Spirituality versus Indoctrination

Why do we shy away from engaging in any type of spiritual conversation in the classroom? Is it not largely because we are afraid of indoctrinating? My position is that there is a lot of room for spirituality before indoctrination becomes an issue. Let me define my terms. Spirituality has to do with considering what is beautiful, unexplainable, mysterious, awesome. Creation, art, music, the emotions and some amazing facts of science are pathways to spirituality, where our minds and hearts are turned upward. We exclaim "how can that be?" or "that's amazing, how did that happen!?" Indoctrination imposes a particular set of beliefs on others. Spirituality is open, indoctrination closed.
So I issue the challenge to myself and to my colleagues: let's not be afraid to open the classroom up to the mysteries of life and the universe. These things elevate the mind, inspire the heart, stimulate the intellect. Why back away from educating the soul? We may not be at liberty to answer on our terms the student's spiritual quest, but without the quest itself being set in motion, the answers will not be wanted.  

Boosting Flatline Teaching

There is a certain stability in the expected, and a certain predictability in boredom. Is this what keeps students quietly passive in the linear world of note taking and copying from blackboards and overhead screens? If the controlled atmosphere of scribing on flat surfaces ensures a certain stultifying order of things, then schooling has little to do with being inspired. I find that sidestepping curricular demands can provide a needed boost to a sense of pleasure in learning. An educational game, a conversation about real life, a get-up-and-move-around activity, a rythmic recitation or a song can add depth and colour to the otherwise bland decor of school. In the end, I believe these so-called "unnecessary" activities provide connection and richer meaning to learning in the classroom.