometimes it is difficult W understand why coordination is important in order W achieve collaboration. Surely, you have had the experience of starting to come together with others in a group to collaborate 011 some project. yet not everyone, showed up. The result was that those who showed up became discouraged and left the project unfinished. or perhaps did not even stan it. Or maybe some of the people come at a certain time, and others arrive three hours later. Those who arrive first get tired of waiting and leave, or become discounged and the spirit of me group drops considerably.

Cooperative games help develop in children the attitudes which are necessary for cooperation:

1. The object of the game provides a common goal.

2. To achieve this goal. the children learn to cooperate and coordinate their efforts.

This learning is not achieved the first time the game is played. TIle games must be used repeatedly until the children begin to discover ways to cooperate.

Questions:

1. What do you think. about cooperative games?

2. How do most ordinary games compare with cooperative games? _

3. \Vhat do you think about competition?

4. What effects would you like the games to have on the children? _

SECTION 9

In order to teach the games to the children well .. you obviously have to know how they are played. This is done by playing and practicing. Therefore. it would be very helpful if you and some friends would practice all of the games presented in the fifteen lessons of this course.

SECTION 10

In order to teach a game to children one has to do three things very well:

1. Oearly explain the purpose of the game.

2. Make sure all the children understand how to play me game.

3. Make sure they aU feel a sense of success when the game is over.

10 - atildren's Classes

The way in which the teacher explains the purpose of a game very much affects the children's enthusiasm. The teacher should communicate happiness and a sense of challenge to the children in order to interest tbem in the game. As well as motivating the children. the right kind of explanation serves to focus their enthusiasm. For example, in the game called • Help the Sick' from Lesson S, two children clasp hends to form. a chair in which a "sick person" is carried to the "health center". Without the proper introduction, the children might think it is more fun to let their companion fall than to take care of him. The teacher can prevent this by saying, "All right children, today we are going to pta), 'Help the Sick.' 1bis game is a lot of fun because we all have to cooperate in order to take the sick person to the health center. If we let the sick person fall, he will get hurt. and we would all feel very sad. If we arrive at the health center without any problems, we can feel vcry happy and content because we will have helped

him.··

Exercises:

I. Name lWO things the teacher should do well when she introduces a new game.

a) _

~,----------------------------------------------

2. Practice introducing three games to your fellow classmates.

3. Why is it necessary to motivate the children and to explain the purpose of a game, even though they may already be familiar with it?

SECTION 11

Once tbe children understand the purpose of Ihe game and are motivated. it is important to clearly explain how the game is played. In general. it will be necessary to practice a little with the children. For example, in the game called 'The Bridge'. presented in lesson 4, you can gently guide the children into their starting places, and help Ihem go through the steps of the game. In some cases, you can stan with a few of the smaller children ahd afterwards allow the rest to participate. Instead of putting all the children on the." bridge" at once, you can practice with some of the children two by two. After several demonstrations, the number of children on the "bridge" can be increased, until everyone is participating. When you are explaining how to play the game, it is essential 10 show them how to do it and practice it with them.

SECTION 12

Throughout the game. it is imponant that the children experience a sense of success.

The role of the teacher is very imponant in achieving this. She encourages them as they play.

Children's Classes - 11

applauds them when they do well, and demonstrates the happiness she feels in their accomplishments.

When he feels successful, a child grows psychologically. The child starts to feel confident in his own capacities; he develops the courage to try things that are new and difficult, and develops a sense of fellowship. His desire to be obedient to the rules of the game is strengthened. This obedience can be channeled towards his parents and the laws of God. Feeling successful also strengthens his desire to achieve things. using his capacities to the utmost

For consultation:

I. How does a teacher contribute to the children's sense of success?

2. Which actions of a teacher contribute to the children's sense of failure?

3. Do the children have to play the game perfectly in order to feel successful?

4. What are some of the expressions a teacher can use to contribute to the children's sense ofsuccess1

SECTION 13

The last activity of your class will be coloring pictures. Actually, this will be one of me children's favorite activities, and they will always be looking forward toil Maybe what attracts their attention is the opportunity to test their artistic capacities and develop their concepts of beauty. Artistic development is very important in children'S education. In the more advanced classes you will have to do more complex activities in order to develop their artistic expression. For now, it is sufficient to let the children freely color the different drawings.

For each class you can choose one of the drawings in this booklet and make enough copies for all the children. Sometimes children bring crayons from home. on other occasions each family can make a small contribution to buy some boxes of crayons for the entire class. In this case, your Local Spiritual Assembly could certainly assist you in asking for help from me families.

As an exercise before carrying out this activity with the children. decide whether the following phrases are true or false:

1. It is important for children to learn to share the
crayons. TO FO
2. It does not matter if, at me beginning, the child colors
outside the lines. as long as he is uying to color well. TO FO
3. When a child cannot color well. the drawing should be
taken away from him and given to another child. TO FO 12 - Oilldren's Oasses

4. While the children color. the teacher can sit down
and rest TO pO
S. While children are coloring. the teacher should walk
among them, giving them help and encouragement. TO pO
6. While they are COloring, the children should remain silent. TO FO
7. Before handing out the drawings, the teacher should
say something about what the drawing might mean. TO FO
8. It would be interesting for the teacher to think of an
imaginary story related to the drawing that would be
useful in teaching the children something important TO pO Children's Classes ~ 13

LESSON 1

In order to attract divine blessings and create a spiritual atmosphere, begin your class with a prayer. The prayer suggested for lhis le&&Ol'l is the following:

"0 God! Educate these children. These chIldren are the plants of Thine ordlard, the nowers of Thy meadow, the roses of Thy prden. Let Thy rain fall upon them; let the SUD of Reality shine upon them with Thy love. Let Thy breeze refresh them in order that tbey may be trained, VOW and develop, and appear In the utmost beauty. Thou art the Giver. Thou art the Compassionate.''''

After the prayer, the children may be asked if any of them know a prayer by heart. Then. you may teach them the following prayer in the way that was explained in Section 2:

"0 God, &Ulde me, protect me, make of me a shlninllamp and a brilliant star. Thou art the Mighty and tbe Powerful."

It is expected that the children wi1I1eam atleast a pan of the prayer in this class. Once this has been achieved, you may go on to the second activity • learning to sing a song:

Ye Are Drops

C

Ye are drops (ye are drops) echo voice

of one ocean. (of one ocean) F

Ye are leaves (ye are leaves) G

of one tree. (of one tree) C

Come and join us (come and join us) F

in our quest for unity

C G' C

It's a way of life for you and me.

All the earth is (all the earth is) but one country. (but one country) Man is one (man is one)

can't you see. (can't you see)

Come and join us (come and join us) in our quest for unity

It's a way afUfe for you and me

The next activity is to memorize a quotation from the Bah,'f Holy Writings. You could explain the quotation to the children in the following way:

The principal goal afthe BaM'{Faith is the unity ofmanldnd We try to live in unity and see everyone as our brother or sister. [t is especially important for us to do this in the

14 • OUldren's Oasses

community where we live. Baha'is avoid arguments and fights. If any differences arise, we resolve them with friendJiness and love. To help ourselves live in unity, let us memorize the following quotation of Bahoi'u'llah: •

"So powerful is the lighl orunay that a can illumine the whole earth.us

The children can learn the quotation more easily if they understand it well. They will be assisted in this if you encourage them to talk about the meaning of the quotation. Here are some sentences to help them understand words that may be new to them:

Powerful

1. Kumar read a poem so sweet that it brought tears to his eyes. The poem was very powerful.

2. The sun's rays wirm the earth and give life to all beings. The sun's rays are powerful.

lllumine

I. The room was dark until we turned on the light. The light illumined the room.

2. In the morning, the sun rises and shines its light on the land and sea. The sun illumines the land and sea.

When the children have learned the quotation by heart and have thought about the importance of unity, you may tell them a story about' Abdu'l-BahA that shows His concern for unity. As discussed in Sections 5.6. and 7 it will help the children understand the story if you emphasize certain important points. such as the central theme, the parts of the story that relate toil, and the conclusion. It is suggested that you mentally review these questions before you tell the story: What is the central theme oflhis story? Whaf pans of the story relate directly to this theme? What are some imponant details that make the Story interesting'!

In the days of Bahd' u' lldh and 'Abdu' I-BaM, many of the people of 'Akka had been misled about the BaM'ls andfel: it was all righuo be against them. But 'Abdu'I-BaM. with His great wisdom and love, clu:znged the hearts of many 0/ these people. He showed. kindness to the people of all religions and helped them become united .

.

There was a Christia» merchant in 'Atka who, like his/ellow citizens, did not respect the Bah4'(s. One day,outside the gates o/the city the merchant saw a camel-load of charcoal that belonged to the BahtJ'{s . He stopped the driver and said, "This is better charcoal than I can get!" Without paying any money, he took the charcoal/or himself. '

When 'Abdu' [·Bahd heard 0{ Ihis inciden: He went /0 the merchant's shop to ask/or the return olthe charcoal. The merchant did not pay Him any attendo«, but 'Abdu'l-Bahd sat there andwaited. Finally, after three hours, the merchant turned to Him and asked coldly, "Are you one oj the prisoners? What have you done that you were imprisoned?" 'Abdu'I-BaM replied mas His crime was the same one lor which Christ was persecuted. The merchant was surprised. "What do you know about Christ?" he asked. Then 'Abttu'I·Bahd calmly and kin.dly began to talk to him about Christ and His ,eachi',~s, As 'Abdu'i-BaM spoke, the merchant's heart began to melt and his pride

Children's Classes - IS

and arrogance disappeared. Finally he said to 'Abdu'/-Bahd that unfortunately the charcoal was gone, but he would gladly pay for it. Then 'A bdu , I-Balul rose to go. :rhe merchant also rose and wafked with him into the street, treating Him with great respect and honor.

The next activity for this class is a game called "Giants":

Two children stand together and tie the left leg of one child to the right leg of the other child. Then they walk from one designated spot to another.

Variations:

a. Three, four or more children are tied to one another and attempt to walk together.

b. Obstacles can be placed along the pathway. such as branches and stones. making sure that it is done in a safe way.

c. Instead of walking. the children jump like frogs. walk. like crabs. etc.

To end Ute day, each child is given Drawing 1 to color.

LESSON 2

Today it is suggested that you begin the class with the following prayer:.

"0 God! Rear this little babe in the bosom of Thy love and give it milk from the breast of Thy Providence. Cultivate this fresh plant in the rose garden of Thy love and aid it to grow through the showers of Thy bounty. Make it a child of the kine:dom, and lead it to Thy heavenly realm. Thou art powerful and kind, and Thou art the Bestower, the Generous, the Lord of surpassine: bounty.'"

After the prayer the children should be asked to say a prayer they already know. Then you may help them review the prayer they began to memorize during the previous class.

The activity that follows consists of two songs, the one you introduced last time and a

new one:

His First Counsel

A

Listen to the voice

'that makes our hearts rejoice,

G D A

His first counsel is this, E

possess a pure hean, A

a kindly bean.

87 E

a radiant bean,

16 - O1il.dren's Classes

o A

TIle heart is a treasure.

D A

a gift beyond measure,

B7 E

a bounty from your Lord.

D A

Protect it from. the fire D A

of worldly desire.

D E A

and freely let it soar.

After the songs, the children may memorize a quotation from Bah4'u'lb1h. You cn~d

explain it in the following way:

Our hearts are like mirrors. We should always keep them clean. Hatred. envy, and negative thoughts are like dust that stop the mirror from shining. When our hearts are pure they reflect the light of God, and we become a cause of happiness for others. To help keep our hearts pure, let us memonze this quotation of Baba'u '11lUl:

"0 Son or Spirit! My first counsel is this: Possess a pure, kindly and fadiant heart ... '"

Counsel

1. One day Gerard and Mary were coloring some drawings. Gerard needed the yellow crayon. but Mary did not want to give it to him. The teacher told Mary she should share. The teacher gave Mary wise counsel.

2. Patricia has to decide whether to spend her money on cookies or on a story book. Her parents counsel her to buy the story book. Her parents give Patricia wise counsel.

Possess

1. TInaye likes to read prayers before going to sleep. She has a small prayer book to read from. Tinaye possesses a small prayer book.

2.. There was a flood and many people lost their possessions, but everyone came to their aid and soon dley had the thinp they needed again.

PureheaJt

1. Cathy became angry and screamed at Susan. Susan was sad but quiCkly forgave Cathy.

Susan possesses a pure heart.

2. Jorge likes to share his cookies with all the children, even with Oustavo, who throws stones at him. Jorge possesses a pure heart.

Children's Oasses • 17

Kindly heart

1. When people in need come to her house. Ming Ling always takes care of them. Ming Ling possesses a kindly heart.

2. Mr. Robertson is very old. Jimmy helps him carry his fruit harvest to the markel Jimmy possesses a kindly heart.

Radiant hean

1. When I feel sad, my mother always cheers me up and makes me happy. My mother possesses a radiant hean.

2. Obuya became ill and has to spend all his time in bed. He says many prayers. does not become sad, and continues to show forth happiness. Obuya possesses a radiant heart.

After the children learn the quotation. you may tell them a story. As always, if you keep the different parts of the story clearly in mind and you tell the story with joy and sincerity the children will understand it better,

'A bdu , I-BaM could always tell wnas was in a person's hean, and He greatly loved people whose hearts were pure and radiant. There was a lady who had the grea: honor of being tne guest of 'Abdu'I-Baha at dinner. As she sat listening 10 His words of wisdom, she looked at a glass of water in front of her and thought, "Oh! If only 'A bdu , I-Baha would take my heart and empty il of e-very earthly desire and then refill it with di-vine love and understanding.just as you "'ould do with this glass of waler. , ,

This thought passed through her mind quickly. and she dJ.d not say anything about it. but soon something happened that made her realize 'Abdu'l-Bahd had known what shl was thinking. While He was in the middle of His ralk, he paused to cau a servan: and say afew words to him in Persian. The servant quietly came /0 the lady's place aldie table, took her glass, emptied it, and put it back infron; of her.

A little later. 'Abdu'l-Bahd, while continuing to talk, picked up a pitcher ofwater from the table, and in a most natural way, slowly refilled the lady's empty glass. No one noticed what had happened, but the lady kneW tha: 'A bdu , I-BaM was answering her heart's desire. She wasfilled with joy. Now she knew that hearts and minds were like open books to 'Abdu'l-Bahd, Who read them with greal love and'dndUness.

The activity following the story is the game called "The Burning Thirst";

Sticks are tied to the children's anns so they cannot bend their elbows, Then the children pretend that they are walking in a desert and are very, very thirsty. They come upon water in cups and have to find a way to drink it (They will discover that the only way is to help each other. being careful not to get each other wet).

To end the class each child is given Drawing 2 to color.

18 - Olildren's ~sses

LESSON 3

By now you appreciate the value of beginning each class with a prayer and asking the children to recite prayers they know by heart, so that gradually they will learn to begin every effort by beseeching the assistance of Ood. The prayer we suggest for today's class is the following:

HO my Lord! Make Thy beauty to be my food, and Thy presence my drink, and Thy pleasure my hope, and praise of Thee my action, and remembrance of Thee my companion, and the power of Thy sovereignty my succorer, and Thy habitaUon my home, and my dwelling-place the seat Thou hast sanctlfted from the limitations imposed upon them who are shut out as by a veil from Thee. Thou art, verily, the Almighty, the All-Glorious, the Most Powerful."·

After this prayer, and prayers recited by some of the students, you may direct your attention to helping the children memorize lhe prayer they have been working on for the last two lessons. Make sure this time that all the children have learned il

The next activity starts by having the children sing the two songs they learned in the previous lessons. When you feel they have learned these songs well you may introduce today's song:

Justice is the Way

Chorus:

C

Justice is the way Dm

To make a brighter day

F G C

When people are in need C

Justice is the light Dm

A light that's shining. bright

F G C

Shining through good deeds

c

Om

How often have we heard that • Abdu'l-Bah4

F G C

Shared everything He had

Om

He was content with less and led a simple life Foe

So others would be glad

Children's Classes - 19

Chorus

Justice is a little more than just being fair To be just we have to give . Share what we have, share what we love Share the joy to live

To introduce the new quotaton for memorization, you could ask some of the children to recite the two quotations they already know and then explain the following:

ODd loves justice. He is pleased with us when He sees us treating other people with fairness and justice. We must respect the rights of every human being and make sure we don't take away from anyone what they deserve. In order to help us be just. let us memorize this quotation of Bah4'u'llQ1:

"Tread ye the path of justice, tor this, verily, Is the straight path.'"

Tread

1. Many leaves have fallen from the trees in the forest, covering the path. Fwniko walks through the forest. She treads Ihe leaf-covered palh.

2. Pedro likes to help all his friends play happily together. Pedro and his friends are very unified. Pedro treads the path of unity.

Path

I. Luis has a donkey. He took it to graze in a meadow and left it alone. 1he donkey found the path home by itself.

2. There are two ways to go to school. Millie always likes to take the path that goes by her grandmother's house.

Justice

1. Carlos was given crayons to hand out during class. There were ten crayons·and five cbiidren. carlos gave two crayons to each child. Carlos handed out the crayons with

justice. •

2. Anna has tots of water in her water well, but sometimes her neighbor's well runs dry, Anna never allows this neighbor to suffer and always makes her feel welcome to take water. Anna loves justice.

After the children learn the quotation and you talk with them about its meaning. you can tell them the following story about jAbdu'l-BaM that helps illustrate justice. In telling it you can emphasize the actions of • Abdu 'I-BaM that show His quality of justice, and help the children see how they could follow His example.

One day 'Abdu'l-BaM wanted to go from Alckd to Haifa. He went to lake an inexpensive seat in a regular coach. The driver was surprised and must have asked hims~lfwhY

20 - Children's Qasses

'Abdu'/·Bahci was so/rugal as to ride in this cheap coach. "Surely, Your Excellency wOllldpre/er to travel in aprivate carriage," he exclaimed. "No," replied the Master, and he travelled in the crowded coach aU.,he way to Haifa. As He stepped down from the coach in Haifa a distressed fisherwoman came to Him and asked/or His ke,/p. All day she had caught nothing and now had to return 10 her hungryfamily. 'Abdu'I·BaM gave her a good sum afmoney, turned 10 the driver and said, ''Why should I ride in luxury while so many are starving?' J

The activity that follows the story can be the game "Sharing' ':

A car tire (or other low object) is placed on the ground. Then the children try to see how many of them can stand on it at the same time.

To end the class, each childis given drawing 3 to color.

LESSON 4

You may begin teday's class with the following prayer.

"0 God! Refresh and gladden my spirit. Purify my heart. Illumine my powers. I lay all my affairs in Thy hand. Thou art my Guide and my Refuge. I will no longer be sorrowful and grieved; I will be 8 happy andjoyful"being. 0 God! I will no longer be full of anxiety, nor will I let trouble harass me. I will not dwell on the unpleasant things of life. 0 God! Thou are more friend to me than I am to mysel f. I dedicate myself to Thee. 0 Lord.' ,.,

Once some of the children have also said prayers, you may review with them the prayer they have been memorizing in the last three classes. Since they will begin to learn a new prayer in today's lesson. you should make sure they can say the first one well.

As you intrOduce the new prayer. remember that it should be explained word by word.

Where words are difficull, concrete examples should be given to illustrate their meaning. The children can spend seven classes learning this prayer; therefore you can divide the prayer into five pans, leaving the last two classes to review the whole prayer.

~ '0 Thou Kind Lord! I am a little child, exalt me by admitting me to the kingdom. I am earthly, make me heavenly; I am of the world below, let me belong to the realm above; gloomy, suffer me to become radiant; material, make me spiritual, and grant that I may manifest Thine Infinite bounties. Thou an the Powerful, the AII.Loving.' 'II

Moving on to the next activity, the children can learn to, sing the foUowing song and review the songs they have learned in previous lessons.

Children's Classes· 21

Love, Love, Love

C F

Love, love. love, love

G C

love your fellow man.

F Love, love, love is

G 07

how the world began.

C F

God loved creation

C G

For He created thee

C F

G

C

to love. love, love Him and humanity

You may now explain a new quotation for the children to memorize, in the following manner:

The love of God shines upon humanity like the rays of the sun. The sun's rays fall on deserts and gardens alike. Our love should be like the rays of the sun: we should love everyone. even those who mistreat us. In order to help us love aU of humanity, let us memorize this quotation of Bahl1'u'lIl1h:

"0 Friend! In the garden of thy heart plant naught but the rose of love .•.. ' 'IJ

In this quotation the only word that may need explaining is naught. which means "nothing"

1. Agot loves to sing songs about the sun and the flowers, and doesn't sing songs about anything else. Agot sings of naught but sunshine and flowers.

2. Ta Jen wanted to go down to the river, but he had not done his household tasks. His father said he could not leave until he finished his work, and unfortunately Ta Jen became angry. His grandmother said. • 'Dear, all your plans will come to naught if you don't obey your father. ' •

The next activity is telling a story. Remember that in order for the children to enjoy the swry you must first read it carefully to yourself, thinking about the main theme and the details that will attract the children' sattention.

While 'Abdu' I-Baha was a prisoner in < Akkd. there was a man in tluu city who behaved very badly towards him. The igfWrant man believed that he was/ollowjng the teachings of Muhammad. He thought that'Abdu' I-Baha was not a good man and that God did not care how badly the Bahd'(s were treated. lnfact, he believed that he was showing love/or God by showing hatred to the Bahd·'(s. He hated 'Abdu'l-Baha with all his Mart. That hate grew and/estered inside him, sometilms spilling out of him the way water spilb out of a broken pot.

22· Children's Oasses

In the mosque. when people came to pray. this man would cry out against' Abdu'I·BaM and say tenible things about Him. When he passed 'Abdu' '·BaM on the street, he would cover his lace with his robe so thai. he would no: see Him. Now, this man was very poor and had neither enough to eal nor warm clothes to wear. What do you think 'Abdu"-BaM did about hUn? He showed him kindness, sent himlood and clothes. and 1NIde SUTe M was ~ing taken care of. For example, once when this man became very iU. 'Abdu'I-BaM sent hbn a doctor, paidjorhis medicine andfood, and also gave him some money. He accepted the glftsfrom 'Abdu'/-Bahd. but did not thank him. Infact, this igllOTam man held ourone hand to the doctor to take his pulse, and with the other IuJnd, covered his face so tluJt he would not have to look upon ~ countenance of 'Abdu'/·BaM. And so it-went/or mtlIIy long years. And then, one day, the man's Mart

finally changed. He came to 'Abdu'/·BahA's house. feU at His feet and with a very heavy heart and teaTsjluwing down hislace like twin rivers, cnu, "Forgive me, Sir! For twenty-lour years I have done elIi1 to you. For twenty-lour years you have shown only goodness to me. Nuw I know that I have been wrong. Plea3e/orgive me!" Thus. 1M great love of 'Abdu'/-BaM triumphed over hatred and saved this man from his condition of IgnoraJICe.

The activity that follows the story can be the game "The Bridge":

A line is established on the floor using benches (or boards or tiles) and it is called" the bridge". Two groups of children have to cross the bridge at the same time. going in opposite directions ... without letting anyone fall off the bridge. The children have to help each other change places. passing each other one by one.

To end the class,each child is given Drawing 4 to color.

LESSON 5

By this time. you have memorized fourprayers. one of which you can use to begin each class. The children, . themselves. will know at least one prayer by heart, and a few of them should recite it after your begirming prayer. Every child should have an opportunity to recite a prayer at least once every three or four classes. Also. in each class you will continue with memorization of the prayer that you introduced in Lesson 4. This activity will be followed until Lesson 9, when it is expected that all the children will know the second prayer by hean.

The other activities of today's class are the following:

A. Songs (include some of the songs learned in previous lessons):

Look at Me

C

Look at me.

F C

follow me, be as I am

F G C

• Abdu ·1~BahJ. • Abdu '1- Bah;1

Children's Classes - 23

Teach, teach. teach Follow me, be asI am

• Abdu'l-Baha, • Atxlu'l-BaM

Serve your Lord Follow me, be as ] am

• Abdu 'I-BaM, • Abdu 'I-BaM

Love mankind

Follow me, be as ] am 'Abdu'I-BaM, 'Abdu'l-BaM

B. Memorizing quotations:

God loves us and always wants us to be near to Him. The best way to attain nearness to God is to become His servant. We are God's servants when we serve humanity. 1bere are many ways to serve, fDr example, visiting the sick, helping those in need, and teaching what one knows to others. We should serve everyone. without thinking whether they are rich or poor. friends or srrangers. To help us become servants of humanity. let us memorize this quotation of Bah"u'll~:

"That one indeed Is a man who, today, dedlcateth himself to the service or the entire human raee."u

Dedicate

1. Dervi always pays close attention during art class and spends many hours preparing herself for each class. Dervi dedicates herself to art.

2. Hung Wei's father has a vegetable garden. Everyday Hung Wei helps his father weed and water the vegetable garden. Hung Wei dedicates himself to helping his father.

Service

1. Mumbi, Apiyo and Tocho cleaned their grandparents' house. They were happy to have done this service.

2. sachiiro walks four kilometers to give a children's class. She waiks that far each week. because she loves to serve the community.

Human Race

1. At school we saw pictures of white, red, black. brown and yellow-skinned people from many different countries. All of these people belong to the human race.

2. .The lady asked Ken; if he liked people from other places as much as he liked people froot his own village. He answered that he loved everyone because all are a part of the same human race.

24 - Olildren's Oasses

C. Story:

Lua Getsinger, one of the early BaIuJ'(s of America, tells of an experience she bad in 'AW. SM had matk the pilgrimage to the prisOll-Clty to see 'Abdu'/-BaM. One day He ,tIld to Mr that He WQlIOO busy today to call upon afrlettd of HLs who was very poor alld sick. He wiahtd Lu4 to go In His pltzce. He told her to tau/DOd to the sick man and care for him as He had b«n dot,.,.

Lua learned the address and ~dl(Jtety went to do as 'Abdu'I-Bah4 Juzd asud. She felt proud rJUIl 'Abdu'I:"Bahd Iwd trwted her wirh some of His own work. Bur soon she returned to 'Abdu'l-Bahd In a 'tate of acitemelll. "Mas~r." 1M acltzilMd, "Y au sent me to a very ~rrible placet I almostfaiJlUdfrom the awful smell, the dirty roonts, tIu! degrading condidon of rJUIl man and his house. I left quickly before I could carch some terribk disease."

Sadly and'ternly 'Abdu'l-Bahd gazed at Mr:. If she wanted 10 sene God, He told her, she would have to serve her fellow man, because in every persOII she should see the image and likeness ofGod~ Then He told her to go back to the man's howe. I/the house was dirty, she should clean it. If the mall was dirty, she ,hould bathe him. If he was hungry, she shouldfeed him. He asked her nm to come back until all of this wa.s done. 'Abdu'I-BaM had done aU oftltls 11IflnJ lima/or this man, and He told LuQ Getsinger rJUIl she should be able to do it once. This Is how 'Abdu"I-BaJu1 tQJ4ghl Lu4 to serve her /elluwman.

D. Game: uHelp the Sick"

One child pretends to be sick. Two other children clasp each other's hands (right with right and left with left) in order to fann i chair. The sick child is helped to sit down in the chair and the otbera take him to the Health Center. (The teacher chooses a tree or another place that can be the Health Center.)

Variation:

The sick person lies down on a stretcher fonned by a few children holding each other's anna .. The children form two lines facing each odler. They stretch out their anns bent at the elbow and interlock them with Ihoae of the children across from them.

E. Coloring: Drawing S

LESSON6

As in the preceding lessms, it is suegested that you stan the class with one of the prayers that you know from memory and thea ask some of the children to say a prayer. After these prayers, the childmt CDIItinue memorizing the prayer}'Qll' introduced in Lesson 4. The other activities oftoday's class are the following:

Cbildren's Classes ~ 2S

A. Songs (include some of the songs learned in previous lessons):

Tell the Truth

Chorus:

C

\Vhen you tell the truth G You win people's trust

Always tell the truth

C

You must. you must

F C

When you tell the truth. you 'n never feel ashamed

o C'

God will be pleased with you

F C

If you tell a lie you surely will be blamed

D7 G

And maybe lose a friend or two

Chorus

B. Memorizing quotations:

TruthfUlness is one of the most essential spiritual qualities. Bahli'fs should never tell even IbesmaJ1est lie. Why do people tell lies? Sometimes it is because they are afraid to tell the truth. Yet we all know that God is aware of all our actions and we can not hide anything frcm. Him. Ifwe are not truthful. it will be very difficult for us to develop the othervbtues and we will not, attain nearness to God. Let us memorize the following quotation of BaM 'u 'Uath:

"Truthfulneu Is the foundaltlon of all human virtues."14

Truthfulness

1. Sanjay dropped a glass and broke it. When his mother asked-him what had happened. instead of telling a 1ie he told her the truth. Sanjay showed the virtue of truthfulness. .

2. A friend wanted to play with Gita and went to her house to find her. Gita had homework. and could not come out to play. Her brother wid Gila he would tell the friend that she was not home. but Glta did not want her brother to tell a lie. Gita went outside and told her friend that she could not come out and play. Gita showed the virtue ofuuthfulness.

Foundation

1. Alok's father was building a house. Before putting up 1he walls, he placed rocks and

26 - Odldren's Classes

cement under the place where the walls would go. 'I11e rocks and cement fonn the foundation of the bouse.

2. Before )'W leam to rea4 and write you have to know the sounds of the letters. Learning the sounds of the letters is a foundation for teaming to read and write.

Virtues

1. Aurora is friendly, kind and joyful. Aurora possesses many virtues.

2. Mrs. Patel teaches the children about justice, generosity, humility and honesty. She teaches them many human Virtues.

C. Story:

In a country far away. lOme time ago. iMre lived a young shepherd. who. while his falher worud in tlae./ields and his mother kept up the Iwmt. hod the task of taking can ojthtjamlly's wep. OM day. the boy ftlt very bored and decided to play a trick on his I&tighbors. Suddenly he started crying out 'Wolf! Wolf! The wol/is eating 1M sheep!" All oj hisfriends came rUlUf.lng to Mil' chase away 1M wolf. but when they got there they found the young lhq1htrd ltulghlng at them because they hod received such a/right and really therewtU nowolfanywhere tobefound. Hisfriendswentback. to their work saying that the boy hod behaved very badly.

TM/ollowing day, the boy repealed his/oolery. 'Wolf! Wolf! Help me! Help me!" SOfM of the neighbors came running again 10 help, only IOfind the young sMphtrd laughing at them, because this time too it was a lie that a wolfwtJ3 near. The. third day, when they heard the bay call' 'Wolf! Wolf! The wol/is eating the sheep! Please come help!,' no one paid any attention because they thought that it was just another lie. That dIly the woll did C01M and ate the sheep! The young shepherd was very sad, bNt he hod learned a good lesson. J/we. tell lies, the day will C01M when Mither OUT parelUS, ONr bromers, and sisters. IIOr our friendJ will believe whatwe say, even when It Is the truth!

D. Game: "Touch Telephone"

Several children stand in a line all looking in the same direction. with the last child looking at the blackboard. If necessary, more than one line can be organized. With a finger, the teacher draws something on the first child's back. He. irJ tum, draws it on the back: of the second cbi1d. 'lbe second child draws it on the back of the third child, and so on, until the last child is reached who draws it with chalk on the blackboan:l. Then the teacher goes to the blackboard and draws the same thing he had drawn on the first child's back. The drawings should be simple so that all the children can draw them.

E. Coloring: Drawing 6.

Children' s Classes - 27

LESSON 7

After you and the children recite prayers and the children learn more of the ·prayer they have been memorizing, continue with the other activities for today's class.

A. Songs (include songs from previous lessons):

We are the People of Baha

D

We are the people of BaM

We are the people of BaM G

We are the people of D

We are the people of

A7 D

We are the people of BaM

y~ Baha'u'l-Abha, y~ Baha'u'l-Abha, We are the people of We are the people of

We are the people of Bah~

Finnly we walk the path of God Firmly we walk the path of God Until the very last

We will be steadfast

Firmly we walk the path of God

B. Memorizing quotations:

One of the most important qualities of a person who truly loves God is steadfastness, or fmnness. As BaM'is, we have accepted 8aM 'u 'U4h andwe are certain that He is the Manifestation of God for this day. Therefore, nothing that others can say or do to us can affect our faith in Him. We must always love Him and obey His laws and teachings. In order to remember this,let us memorize this quotation from Bah~'u'll4h:

"Supremely lofty will be thy station, if thou remainest steadfast In the Cause of thy Lord."u

Supremely

I. The gardens that surround the Shrine of BaM'u'llM1. are supremely beautiful. more beautiful than our most wonderful dreams.

2. Maria's mother made a very special cake for the family. They ate it with great enjoyment and all said it was supremely delicious.

28 - Olildren's Oasses

Lofty

1. Each night before she sleeps Martha prays and feels close to God. When she goes to sleep her spirit is in a lofty condition.

2. At the meeting, Kumar is giving a talk about world peace and the goodness of humanity. Kumar is speaking of lofty things.

Remain steadfast

1. Someone told Rosemary that stars are white spots painted on the sky, but Rosemary has learned that each star is really a far-away sun. Rosemary does not change her mind. She remains steadfast in what she knows.

2. Someone told Mona that it isn't important to pray every day, but she kept praying because she knew it was a law of God to pray. Mona remained steadfast in following the law of prayer.

C. Story:

Everyone has heard oftheftrst heroes of the Baha'i Faith who, in the time of the BOb and BaM' u' llah, offered up their lives in the path of God. This is the story of a very special hero who lived in the times of 'Abdu'I·Baha. His name is Ruhu'llah Varqa and he was a child only thirteen years old when he sacrificed his life in the pathway of his Best-Beloved, Bahll u'lIlih.

When RUhu'lldh was 12 years old, he traveled with his father to AW to be in the presence of 'Abdu' I·BaM. He had heard a great deal about the great love and kindness of 'Abdu'I·BaM, and during their travels he could hardly sleep because he was so anxious to be in 'AW. Finally, when he attained the presence oj 'Abdu'/·BaM, his heart was filled with great joy and happiness.

'Abdu'I·Bah(J loved RUbu' Illih very much and especially liked to hear RUbu' IIIih chant in a very lovely voice the prayers he knew by heart. RUbu'litih lived for a time in the paradise of the presence of 'Abdu'I·Bahli. With the passing of each day, his love for the Faith grew and grew. Yet finally these days of nearness came to an end, and RUbu' IIIih and his father left AkkO and returned to Persia. There they devoted themselves to teaching sincere souls and taking the beautiful message of Baha' u' IJah from place to place. Ruh' u' lldh' s words had a great effect On all who heard him. His father loved him tenderly and everyone praised his manner and spirituality. He was very truthful, honest, courteous and kind towards others. He recited the prayers beautifully and knew many of them by heart. Each morning he arose at dawn to pray.

One day the enemies of the Faith captured RUbu' JJIih and his/ather and took them to a prison in Teheran. The conditions of that prison were very bad and it was very diffiCUlt to sleep under the weight of heavy chains. Yet, in spite of all this, RUhu'IMh felt very happy. He prayed, chanted, and composed very beautiful poems expressing his love for 8aM'u' Uah.

Every day. life in prison became harder and harder for these two heroes until the event they were hoping for finally took place. In th~ early hours of one morning a high

Children' s Classes - 29

government official arrived at the prison. He was drunk and violent. He falsely accused Ruhu' lldh and hisfather of terrible things, but they calmly responded tha: they were innocent and had harmed no one. The official, becoming more and more furious, screamed at Ruhu' llah' s father and asked him, ' 'Who should I kill first, you or your son?" "I t makes no difference to me," V arqd calmly replied. Upon hearing this, the official approached RUhu'lldh' s father and killed him with terrible cruelty. "Father, Father, take me with you!" RUhu'liah cried, over and over again. His heart yearned to follow his father's example and also to sacrifice his life.

The official tried to speak kindly to R Uhu'lldh, and told him, "Dear son, you are still a child and I have great love for you. I can help you occupy high, important positions. I can give you riches and anything else you want. Just say that you are not a Baha'C' "I do not want a high position or money." RUhu'lMh answered. "I just want to go with my/ather."

When the offic ial realized that this child was steadfast and could not be moved. he gave orders for Ruhu'Udh to be hung. The two bodies we re thrown into a well in a nearby place known today as Varqdfyyih.

So it was that RUhu' Uah, although a child, became one of the heroes of the Baha'i Faith, satisfying the desire of his heart which, as his poetry had expressed, was none other than to offer up his life in the pathway of BaJuj' u'Uah.

D. Game: "The Wolves and the Goats"

Once there was a herd of goats that had to pass over a very old bridge to get to the pasture where the sweet grass grew. Underneath the bridge lived a family of wolves that loved to eat little goats. But the wolves were very lazy and always slept a lot, waking up onJy at the sound of a goat passing over the bridge. The goats were very smart and learned how to walk very lightly over the bridge without making any noise because, of course, they did not want to wake up the wolves. They listened closely to the snoring of the wolves, and, if at any moment it stopped, they would stay very still, because they knew that the wolves were listening. If the goats stayed very still, the wolves would go back to sleep.

The teacher makes a bridge out of sticks and benches, some high, some low. The children must "cross" the bridge. going under the high sticks and over the low ones. The teacher, by clapping or hitting a pan, represents the wolves, snoring. Every now and then the wolves wake up. The child has to stay absolutely still, even though he may have one foot up in the air, until the wolves go back to sleep. If the child knocks down a stick or even makes a small noise, the wolves wake up and gobble up the little goat

E. Coloring: Drawing 7.

30 - Children's Oasses

LESSON 8

After you and a few of the students have said some prayers. you can review with them the prayer they are learning by heart. The other activities of the day are the following:

A. Songs (including some of the preceding songs):

Be Like the Earth

C G

See the earth F G C it's so humble

G Has all GOO's wealth to give

F G C

everything we need to live.

C G

Lets us walk on it every day

F G C

But have you ever heard it say

G F G C

I am richer, greater than you.

See the tree it's so humble

The more its fruits abound

it bows closer to the ground and shares the fruit that way, but have you ever heard it say [am richer, greater than you

C G

Be like the earth

F G C

Be like the tree

G Rise to the heaven of glory

F G C

on the wings of humility

B. Memorizing quotations:

A very important virtue is humility. A person who is humble before Goo realizes the greatness of GOO and his own smallness. He gives himself up entirely to Goo's Will. When we give our will over to His, God fills our beans with joy. To help us be humble before God, let us memorize the following quotation:

"0 Son of Man! Humble thyself before Me, that I may graciously visit thee.' '"

Children' s Classes - 31

Humble

1. When Zinab prays to God she often bows her head and thinks about God's greatness.

Zinab is humble before God.

2. Before Yong Fu goes on a teaching trip, he thinks "oout the greatness of God and begs His help. Yong Fu is humble before God.

C. Story:

Humility was one of 'Abdu' I-BaM' s most impressive qualities. The friends wanted to give him great titles, but he only wanted to be called" 'Abdu' I-Balui" • which means "Servant of the Glory." He also liked simplicity. One lime, some wealthy friends from the West made an elaborate plan for Him to wash His hands before a meal. They arranged for a specially-dressed boy to carry a fancy bowl with "crystal water" and they also had a perfumed lowe I waiting for Him. When the Master saw all this. as the group offriends with the lillie boy, the bowl and the towel approached himfrom across the lawn, He knew their purpose. He hurriedly found some water nearby, washed his hands. and dried them with a piece 0/ cloth the garde ner had. Radiantly , He then turned to meet His guests. and asked them to use the water and towel to wash their own hands.

D. Game: "Sometimes] am Tall"

One child is blindfolded and the rest form a circle around him. In unison they say:

, 'I am very tall' (They stand on their toes and stretch as tall as they can)

"I am very short' (They squat down and make themselves as short as they can)

"Sometimes I am tall" (They stretch up again).

"Sometimes I am short" (They squat down again)

The teacher gestures to the children whether they are to be short or tall. and then they

say together: /

• 'Guess what we are now!"

The blindfolded child tries to guess by the height of their voices if they are short or tall. Each child takes a tum being blindfolded.

E. Coloring: Drawing 8

32· Oilldren's Classes

LESSON 9

Begin the class by reciting a prayer from memory, then ask some of the children to recite prayers. In this lesson, the children should finish learning the prayer they started to memorize in Lesson 4, so that they can dedicate the next class to reviewing the prayer. TIle other class activities are the following:

A. Songs (also including some of the previous songs):

Prefer Your Brother

Chorus:

F

G

c

Am

It is a blessing to prefer your brother

F G C Am

This is a way to show you care

F G C Am

It is a blessing to prefer your sister

F G C G C

You are richer, the more you share

C 0 Am7 C

I am thirsty, I am thirsty

Dm 06 C Am7 but my brother, he comes first F Em DIn C

so I offer him the water

Dm G C

that will quench his thirst

Chorus

I am hungry, I am hungty and my sister, she is too

so 1 give her some of my food that's what's best to do

B. Memorizing quotations:

God wants all of us to live happily. He wants us always to be looking for ways to serve others and bring them joy. In order to live in this way. we should not only wish for other people the good things we want for ourselves. we should wish even better things for them. Let us memorize the following quotation of BaM 'u 'll~:

HBlessed is he who preferreth his brother before himself."n

Children's Oasses M 33 '

Blessed

1. There is a well and a bucket but no way to use the bucket to get water. Amelia, using her intelligence, finds a rope to tie to the bucket, lowers the bucket, and gets water. Amelia's intelligence is a gift of God. God has blessed Amelia with intelligence.

2. Victor's family says prayers every morning in the living room of their home. The home of Victor's family is blessed

Prefers

1. John likes to eat chocolate and vanilla ice cream, but when he has to choose, he chooses vanilla. He prefers vanilla.

2. Anindo can go out and play, or go help her father in the garden. She decides to help her father in the garden. Anindo prefers to help her father.

C. Story:

'Abdu'I-BaM preferred inexpensive clothes for himself When he had extra clothes he always gave them away to others. One day He was going to entertain the Governor oj AW. His wifejelt that His coat was not good enoughjor the occasion. Well ahead oj time she went to the tailor and ordered afine coat for 'Abdu'I-BaM. She thought He surely would not notice that His old coat had been replaced: he desired, after all, only to be scrupulously clean. When the day of the governor's visit arrived, the new coat was laid outfor 'Abdu'I-BaM, but He went searchingjor His old one. He asked/or His old coat, saying that the one laid OUi could not be His. His Wife attempted to explain that because oj the occasion she had bought him a new COGt, but He would not accept it. He told her that for the price oj this one coat they could buy five simple ones like He normally wore. He told her that there was no reason to spend so much money on a coat just for Him.lj He needed a new one, they could send the expensive coat back to the tailor and order five ordinary coats for the same amount of money. "Then, you see.I shall not only have a new one, but I shall also have jour to give to others!"

D. Game: "The Snail"

All the children line up holding hands. The children at one end of the line stand in place, while the others begin to walk around them. Little by little they wind themselves into a spiral to fonn a snail.

Variations:

a. Those at one end begin to tum in a circle, winding the others up around them. (Be careful they don't step on each other's feet)

b. Once the snail is formed, those in the middle can squat down and go under the legs of the others - with none of the children letting go of each other's hands.

E. Coloring: Drawing 9.

34 - Children's Classes

LESSON 10

After begiruiing the class with prayers. review with the children the two prayers they have learned in previous lessons. Then continue wilh the other activities.

A. Songs (including some oflhe previous songs):

Truthfulness

C G D n

Truthfulness is brighter than the light of the sun

C G D G

Truthfulness is brighter than the light of the sun

C G D G

W;ul tnnnfulness, 0 people. beautify your tongues

C G D G

With truthfulness, 0 people. beautify your tongues

C

G

D

G

Honesty adorns the soul of everyone

C G D G

Honesty adorns the soul of everyone

C G D G

Honesty is brighter than the light of the sun

eGO G

Honesty is brighter than the light of the sun

B. Memorizing quotations:

All of us know of beautif l..J things that God has created to adorn our lives and bring joy to our heans. Yet. more than material things. it is spiritual qualities that make human beings beautiful. One of the most beautiful qualities which can adorn our lives is honesty. When we beautify ourselves with honesty, we do not take things that belong to others, and we never cheat anyone. To help lis remember this quality of honesty, let us memorize this quotation of BaM'u'UM1:

"Beautify your tongues, 0 people, with truthfulness, and adorn your souls with

the ornament of honesty.'n. •

gea:ntify

1. Malit planted beautiful roses in the garden. The roses beautify the garden.

2. Sunil used to tell lies. but now he tells the truth. Sunil beautified his tongue with truthfulness.

Children's Classes - 35

Adom

1. There is a love1 y painting of sailboats on the walL The painting adorns tbe wall.

2. In spri ngtimc the trees arc adorned with beautiful blossom s.

3. Cindy's mother adorns herself with a special pair of earrings before she goes to the Feast.

4. When Akbar was a small boy he dcei ded to adorn his character with spin lual virtues.

He developed a very beautiful character.

c. Story:

Mulld Bahram wav one of the greal Bah4'ls of tra», One day ne received a letter that made him very sad. His cousin's small child had died. Since the child was a. Balun. they had given him a Bahtf'( burial. This had angered the Muslim priests. who complained to the police. The child's father was taken to jail.

A/ler reading the leue r, M ulid. Bahram thought deeply about rhi,v problem and dec ided to go to see a high government offida.110 ask/or help. When MuUJ Bahram arrived at this official's home he found him at a feast with many g ue s ts. One of them. who SQ1.Y the poorly dressed man enter the doorway, wal1ted tv have him thrown out. But the owner of the house saw Mulld. Bahram and Wilh a great deal of love and respect. invited him to come in. AU of the guests were surprised to see the courtesy andwarmti: with which the o/ficiallreated MulJa Bahram, a poor and humblt man. The host explained:

"Tne respect I feet towards' MulJd Bahram is well deserved because he is a righteous and honest man. even in moments of tests." Mul14 Bahram explained his problem and with a great deal ojpleasur« the official wrote out the order jor his cousin's immediate release. The guests were surprised and asked the official how he knew that M!l.lla Bahram was so honest tha: he merited such respect from a high government official. The official answered:

"S~ time ago f had a de:btwhich I had to pay ri.ghr(ltVaJ, bud didn't have enou.gh money. So I arrived at an agreement with the money-lender tha: he would receive a plece of property in exchang« for the ddn. However, we could not come r.o an agreement on the property' s value. We could not accept the Judgement of afriend of bis nor a [rieM of mine. because each of us could hav« paid ow friend to alter lhe property's price in. ow Javor. So we asked a merchant 10 sefid one of his employees to the property ro put a value on it. He lent Mulld Bahram. To assure that the property was worth enough to pay the entire debt, J went to him the day he was to value the property and offered him a big bag ofmoney so that he would speak: ~n my favor. He would not have earned tha: mJU: h money in I~ years 0/ hard work. but he. did nor acc ept it. He said it was better to wait and see the property. It turned otu tna: Mulld Bahram eStimated the property at much more lhallluJd thought it WaJ' worth. So, I went to him and offered him a bag ofmud: more money so he would tit pleased. He did not take it this time either. He said tha: Ihe only reason he kad put that value on the p roperty was because ;r was lhe true value. His appraisal was a part of tus work. for which he received a .falary, and it would nct be right ro receive anything extra/or U. "Now,

36 • Children IS Oasses

said the official to his guests, "you caft appreciate why f say that MuUd Bahram PO.rUJ3t.f an honesty and bllegrity which is very rare these days. OM if everyone could be as honest as Mulld Bahram!"

D. Game. "Square", Circle. Triangle"

TIle teacher nam es a sequence of shapes ( for instance: circle, circle, square) and asks one of1hc children to repeat it. Then the child is asked to try to draw the sequence, Each child is given several opportunities. each time using different sequences. If the child cannot rem em ber a sequence of three. use a sequence of two. If a sequence of three is too easy, use fou r,

Va Ii ations:

8. Instead of giving the sequence verbally, prep-Me some cards wi th ill fferent sequences drawn on the m. Show one of the cards to each child and have rum. after he looks ar it, repeat the sequence, first aloud and then drawi ng it on paper.

b. TIti s can be done with sequences of actions. For example: j urn p, [Urn. much you r toes, touch you r nose. clap, take a step forw am.

E, Coloring: Dra wi ng 10.

LESSON 11

Beginning wi th Uti s le sson and continuing through the next fou r lessons the children wilJ be memorizing a new prayer. 'Therefore, after starting the class with prayers. you will need to explain to them the meaning of the words and sentences in the following prayer and help them memorize the fi rst couple of sentences.

u 0 my Lord! 0 my Lord ~ I am a child or tender years. N ouri sh me from the breast of Thy mercy, train me in the bosom or Thy love, educate me in the school or Thy guidance and develop me under the shadow of Thy bounty. Deliver me from darkness, make me a brilliant light; free rot from unhappiness, make me a flower or the rose garden; suffer me to become a servant or Thy threshold and confer upon me the dIsposition an d nature or the rilhteous; make me 8 cause of bounty to the buman world and crown my head with the dradem of eternal lire. Verily, Thou BTt the Powerful , lhe Mllhty, Ihe Seer, the Hearer/ttl

The other acti vi ties for this lesson are the following:

A. Song (including the review of songs already learned):

Children's Classes • 37

Foun La i n of G en erosity

C

Be a fountain

Be a spring

G

Be an ever-flowing thing

F C

It is true that if you do

G C

Happiness will come to ),OU

F C

Se arch your he art every day o

Is there somclhi ng you can give away

H appiness should be your goal Gi ve you r heart

And give your soul

It is true mal if you do

I God wilt always be with you

B. Memorizing quotations:

God is very generous with His creation. He looks after all of us. He gives daily nourishment to everyone. He has gi vcn us many gifts, such as hearing. S1 gilt and intelligence. In the same way that God is generous with us, He wants us to be generous with each other. We should give of what we have to those who need our help. In order to remember 00 be generous, let us mem orize thi s quotation of BaM' u . U all:

"To give and to be generous are attributes of Mine; well is it with him that adorneth himself with My virtues. ml

Generous

1. Ram and Rajish had saved a little money. Tbcy decided 10 buy some books for their younger brothers and si sters. Ram and Ra jish arc generous.

2. Mrs. Murphy spent the whole morning baking cakes. Before laking them to town to sell, she gave two large cakes to the neighbors. Mrs. Murphy is generous.

Altrlbute

] - Joel took a beauti ful rose to the teacher. Beauty is an attribute of the rose.

2. The stone is very hard. Hardness is an altribute of stones.

3. •• One of your attributes is that you are willing to work. hard," the teacher said to Chartene.

38 . Children's Classes

Adorn

1. Tonight I::;; the Nineteen Day Feast, The children picked flowers to place in the meeting room. The ch i J drcn adorned the meeting room with flowers,

2. Ta Jcn has a beautiful smile. Most of the time a smile adoms his face.

C, Story:

One day, BaluJ' u'lMh sent 'Abdu' l-Bahd to inspect the work. of the shepherd: who were taking cart of His sheep. At that lime, 'Abdu: (-Bahd was a small child. The persecutions against BaM' w' lldh and His/amily had not yet started. BaM' u' lldh. then, had a good deal of land in the mountains and owned large herds of sheep. When the inspection was finish.ed and 'Abdu'l-Baha was ready to leave, the man who had accompanied Him saM, "Ir tJo yourJathd s cunom to !eave a gift/or each shepherd:' 'Ahdu'l-BaM became silentfor awhile, because He did not haote anything to give them. The man. however, insisted that the shepherds wue expecUng something. Then 'A bdu' J ·Bah4. had a~ idea that made Him very happy ! He would give the sh epherds the sheep they Wert Mk.ing care of! Baho' u' IMh was very milch pleased when he heard about 'Abdu'I-8ahd's generous thoughts towards the shepherds. He humorously remarked that everyone had better take good care of 'Abdu'/-Bahd because someday he, would give himself away. Of course.this is exactly what 'Abdu' i-Bahd did/or the rest of H is life. He ga ve eve rything He had, eilC h a rid every mom en! of His We, to h /./numily, to unite us and bring us true happiness.

O. Game: "The Twins"

TwO. three or rourchildrcn stand back to "back and squat down. Then they hook elbows and l ry to stand up.

E. Coloring: Drawing 11

LESSON 12

This lesson also begins with prayers and proceeds with memorization or the prayer that was introduced in the previous Jesson. TIle other activnics or this lesson ate:

A. Songs (incl udi ng some prey iou s songs):

God' 5 Creatures

C

The crca ru res of rills big worl d Om whether they walk or fly. or fly 07

are pan of God's creation

C

t\k.c :f'3U ~ t

Child rcn • S Cl asses - 39

Chorus:

C

That's why we treat them with kindness Dm

remem ber w hen you do, you do

07

to care for God' S creation C brings blessings to you

TIle dog on our front door step

he is our faithful friend. our friend we also thank our milk cow

and bees in the wind.

Chorus

The donkey carries his bu rdcn the kiuy purrs on our lap. our lap and the bird sings sweetl y

when we take our nap

Chorus

B. Mcmori zing quotati ons

God wants the BaM'fs to work. for the good of humanity. He wants everything that di vides people to d.isappea r so that eve ryone can. live together as one famU y. To help this happen. we must cleanse our hearts from bad feelings towards others. We must mingle with peoples of every religion, race. nation and class in a spirit of kindliness and love. To remember this. let us memorize this q uotarion of B aha' u '11ah:

u Blessed is he who mingleth with all men ina sp i rit or utmost ki ndll ness and lo"e.Hll

Mingle

.

l. Egrets and cowbirds are two kinds of birds that live in the meadows. They are often seen

together. These two kinds of bi rds mingle.

2. At the Nineteen Day Feast people of di ffereru races were so intermingled that you cou ld tell they all loved each other,

c. Story;

Haklm Aqa Jan. a Jewish doctor, hurried behind Muhammad -Baqir who, lamp in hand, ran towards his home Ihrough the narrow streets of Hamaddn. His wife was having convulsions and was at the edge of death. Afew hours earlier Hakim. Aqa Jan had seen her and had given her some pills 10 tower her fever. yet her conditio« had

40 - Children's Classes

worsened. Upon arriving agai,. at her side he- paled as he became mvare of the grave error he had committed. In place of Ihe quinlne pills, he had given her stricbnine. which is a powerful poison. The woman was seriously ill and mere was a very great possibility that she would die because of the doctor',~ mistake. Upon. remembering the mistreatment thai the Jews always received at the hands of the Muslims in tha: city, Hakim Aqa Jan feared tna! if the woman died, he and his entire family and the other Jews o[ the city would be killed. These thoughts caused him 10 tremble and he almost could nothear Muhammad- {Jaqir who was asking him why he was shaking and so upset, The doctor decided to confess the truth and explai« hts error. To his great surp rise, M uhammad -8 aqir re sponded: "Everyone can make a mistake, You have not done so 01'1 purpose. Even jf my wIfe dies, no one will btame you.' '

The doctor could nOI believe his ears. tt seemed impossible to him that a Muslim could speak lik.e that to a Jew. But as he had to act quiddy, he ran to the nearest pharmacy and bougbt the medicine with which he hDped to .wvt rhe woman'.~ life. He spent the whole night with her doing everylhing possible to ,wve her. Muhammatl- Baqir helped the doctor as much a,~ he could and showed the utmost courtesy. friendliness and kindness. Finally, a,~ morning came, the woman showed signs that the danger had passed and she would recover.

H aklm Aqa Jan was very perplexed by the co u. rte Sf and kindness that M uhammadBaqir han shown towards him. He could nor hide his surprise arulji.nally asked Muhamm.ad -Baqir why he had treated him with so much kindness. "The reason, , explained M uhammad -Baqir, "is that my wife and I are BaM 'is (J(1.d we love people 0/ all religions." This is haw Hakim Aqa Jan was attracted to (he BaM'{ Faith. Later he became a believer.

D. Game: "The Hidden Quality"

All of the children form a circle with their hands OUl in from of them.The teacher holds a coin or a stone in her hand. The coin represents a quality, for example "kindness". Then as she walks along, the 1C achcr passes he r hands over the\hands 0 r each child and say s: .. John is kind. Ma rtha is ki nd, Dervi is kind," etc. Each chi ld c1 oses h is hands acung as though she has given him the coin. The teacher actually leaves me coin in the hands of one 0 r the chi ld rcn, When she has gone around the cnti re ci rete, one chi ld tries to guess who has the coin by saying. for example, • 'Kcnji is very kind, tt Then Kenji shou ld open hi So hands and show whether or nor he has (he coin, The chil d has t.h ree gue sses to try to fi nd out who has the coin, after which the game is started. over wi th another, quality.

E. Coloring: Drawing 12

LESSON 13

The lesson begt ns w ilh pra yc rs red ted by you and sorn c or the: child rcn. 1be child ren then should continue mernorizmg the prayer presented in Lesson 11. The other class activities are the following:

A. Songs (including some previous songs):

Children's C] asses - 4]

I Want to be Happy

Am

There is something you must know

E7 In this Faith we have to show Om

We are men of deeds. not of words

Am E7 Am

Our very life should show our Faith to friend and foe

Chorus:

Am

I want to be happy

I want to be strong

To be His Servant

My whole life long

Dm Am

So, I must obey the laws of God

E7 Am

Yeah, I must obey the laws of God

There is something you must know In this world of pomp and show People are tired of empty speech

They want to see you practice what you teach

Chorus

B. Memorizing quotations:

God is All-Powerful. Out of His infinite love. He created man. Therefore, we must love Him and obey His commandments. We must obey God's commandments not only when they are easy to obey. but also when tests and difficulties arise in our lives. We must be obedient to God, and patient in times of trials. To remember this, let us memorize the following words of Bahli'u'llab:

"The sign of love is fortitude under My decree and patience under My trials.' '22

Sign

1. Nancy's little brother Niko was very sick last night .and everyone was very- worried.

Today he is happy and his eyes are bright. This is a sign that Niko is getting well.

2. Koli gave her sister a bouquet of flowers. Koli loves her sister very much. The bouquet of flowers is a sign of her love.

42 - Children's Oasses.

Fortitude

t. Though the baby had been crying all day. Carol continued to rock her and care for her tenderly. Carol did not weaken in continuing to care for the baby. Carol showed fortitude.

2. The boys were always trying to get Ashok to fight, but Ashok knew this was wrong, so he avoided fights. Ashok showed fortitude.

Decree

1. Jerry says his prayers every day at morning and at night. Daily prayer is a commandment of God. By praying Jerry is following God's decree.

2. Teresa never tells lies. Teresa obeys the commandment of God to be truthful. Teresa is obeying God's decree.

C. Story:

There once was a man named Hal'{ Muhammad who was a llery good hunzer. His bullets always hit the mark. He could ellen hit a small bird in/ul/flight while galloping on horseback. One day with his rifle on his shoulder, he came upon a group 0/ BaM'{s who were on an oUling with BaM' u' 1/411 and decUhd to join them.

When Baha' u'll4h saw that Hajl Muhammad was going to use his rifle, He told him not to kill innocent birds. Haj£ Muhammad did not pay any attention to what BaM' u'lMh said because his mind was on hunting, which he loved very much. So, he continued shooting at every bird he saw. But he was quue surprised to find that none 0/ his bullets were hitting any birds. He shot once, he shot twice. he shot many limes - but did nor kill even one bird. He shot at big birds and at little birds, without any success.

, ,

I

The group was returning from the outing when a large. beautiful. white bird caught

Hajl Muhaninuur s eye. It was so big that it could nolfly quickly and Hajl Muhammad thought that surely it would be easy to kill this one. His first shot missed. Then hefired four more times, bu: he missed every time. In a panic the/rightened birdjlew near them. Hajl Muhammad thought that now he could not possibly miss. He fired two more shots, but thebird escaped.

Hajl Muhammad was astonished. and he began to think about the whole incident. All of a sudden. he understood something very important. He realized that Baha' u'Uah had given him a clear command, but in his preoccupation with what he wanted to do, he had ignored Baha' u'll4h. That day, H4j£ Muhammad made afirm decision to obey the commandments o/God at all times.

D. Game: "The Blindman"

One child is blindfolded. Another child acts as his guide and leads him around, being careful that nothing happens to him.

Children's Gasses - 43

Variations:

a. Rows of blindfolded children fonn a train and someone guides them.

b. The blind person is guided around obstacles (tree trunks, ditches, rocks, tires. etc).

c. To increase the children's capacity for giving and receiving instructions. the blind person can be guided just by someone's voice. The guide (and perhaps the teacher) follows close by to catch him in case he snnnbles,

E. Coloring: Drawing 13.

LESSON 14

After prayers, the children continue to memorize the prayer presented in Lesson II.

During this lesson, the children should learn the whole prayer so that in the next lesson they may review it The other activities oftoday's class are as follows:

A. Songs (including some previous song):

My Love Is M.Y Stronghold

Am

o Son of Being

o

My love is my stronghold

Am G C Dm7

He that entereth therein

E7 Am \

is safe and secure

Am G C Dm7

and he that tumeth away

E7 Am

shall surely stray and perish

AmG Om o Son of Being

E7 Am

My love is my stronghold

G Om

o Son of Being

E7 Am

My love is my stronghold

44 • Children's Classes

B. Memorizing quotations:

God' s love is like a fonress. A fortress is a mighty building with strong, thick walls and doors and windows that no one can break into. If someone wants to hurt us and we go into this fortress. we are safe. Loving God is like being inside a fortress, a stronghold where no one can do us harm, where we are completely protected. Let us memorize the following quotation of Baha'u'llah:

"0 Son of Being! My love is My stronghold; he that entereth therein is sare and secure, and he that turneth away shall surely stray and perish.' ,:tJ

Stronghold

1. To protect themselves from their enemies. the people built a large wall around the town.

The town was made into a stronghold.

2. A boy in the neighborhood used to throw rocks at Danny. At first, this scared Danny and made him angry, but he knew he shouldn't fight back. He learned to remember God's love and rely on His protection. GOO's love became a stronghold for Danny. After a while the boy became Danny's friend.

Safe and Secure

I. The sheep got lost in the brush and Bahiyyih had to find them so that the wild dogs would not get them. Now the sheep are back in the corral. safe and secure.

2. Mark's friends were criticizing him. At first he felt sad, but then he turned his heart to God and felt His love. Turning his hean to God, Mark was safe and secure.

Perish

I. When wood burns in the fire it finally disappears completely and no longer exists as it did before. It perishes.

2. After leaves falloff a tree. they gradually crumble and disappear into the soil. They perish.

C. Story:

Once there were three lilliefish. They lived in a big lake and were very happy playing and swimming all day in the water, The JaJce was free of dangers. There were no big fish or hungry crocodiles. The water Wa& very calm and there were no strong currents that could sweep them away/rom their mother. Other[tsh lived in the lake and the three lilllejish had lots o/friends to play with. They held races, .swimming om: infront of the other. They jumped in the air and dived deep to Ihe Jake's bottom. They also played a game called "hide". They would hide behind the rocks and plants. and when their mother or fOlher or grandparents passed by they would swim out quickly, shouting so as to scare them. The adu.lls would pretend to be afraid. but knew that there was nothing in 1M lake that could harm them.

Children's Classes - 4S

One day, the three littlefish came to apart of the lake where they had never been before. They began to play, swimming quickly andjwnping in the air. On one jump, one o/the litt/eflSh saw a very large wall. He had never seen such a thing! He quickly entered back into the water and told his two brothers just what he had seen. His brothers did not believe him. They asked him: ''WhalwouJd a wall be doing here in our lake?" "I do not know," he answered them. "But (you do not believe me.jump up in the air and you will see it."

The two brothers, laughing at the other, swam quickly to take a big jump. Suddenly, they slammed into the wall. HOW!" they screamed. With sort noses, they stuck their heads up out Of the water to see. There really was a wall. And it was big! They swam along the wall to the edge of the lake and saw that the wall went all the way to the shore. They swam across to the other side and saw that the wall wemfrom shore to shore. They dove down deep and saw that the wall reached dewn to the bottom o/the lake. The three little fISh couid not explain to themselves why there was a wall there,' they decided to ask tneir grandfather. When they found him he was sleeping, but because they were so anxious to know about the wall they woke him up.

"Grand/ather'" they all shouted at once. "There is a wall!" said the/irstjish.

"It goes from shore to shore!" said the second. "II goes to bottom of the lake!" said the third.

"What?" said the grand/atker. 'fA wall?' "Yes!" the three of them cried at once.

"A wall?" said the grandfather again, twitching his whiskers.

"What is ihe wall doing there, grandfather?" the three little fish asked.

"It is a dam! It keeps us safe," the grand/ather said. "It keeps out the crocodiles, the big hungry fish. and the other animals that would eat us. It also keeps out the strong currents tMI rush up against the rocks. The dam makes tne water Slay in the lake. It is because of the dam tha: we do not have 10 worry about anything. The dam protects us. It is,our stronghold."

"What is on the other side of the dam, Grandfather?" they asked him.

"There are many dangers" said the grand/ather, "It could be that if you went outside, you could never get back.' r

For some time, the three little/ish contented themselves with this explanation, yet each day they wanted 10 know more and more what was on the other side of the dam. Finally one day they decided to go and see. They went very far backfrom the dam to get a good start, and then swamful/ spedd ahead and jumped as high as they could to get up and over the dam.

The first thing they saw on the other side was tiuu the water level was lower than in the lake. so they fell. They were very scared and wanted to return immediately to the lake. but did not know how to! They fell andfell andfell, until al last they reached the water, hitling so hard thai their entire bodies ached. TM water ran very fast and swept them far away from the dam, threw them against W rocks and scraped their noses into the sand. At last they reached a spot where the water did not run so rapidly. They leaned against some smooth stones to rest.

46· Children's Classes

"My whole body hurts," said thefi,stlittlejish. • 'F,om ltDSe to tail," said the second.

"We shouldJuzve never left the lake," said the third.

Suddenly a crocodik swam by. Tiley had never seen a crocodile before, and when they saw Ids mouJh with aU its teeth they immttlialely cried: "HUkI" F ortullGtely for them, another fish passed by who had not seen the crocodile. The crocodile turned to catch it and ~Uowed it up in 01U! bite! WMII he looked their way again. the three little fish were well hidden behind the rocks.The crocodile swam on in search of more food.

"Did you see haw he swaJJowad it up?" the first little fuh asked his brothers. "Yes," said the second.

"Soon he will swallow us up, too," said the third. The;, hearts skipped a beat aRd their lails trembled. "Let lIS get away from here, tMy said.

They started to swim up,;ver,jighling against the current. Bellies against the sand, srruggllllglrom rock to rock, and swimming with all their might, they swam towards the dam. They struggled and struggkd. When at last they reached IM/oot of the dam. they stuck their Mads up out of the waul' and, grabbing onto the rocks so as not to once again be swept away by the water, cast their gaze upwards. The dam was so high that they lost all hope of ever bein, able 10 jump over iI. '1V e will neve' get back again to our fortress. our st,on,holtl," they said crying.

Just at that moment a big hungry fish swam close by. When the littlefrsh saw it their eyes nearly popped out of their heads with/right! It came closer to them with its mouth wUU open. There was no time to run and hide. Wllhout stopping to think, they jumped as high as they could. all three at once! TheJright gave them so much strength that they jumped high ellQUglt to make it lY' and over the dam.jalling once again into the lake on 1M oth«r siih,

"We will never again leave our stronghold!" thzy cried, and swam towards their mothe,_

D. Game: "Who is Knocking: at My Door?"

I I

One child is blindfolded and sits down on a bench with his back to ~eryone else. The

teacher points to another child. who goes up to the child who is seated and knocks on the bench. The child who is seated says: • 'Who is knocking at my door?" The other. trying to disguise his voice. says "It's mel" The child who is seated tnes to guess who is knocIdllJ. The blindfolded child has three guesses. and then it is another child's tum to be blindfolded.

E. Coloring: Drawing 14.

Children's Classes- 47

LESSON 15

1bis is the last lesson of this course. As you know, during the year you will repeat each lesson at least three times so that the children learn its content well. Remember that in this lesson, after the prayers, the children should review the prayer they have been learning in the last four lessons. The other activi ties of this lesson are as follows:

A. Songs (including songs from previous lessons):

That is How Baha'is Should Be

C

I love the Master 07

the Master loves me

C

He shows me how Baha'Is should be

Cmaj7 F D#o

trusting in God faithfully (D#dim) G7 C

that is how Baha'Is should be

I love the Master the Master loves me

He shows me how Baha'Is should be praying for guidance constantly That is how Baha'Is should be

[love the Master the Master loves me

He shows me how Bah~'is should be God's will, not my will, my prayer will be That is how Bahafs should be

B. Memorizing quotations:

Sometimes situations in life become difficult and we do not know what to do. God, our creator, knows everything. He knows when someone is sad or in troubls:. He loves us and is watching over us every moment of our lives. We should put our whole trust in God and, when we need help, tum to Him for assistance. To help us to remember to tum to God at aU times, let us memorize the following quotation:

"Put your trust in God, and commit your affairs to His Keeping."204

Trust

1. Edward had a problem and went to Hung Wei for help. Edward knows that Hung Wei will do all he can to help him. Edward trusts Hung Wei.

48 ~ Olildren's Classes

2.

Alieno wants to repair the roof of her house, but cannot doh alone. Alieno's friends tell her they will help. Trusting her friends. Alieno buys the materials.

<,

Affairs

1.

nus morning Mr. Paulson went to see the judge. then to the market, and later to his cousin's house. In each place he had many things to do. He had to attend to many affairs.

2.

Rose takes care of her younger brothers and sisters. does the homework assigned to her at school. and visits a neighbor who is sick, Rose keeps very busy tending to her affairs.

C. Story:

Sfnd was already very old. For many years he had travelled/ar and near teaching the Baha'i Fairh. Today he was going t. start out on another teaching trip, His son, Habfb.for the first time. was going to accompany him. It was snowing and very cold but. Sfnd was impatient to leave so they prepared the mules and started their journey. Theftrsr day they travelled past night/all until they found a toWn where they could rest and have something to ear. Although itwas not a dangerous town, the people were not very friendly, so SIn4 and HtJbfb had to sleep in a stable. The stable was very old and it seemed tha: more rain/ell inside than out. They passed the night waiting for dawn when they could continue their trip.

At last the sun rose and once again they mounted their mules. They travelled all day without rest, bur at night the only place they couldfind to sleep was an old, dirty Iwtel. The beds were full uf bugs, so they passed the whole night without sleeping, Thus they travelledfor rrumy days.

One day H tJb(b said to his father: ' 'Now I know why my older brother did not want to come on this journey, ., SInd laughed and said: • 'Yes. sometimes it is a little u.ncomfortable to travel through these regions." In spite oj the discomforts, they felt great joy when they arrived at a town where there were BaM'Cs, The BaM'ls always received them with happiness, and Sind encouraged them and helped them to better understand the teachings uf BaM' u'l/4h.

One day Sfn4 said to Habib: ''We are very close to a town where a great BaM.'ffriend of mine lives. We only have to pass through one village to get there. I do not know anyone in that village, and ifwe pass by it without stopping, we can be at my friend's house by night/all,"

So, of/they went. Very soon it began to rain, By the time they passed the village they were soaked, but they continued straight on without stopping. Because of 1M rain, the river swelled andjlooded the forest. I twas dijJlcult to find the path. and when night/ell they were lost. To make matters worse, SInd became sick. Soon he was paralyzed and could not even speak. HtJbfb decided 10 take his father back to the village they had passed. Maybe there they couldfind at least a stable to sleep in.

Children's Classes - 49

At last, having almost died of cold, and covered with mud, they entered the village. The people received them with warmth andfriendlinus. They were immediately taken to a house, where their host lit afire, put Sind 10 bed, covered him with blawts and did everything posswle to help him. An elderly woman stayed wilh him at his bedside all night and could not SlOp weeping. In Ihe early morning hours S(,w's condition improved, and once again he could speak.

SIM began to talk with me elderly woman, who explained that she had dreamt of SIn4 and his son three nights ago. In her dream she saw him lying unconscious,jusl as he had done lhe previous nigh I. Thus, she knew that his visit must have a special meaning,

The elderly woman asked Sina: "Where were you going 7" Sind answered: I 'We were going to visit a frlend in the next town," Speaking with care, SIn4 discovered thar his friend was the elderly woman's grandson and that she, too, was a Baha'i. Indeed, to their surprise, all of Ihe inhabitants of that village were BaM 'is.

Great is the power and guidance of God, He caused it to rain and the forest 10 be flooded. He caused them to get lost and Sfn4 10 get sick. in order to guiik them to this village and deepen their brothers and sisters. One should never doubt the power and guidance of God.

D. Game: "The Rhythm ..

All the children sit down in a circle. Very slowly. they perfonn the foliowin&' sequence:

1. Slap their legs once

2. Clap their hand once

3. Snap their fingers

4. Repeat the sequence time and time again.

When everyone has learned to carry the rhythm. let the group then callout the name of each child in tum, pronouncing the name at the moment they snap their fingers.

Afterwards. let one child say everybody's name while the rbythm continues aloud.

Variation:

Instead of names, each person could say a shape. color or quality; or you could count numbers.

E. Coloring: Drawing 15.

SO· Children's Qasses

./

REFERENCES

1. • Abdu 'l-Baha, "Tablets of 'A bdu 'l-Bahti " , Vol III, p. 579

2. 'Abdu'l-BaM, "Baht!."{ Prayers", (U.S. 1985 Edition) p.37

3. 'Abdu 'l-Baha, "The Promulgation of Universal Peace", (U.S. 1982 Edition) p, 52

4. Ibid., pp. 35-36

5. Baha'u'Ilah, "Gleanings from the Writings of BaM' u' /liih", CXXXII, (U.S. 1976 Edition) p. 288

6. 'Abdu'l-BaM, "BaM'{ Prayers", p.35

7. BaM'u'Uah, "The Hidden Words", No.1 (Arabic)

8. Baha'u'Ilah, "Baha'{ Prayers", pp. 144-145

9. B aha' u 'llah, "Gleanings from the W rilings of B ah,j' u'ltah". CX VI II. p, 250

10. 'Abdu'l-Baha, "BaM'{ Prayers", p. 152

11. Ibid., pp. 36-37

12. Baha'u'llah, "Hidden Won:.u", NO.3 (persian)

13. Baha' u'Ilah, "Gleanings from the Writings of B ahel' u' lldh", CXVII, p. 250

14. Baha'u'tUh, tiThe Advent of Divine Justice", [U.S. 1984 Edition) p.26

15. Baba'u'llan, "Gleanings from the Writings 0/ Baha' «tu«, CXV. p. 246

16. Baha'u'llah, "The Hidden Words", No. 42 (Arabic)

17. Baba'u'llan, "Tablers of BaM' u' lJah", p.71

18. Baha'u'Ilah, "Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u' ltah", CXX?,VI, p. 297

19. 'Abdu'I-Baba, "Baha'I Prayers", pp.37-38

20. BaM.'u'll<ih, "The Hidden Words", No. 49 (Persian)

21. Baha'u'llah, "Gleanings/rom the Writings of Baba'u' lldh", CLVI, p.334

22. BaM'u'llah, "The Hidden Words", No. 48 (Arabic)

23. Ibid., No.9 (Arabic)

24. Baha'u'Ilah, "The Advent of Divine Justice", p. 82

Children's Classes - 51

\ /
\ / I
-,
I /
\ /
-, / /"
./'
I ,,/
<, / /'
<, ./'
/' /'
....... ..-
.....
-- - -
- - ~
- - --.
.- -.....
,/ -
,./ .......
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......
.., ----

"So powerful is the light of unity that it can illumine the whole earth. II

/

"Oh Son of Spirit! My first counsel is this: Possess a pure, kindly and radiant heart."

/ I

"Tread ye the path of justice, for this, verily is the straight path."

"In the garden aftlly heart plant naught but the rose of love."

"That one indeed is a man who, today, dedicateth himself to the service of the entire human race."

"Truthfulness is the foundation of all human virtues."

o

o

o

o

o

-

a

"Supremely lofty will be thy station, if thou remainest steadfast in the Cause of they Lord,"

(

no Son of Man! Humble thyself before Me that I may graciously visit thee,"

tI Blessed is he who preferreth his brother before hi mself. 11

"Beautify your tongues, 0 people, with truthfulness, and adorn your souls with the ornament of honesty. II

"To give and be generous are attributes of Mine; well is it with him that adorneth himself with My virtues. II

-

-

( )

-

"Blessed is he w .

ho mmgleth with all •

. men In a spirit r

outmost kindll

mess and love."

------

"0 Son of Being! My love is My stronghold; he that entereth therein is safe and secure, and he that turneth away shall surely stray and perish."

U The sign of love is fortitude under My decree and patience under My trials."

II Put your trust in God, and commit your affairs to His keepihg. rr

Conducting Classes for Children

Purpose

To develop the skills and abilities needed to conduct classes for children, managing the class with a great deal of love and understanding and, at the same time, with the discipline necessary to create a proper leaming environment.

SECTION 1 • Conducting Classes for Children

TIle purpose of this course is to learn some methods and understand some basic ideas on how to conduct a Bah:i'{ class. In other courses you have studied the content of a simple class that includes memorizing quotations and prayers, learning short stories, playing, Singing and coloring. Your knowledge of the content of each class and the enthusiasm with which you prepare for it are important factors for the success of your efforts: yet, knowledge and enthusiasm are not enough to guarantee good results. Success also depends on the way you manage the class and 011 the quality of your relationships with the children and their parents. You already know that such relationships have to be based on unconditional love and deep respect. However, it is worthwhile to think about certain methods that will help you to be more effective in this meritorious service.

SECTION 2 - Organization of the Class

As you already know, children do not come to class to remain quiet and still. Neither should it be your intention to keep them that way. You should try to take advantage of their youthful energy and channel it into learntng. To do this. it is necessary to plan for quiet moments and also periods of activity and spontaneity. In all cases, organization is a basic element. When a class is well organized it is easier for the. children 10 concentrate and to learn. To begin thinking about organization of your class it is worthwhile to consider three points:

1. Each class should begin in a clear and consistent way, and end in an orderly way as well.

2. A daily routine needs to be established, Thus,little by little. the children come to know which activity follows which, and what to expect from the teacher.

3. The rime dedicated to each activity should be flexible and should depend on the enthusiasm and energy of the children. The five activities that you carry out with the children are:

a. Memorizing prayers and quotations from the BaM'{ Writings

b. Singing

c. Telling stories

d. Playing

e. Coloring drawings related to spiritual concepts

The time dedicated to these activities will naturally tend to differ in intensity and degree of movement; some will be very active periods and others, very tranquil.

Which of these five activities imply the most movement? _

Which are the more quiet activities?

2 ~ Conducting Children's Classes

The degree of intensity of the activities will help you organize your classes into a certain order. Read the following description of a class and decide whethcr there is logic in the sequence of activities.

The children organize themselves outside the class and then enter the room in an orderly manner. You take advantage of the calm atmosphere to begin the class with prayers, to review the quotations that the children have memorized and teach them a new one. The next activity you introduce is singing songs and then, after creating an atmosphere of anticipation, you tell the children a story. Afterwards they go out to play. When they return, you distribute the coloring sheets and allow them to color for some time. To end the class, all the children sit silently to think about what they have learned, and then say a closing prayer.

Now make a list of activities in the order that you would like louse them in a class, How much time do you think is necessary for each activity?

Activity

Time

SECTION 3 .. Getting Started

If circumstances permit, the teacher should organize the children before entering class. The teacher can take roll call at this time. Upon hearing their name called children say • 'Good. morning" and take their place in line. At eaeh class a different child can be given the opponunity to occupy the. first place. This can be a reward for good behavior or for efforts shown in the previous class. Once the children are in line the teacher can speak with them about some aspect of good behavior. For example he/she can say: • 'Now, children, we are going to begin in silence and sit down to say some prayers. Today we will try especially [0 be courteous to each other."

After entering the classroom the children can put away their tlungs and seat themselves for prayers. [f the children learn from the first day that this is always the way things are done, it will be easy to begin the class and to maintain discipline and order.

Consult with your group about the following questions:

I. What would you do if the children began pushi ng, making a lot of noise and creating disorder in the line?

a. ___

b, ~

c. ___

Conducting Children's Classes - 3

2. What would you do if one chitd did not want to be next to another in line'!

a.~~~ _

b. _

c. __ ~ _

3. What would you do if. in the classroom, children started fighting over a seat1

a. _

b. _

c. _

4. What would you do if the children lined up in a very orderly way. entered the classroom calmly, and sat down in silence to pray?

a. _

b. _

c. ___

5. What would the children do if, after being seated and ready to begin. the teacher was still not prepared and was looking for materials for the first activity'!

a. ___

b. ___

c, ___

SECTION 4 .. The Period of Prayers

The period of prayers at the beginning of each class is very important. In the first place. prayers bring the blessings and assistance of God to the children. Their intelligence is awakened and their capacity for understanding is increased. Prayers also help create an atmosphere of devotion towards God which favors the process of learning.

'Abdu'l-BaM says:

"Every day at first light, ye gather the Bah'" children together and teech them the communes and prayers. This Is a most praiseworthy act, and bringeth joy to the children '5 hearts: that they should, at every mom, tum their faces toward the Kingdom and make mention of the Lord and praise His Name, and in the sweetest of voices, chant and reelte."!

While the children are praying. you should try to maintain a spiritual atmosphere in the class. This implies that all the children are sitting silently and respectfully while another one is saying a prayer.

When the first prayer is finished. everyone should remain silent for a few moments before the next prayer begins. It is often difficult for small children to stay seated and quiet for

4 . Conducting Children's Oasses

long periods of time. It is better for only three or four children to say prayers in a spiritual atmosphere than for all the children to pray while there is noise and movement. It is advisable to select in advance the three or four children who will say prayers, and for the teacher to be the first person to say a prayer.

Consult with your group about the following questions:

1. Why is it necessary to begin the class with prayers?

2. What blessings do the children receive through prayet1

3. How should the children say their prayers?

4. What does it mean to be seated respectfully'? Can you demonstrate?

5. How could you reward the children who behave very well during prayers?

6. During prayers, a child becomes distracted and begins tallting to his friend. What would be the results of the following actions that you could take?

a. Interrupt the prayers and remind the cblldren that they should be silent.

b. AsK the child to leave the class.

c. Do not allow the child to say prayers aloud for several days.

d. Ignore the child.

e. Scold the child harshly.

7. Some children start to scold theirelassmates for having made a greatdeal of noise during the prayers. What are the advantages of the following actions that you could take?

a. Remind them th~Ht is the teacher's duty to correct the children.

b. Let the children correct each other.

c. Stop the prayers and demand that the children remain quiet.

d. Remind them from the beginning of class how they should behave.

e. Ask. the child who started talking to leave the class.

SECTION 5· Discipline

Abdu'I~Bahl1 says:

" ••• the children's school must be a place of utmost discipline and order, that instruction must be thorough, and provision must be made for the rectification and refinement or character; so that, in his earliest years, within the very essence orthe child, the divine foundation will be laid and the structure of holiness raised up.'"

In all the diverse activities of your class there is a very important factor which influences success: the children's behavior. Much of the art of teaching consists in knowing

Conducting Children's Classes - 5

how to guide each child so thai his behavior contributes to a joyful yet disciplined learning atmosphere. There are many details about promoting this type of behavior that you willleam through your own experience. However, the following basic ideas will help you get organized at the beginning.

Children have a natural interest to Icam. Gencrall y, they will work fine without misbehaving if they are given something interesting to do that is neither too difficult nor too easy.

For example. how can a teacher prevent difficulties in the following situations'!

I. A child or group of children have finished an activity and have nothing else to do.

2. A child or group of children do not understand what they should do, or the work is too di fficult for them.

3. The activity is too easy for one or several children.

4. The children are left waiting for a long time for the teacher to begin an activity.

Consider each situation mentioned above and write down some ideas to prevent disorder in the class.

1. 2 3. 4.

After writing down your ideas, consult with your group about your solutions.

Disorder . may also occur during transition time between activities. Some experienced teachers suggest to use songs in these situations. Having the children sing keeps them from talking and becoming distracted. Singing is also a good way to enjoy activities Lhat are generally not very interesting for children. For example, whcn it is time to arrange and clean up the class, lhey may sing: "Now it's time to clean the class. clean the class, clean the class!"

SECTION 6 - Rules

'Abdu 'I-BahA says:

"The root cause of wrongdoing is ignorance, and we must therefore hold fast to the tools of perception and knowledge. Good character must be taught. Light must be spread afar, so that, in the school of humanity, all may acquire the heavenly characteristics of the spirit, and see for themselves beyond any doubt

6 - Conducting Children's Classes

that there is no fiercer hell, no more fiery abyss, than to possess a character that is evil and unsound; no more darksome pit nor loathsome torment that to show forth qualities which deserve to be condemned. "3

Spiritual education eliminates the need for the drastic discipline that uses constant scolding and harsh punishments. From the very first day. the teacher needs to infuse the children with the love of God, a love that instills good behavior in every fervent follower of Baha'u'Ilan, The children's desire to live according to spiritual laws will then increase day by day. Stories of • A bdu 'I· B aha, the Perfect Exemplar of B aM'I life, can serve as a guide.

Nevertheless, sometimes the teacher finds that in spite of a great deal of Iov ing attention the children do not behave as expected. The following ideas may help the teacher maintain discipline and order in the class.

1. The first days of class are the most important days of the year. If an atmosphere of discipline and respect is established during these days, it will continue the entire year. Such an atmosphere can be attained if the teacher explains clearly the most important rules of behavior. A great deal depends on how the teacher explains the rules and enforces them. The teacher should be firm and consistent, yet at the same time friendly and full of tenderness.

2. In the beginning the teacher should choose several important rules of behavior (not more than three or four at a time). These rules are explained in a Simple language to the children. Very general rules like "the children should behave themselves" do not help them very much. but others like ., the children should not fight' , or "the children shou ld take turns speaking" are easy to understand. Consult with the group and add four rules to the following list:

The children:

a. Should not fight.

b. Should listen attentively.

c. Should await their tum courteously.

d. Should finish their work.

e. ___

(----------------------------------------------------g.---------------------------------------------------------

h. ___

3. When the children have assimilated these rules the teacher can introduce others. remembering that not many should be given at once. When a child repeatedly misbehaves, the teacher should think of ways to correct the child. Usually when a teacher loses patience, it is because she does not have a workable solution in mind. Let us remember the following words of 'Abdu '1- Baha;

"Whensoever a mother seeth that her child hath done well, let her praise anJ applaud him and cheer his heart; and if the slightest undersirable trait should manifest itself, let her counsel thechild and punish him, and use means

Conducting Children's Classes- 7

based on reason, even a slight verbal chastisement should this be necessary. It is not, however, permissible to strike a child, or vilify him, for the child's character will be totally perverted lt he be subjected to blows or verbal abuse.'~

SECTION 7 - Friendliness

The words one uses 10 speak with children reflect the teacher's sentiments. Consider, for example, these two phrases:

Elaine! Sit still and repeat with the others! Elaine, dear. repeat now with the others.

The second phrase clearly uses words that are softer. Yet, it also is possible to say "my dear" insincerely without feeling love. Being friendly depends first on the teacher's sincerity; then it may be expressed in words, by the tone of voice Or through gestures. The words we use to speak with and about children indicate our attitude towards them. Forexample, how would you feel towards a child who is often called stupid and ill-mannered? Do you feel love? Do you feel affection? Tenderness? What feelings are awakened in your heart when you think: of a child who is attentive and cooperative?

Now read the following words and indicate which are the appropriate words for a Bahli'! teacher to use when referring to the children. Which of these words do you hear frequently?

stupid cooperative too much
naughty selfish attentive
noble worthless happy
dumb precious nice
obedient ill-mannered obnoxious
tntelllgen; lady-like gentlemanly
trouble-maker In the world today there are two extreme opinions that a BaM'! teacher should avoid.

Traditional ideas of submitting a child to harsh punishment and rigid discipline are still applied in many places. As a reaction to this rigid point of view, there is a growing number of people who permit children to behave as they wish, allowing them absolute freedom. The task of the Baha'f teacher is to follow a moderate path, helping to form the child's spiritual character, with love, patience and wisdom.

In addition to the lessons in each class, the teacher has some tools he can utilize when a child does not behave.

1. An imponant element is counselling. The teacher should take time to speak with a child who needs help and counsel him. Of course, during these moments the reacher must be very loving and, at the same time. finn. He should not show anger or impatience. Consult with your group about the words you would use to counsel a child or a group of children.

2. If the teacher follows the advice of' Abdu 'l-Baha and frequently praises the children's

8· Conducting Children's Classes

positive actions, they will notice that a lack. of praise at any given moment.is a sign that the teacher does not approve of certain behaviors. This is a very subtle yet effective means of punishment.

3. If a child repeats an inappropriate behavior after having been counselled otherwise, the teacher can openly express disapproval. This is done in a tone of voice that is finn and respectful. For a child who is accustomed to receiving loving attention from his teacher, this constitutes severe punishmenL

SECTION 8 .. Reward

In order to follow the counsels of' Abdu'I-Bah4., we should think of ways of praising. nourishing and bringing joy to the hean of the child.

1. Children cannot be expected to behave well at all times. When they do, the teacher should applaud and praise them and give them a reward.

2. Rewards can sometimes be material, like a piece of fruit. Yet, mostly the rewards should consist of permission to spend more time at something the child likes to do.

How would you answer the following questions?

1. What do We observe in a class where the teacher does not say anything when the children misbehave?

2. What would we observe in a class wheretheteachersayswithacenain regularity that she is happy with the children when they behave well?

3. What effect would it have if the teacher told the children that at last they were behaving well. even though she thought they were incapable of doing so?

Now think pf some activities that the children like to do and that could be used as rewards. When the reason for the reward is explained, it wiD have a greater effect: for example, to say, "Jenny is going to hand out the papers today because she was very COUIteOUS towards her classmates" • is more effective than simply letting ber hand out the papers.

1. Be seated next to the teacher.

2, Choose the game.

3.

4.

S.

Cmducting Olildren's Classes . 9

SECTION 9 - Sanctions

in some cases it may be necessary for the teacher to adopt an even firmer attitude and to apply explici t sanctions. Exam pIes of such sanctions are: not allowing the child to color. arnot allowing him [Q participate in a game for several minutes. There are three essential ideas about this type of sanction. The first is that the child should know exactly why he is being punished. The teacher should clearly explain why by saying, for example, "Because you did such and such a thing, you must wait five minutes before entering the game." The second idea is That the sanctions must be applied immediately after the misbehaviour occurred because the child quickly forgets what he has done. The third idea is that the sanctions should be small and reasonable. For example, it does not make sense to deprive a child of playing for ancntire week.

Now consult with your group on this last point. Make a list of appropriate sanctions and another list of punishments that would be inappropriate for a Baha'i class.

Appropriate Sanctions:

I. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Inappropri ate Sanctions:

1. 2. 3.

SECTION 10 - Cooperation

The period dedicated to coloring also offers opportunities for the children to learn the kind of'dignified behavior that should distinguish Bab<i'fs. This period can especially be used to develop patience. order, discipline. cooperation, and the desire to share with others. The children always show a great desire to color: yet, if the teacher can not manage the class it can become very disordered.

Generally, the teacher helps each child during the first class to find a good place to carry out this activity. He begins by finding a place for the children who show qualities of patience. cooperation and courtesy. The child who pushes, demands attention and screams must wait his tum. However, if this same child, the next day, shows patience. the teacher would seize this opportunity to reward him or her for this new conduct.

10 ~ Conducting Children's Gasses

,

In handing out the crayons these same principles must be followed. In the beginning. the children could be allowed to choose a crayon from the box that the teacher has in' his hand. When they want to change colors, they should hand in the crayon they have and exchange it for anothei'. Thus the children will become accustomed to having only the crayon they are using. After several classes, when the children are mort disciplined. the crayons can be left in a central place. If the children continue the habit of using only one crayon at time. they have acquired more discipline and a sense of cooperation. If they start to take several crayons and keep them for their own use. the teacher should return to handing out the crayons.

Questions:

1. Name four qualities that the children can develop while they are coloring.

2. During the first classes. who should be in charge of handing out the crayons'] Why?

3. How does the teacher know when the children have progressed in discipline and cooperation?

SECTION 11 - Exercises

This section presents a series of questions and exercises related to the topic of discipline and behavior. You should think about these exercises a great deal and consult on each one with your tutor and your group.

I. Kumar and Sanjay al ways learn very quickly and then start to play together and make a lot of noise. 'This may indicate that:

a. These children are very naughty.

b. They are tired.

c. The lessons arc too difficult.

d. The lessons are too easy or short and they have become bored.

e. The teacher is tired.

Gita never responds to the questions-and she seems far away. ntis may mean that:

a. She is a very good girl.

b. She may be tired.

c. The lessons are very difficult for her.

d. The lessons arc too easy.

e. She does not like to memorize.

f. She may be sick.

3 After five minutes of class. all the children become restless and do not pay attention i,-, the teacher. 1bis may indicate that:

a. The children are ill-mannered.

b. They are tired.

c. They do not like to memorize.

Conducting Children's Classes - l l

d. The lesson is too easy.

e. The teacher docs not show interest in what she is teaching.

4. Hung Wei works for 15 minutes but afterwards starts to bother Ming Ling. This may indicate that:

a. Hung Wei always bothers the other children.

b. He is very fidgity e. He is li red.

d. He docs not like the teacher,

c. He is not interested in the lesson.

f. Hung Wei needs to lengthen the lime he concentrates on a given task

5. What would you do to remedy each of the four situations that have been used as examples?

Case 1:

Case 2:

Case 3: ~ ~ ___

Ca~c4· ~ ___

6. How can you know if the reason a child is bothering another is because he is naughty or because he is tired?

7. How can you tell whether a child is -tired or the work is too difficult for him?

8, I f the teacher loses her patience and becomes angry with tlic children, thismdicates that:

a, The children are unbearable.

b. 'The teacher is unbearable.

c. The teacher does not understand the children.

d. The teacher is ti red.

e. TIle teacher did not prepare for her class.

f. The children are just misbehaving.

g. The teacher should not teach the children any more..

h. Tbe teacher should speak with the parents so that they discipline the children.

12 - Conducting Children's Classes

9. What should the teacher do in order not to become angry with the children?

a. Not teach any more.

b. Only accept good children.

c. Pray before every class.

d. Try to understand the children's behavior.

10. At the beginning of the games, Sachiko begins to scream and push, and wants to be first, TIris indicates a tendency towards:

a. Patience.

b. Leadership.

c. Selfishness.

d. Cooperation.

Explain your answer. _

11. In Sachiko's case. the teacher should:

a. Let her be first so she will be quiet,

b. Not. aUow her to participate in this game and tell her that if she wants to participate in the next she should not scream and push like that.

c. Choose a patient child and say: • 'Tocho is going to be first because he is more patient. •. Then. if Sachiko calms down and is patient, let her participate in the third or fourth place.

d. Let her be first. but tell her she should not scream like that.

Explain your answer. _

12. Which of the foUowing actions seems best to you?

a. The teacher sits in one place and the children come to her to show her1heir coloring sheet or exchange crayons.

b. The teacher walks among the children handing out the crayons and helping them.

c. The teacher lets the children color and goes outside to talk with her friends.

13. What should the teacher do if. when she puts the crayons on the table, some of the children cooperate and share, but others still want to take more than one for their own exclusive use?

a. Choose one of the children who is sharing. give her all the crayons. and have her distribute them.

Conducting Children's Classes - 13

b. Collect all the extra crayons. then give one crayon to each child and lake away the coloring sheets from the selfish children so they cannot color for a few minutes,

c. Collect the crayons and coloring sheets and do not allow anyone to color any more.

d. Bring more crayons for the children who do not have any because others look too many.

e. Ask. all the children to place the crayons they are not using in the center of the table.

Explain your answer.

SECTION 12 - The Register

TIle success of our classes depends a great deal on the teacher's qualities and the way she carries out diverse activities. But the teacher also must have some instruments that help her organize the class and [allow the students' progress. One such instrument is the progress register, which we will examine in this section.

Angela, a Baha'i from the community of High Pastures, has the desire to teach children. She warns the children to begin developing spiritual qualities so the community will tum into a paradise of love and harmony, She feels that the children should learn each of the different lessons rhat she has prepared bUI knows that some of the children learn faster than others. Therefore, she has decided to have a register to be able to follow each child's progress. Here is what we observe after a few months.

To begin with, Angelalet the entire community knowthat she wanted to give children's classes every Sunday afternoon. On the first of September the following students were registered in her class:

Judy, 5 years old Frankjin,5 years old Maurice, 6 years old Martha, 6 years old Lucy, 6 years old Marcela. 6 years old Paula, 6 years old

Incs,5 years old Michael, 5 years old Arlene. 5 years old Alexander, 6 years old Joey, 5 years old Elaine, 5 years old Andrea, 6 years old

To register them. Angela wrote each name and age on a Conn as shown at the end of this lesson.

Angela started the first class on the 6th of September and felt very happy when Judy, Franklin, Martha, Lucy, Marcela, Michael, Arlene, Elaine and Andrea learned the first quotation. Angela wrote down the date in the first column beside the name of each child who knew how to say the quotation without help. Can you find these dates in the register form?

14 - Conducting Children's Classes

The second class, the 13th of September, was more difficult; only Franklin. Marcela, Elaine and Andrea learned the second quotation. Also, Maurice, Paul and Alexander finished memorizing the first quotation .

. For the third class, me 20th of September, Angela decided to review quotations 1 and 2 instead of teaching something new, Joey learned the first quotation. and Judy. Maurice, Lucy, Martha. Paula. Michael and Alexander learned the second quotation well.

In the fOUM class, the 27th of September. Angela started to leach the third quotation.

By the end of the class. Franklin. Maurice, Lucy. Marcela. Paula and Elaine had learned it. Also Ines and learned quotation 1. Angela was very happy to see that Ines had learned the first quotation with hcr mother's help and. with a great deal of satisfaction, wrote down the date in the register.

It was vcry exciting for Angela to sec me squares in the progress register get filled in.

One day same of the neighbors commented that they had noted a change in the children. Thcy were very pleased wi th the class. Upon hearing this, Angela became even more enthused. She continued her class, and with a great clcal of love and dedication obtained the following results:

Results of October 4:

Learned quotation 3: Judy, Martha. Arlene. Alexander and Joey.

Learned quotation 4; Franklin. Lucy, Paula. Andrea. Elaine, Marcela, Maurice and Michael

Results of October 18:

Learned quotation 5: Judy. Martha. Lucy and Alexander.

Note: Most of the children did not attend class because they were sick wiLh colds.

Results of October 24:

Learned quotation.5: Franklin, Andrea, Ines and Arlene. Note: Many of the children are still sick.

Results of November I:

Angela dedicated this day to helping the children who were behind. obtaining the

following results: •

Ines learned quotation 3

Alexander learned quotation 4

Andrea learned quotation 3

Results of November 8:

Learned quotation 6; Maurice, Lucy, Andrea, Ines, Michael, Arlene and Joey.

Conducting Children's Classes - 15

Now look at your register and answer the following questions:

1. How many children now know 6 quotations'?

2. How many children do not yet know quotation 4?

3. How many quotations does Joey know?

4. Wilh which children should Angela work the upcoming Sunday to help them progress a little more?

5. Which quotations does Martha still have to learn?

6. Which ones does Andrea still have to learn?

7. Write 3 ideas on how you could help Joey.

a. ___

b. ___

c. ___

8. What should Angela leach in the next class?

9. By examining the register, do you think thai. Angela should have acted differently after she saw the results of the October 4th class?

When yo-u begin YOUf children's class, to keep track of the quotations learned in your class, you may wish to use the register found on the next page.

16 ~ Conducting Children's Classes

Progress Report

Name Age 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Conducting Children's Classes - 17

Progress Report

Name Age 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Judy 5 S6 S20 04 018
Franklin 5 86 813 827 04 024
Maurice 6 513 S 20 527 04 N8
Martha 6 56 520 04 018
Lucy 6 56 520 527 04 018 N8
Marcela 6 56 513 527 04
Paula 6 513 520 527 04
Ines 5 527 Nl 024 N8
Michael 5 56 S20 04 N8
Arlene 5 56 04 024 N8
Alexander S S 13 S 20 04 Nl 018
Joey 5 sio 04 N8
Elaine S S6 S 13 527 04
Andrea 6 56 S 13 Nl 04 024 N8 18 - Conducting Children's Classes

SECTION 13 - Each Child's Family

In addition to knowing how to conduct a children's class well. you need to establish a very friendly relationship with the family of each child. We all know that children learn during every moment of their lives. Even before going to school. children have a1ready learned many. many things. They have learned to talk and walk, they can find their house, the store. and the houses of friends and relatives. They know of many anima1s and plants and know that there are things one buys with money. These are examples of the great store of knowledge chil dren have accumulated by the time they start school. Where have they learned all of this? They have learned it, of course, during daily activities with their families and neighbors. They learn most things from their parents and brothers and sisters. by imitating what they say and do. However, the education that children receive from their family is not very intense. The father spends most of his time working and very few hours are available for him to be with 'his family. The mother is almost always occupied with different tasks and docs not have much time for teaching the children directly. The children observe their parents. imitate them, and learn by their example. This is the principal way in which children learn. Because other family members do not have enough hours available either. they cannot arrange special classes for the children. Therefore. when a person decides to dedicate some of his or her time to the teaching of children. he/she is pcrfonning a very important service to the community. Whenever a children's class is organized. it becomes possible to take advantage of the special years during which children can learn casu y and quickl y. The retauonshi p bet ween the families and the cl ass then is very spcci al. The families trust teachers to teach their children correctly, and the teachers trust families to provide moral and material support, In the class, the children arc taught in accordance with the spiritual desires and aspirations of the parents. The parents support the educational program by means of their examples and by stimulating the children to participate. Therefore. it is very important to cultivate and maintain a very close and loving relationship between the families and the leacher.

1. Write some examples of what a child learns at home.

2. How do children learn during the family's daily life?

3. What is the main method used by families to teach children?

4. Why should a very close relationship be cultivated between the families and the Baha'l

children's class teacher? _

Conducting Children's Classes - 19

SECTION 14 - Relationship with Families

Unfortunately, the relatlonship between the teacher and the children's families is very often modelled after those seen in regular schools outside the Faith. In the atmosphere of hostility in which most educational systems operate, this relationship is one of mistrust and mutual accusation. Thus. teachers blame the parents for the children's misbehavior, and parents complain that the teachers do not know how to teach their children. It is clear that a teacher of Bah,'f classes should do everything possible to overcome these widespread conditions. The task of a Bah:l'f is always to help others, trying to pardon their faults instead of magnifying them. The teacher, then, should strive to get dose to the children's parents and consult with them constantly about the children's behavior in class and at home. A habit of having frequent and friendly conversations should be established, during which the children's outstanding qualities and achievements, however sm all they may be, should be discussed. Later. in consultation with the parents, you can decide how you are going to use these achievements. to further motivate the child to develop the qualities he/she already possesses.

Only under these conditions, and with a great deal of discretion, can some fault of the child be mentioned. The aim must be to find a positive way of collaboration between the family and the teacher, thus helping the child 10 correct his or her shortcomings.

'Ibis topic of the formal relationship between the teacher and the families is very broad and will not be covered in its entirety in this course. Little by little, you are going to learn to use the class as a means of helping the community's progress, of bringing education to all, and of contributing to cooperation and solidarity among the families. Since you are just starting out, too many tasks cannot be asked of you. The first, most important task that you have for now is to establish such an exemplary class that everyone in your community will admire the quality of your teaching and the progress of the children who attend it. However, you cannot achieve this alone and. as stated above. you will take advantages of many opportunities in consulting with members of each child's family.

To begin these conversations we suggest that you make a list of the spiritual qualities that you wish the children to develop, and for each quality. find a quotation from the Writings. Most of these quotations can be found in the material you are teaching to the children. You should find additional quotes in the other courses you are studying from your readings of the Sacred Writings. In your conversations with the children's families you should mention these qualities and comment on them, explain the corresponding quotations and consult on the way everyone can help develop these qualities in the children of the community. Once again, remember that your comments should be positive and that not the slightest trace of criticism should enter the conversation, neither in your words nor the tone of your voice.

20 - Conducting Children's Oasses