The Inner Landscape of the Child

Question:

“We teach who we are” (Parker Palmer). Critically explore this statement making reference to the importance of fostering the inner life of the teacher and how this can influence the spiritual lives of the young children they work with in early childhood settings.

Answer

In the present day, a young child is regarded as a person who is below the age of eighteen. Children who are between the ages of three to seven years tend to learn from their parents. They tend to imitate anything that they seem interesting (Ninio, 2018). Many parents prefer taking their children to school at the age of three and above. At this age, the child has started talking, and therefore the teacher can easily communicate with him.

Notably, a child learns his first language from his parents. Those children who are born in indigenous cultures tend to speak the language that their parents use to communicate. In other words, children can easily understand something from those whom they interact with daily.

Children always imitate the lives of their role models. As far as childhood life is concerned, a role model is anyone who frequently interacts with the child (Freud, 2018). The child will only imitate the actions of such people. However, not all activities of the role models are recommended for the child. Bad behaviors should not be embraced in front of the children.

The main reason behind this is that young children do not know how to differentiate between wrong and right. They can imitate anything as long as it is being done by those who they are close to. Therefore, this essay discusses the importance of fostering the inner life of the teacher and how it can influence the spiritual lives of young children.

In this context, the inner life represents human attributes that cannot be seen but can be felt through actions. People do behave differently in various situations. The inner human being is made up of a person’s behavior and actions.

The frequent actions of the person can determine these actions. For instance, a child’s behavior can be determined from whatever he is fond of doing or his reasoning. In the teaching profession, children are likely to imitate the behavior of their teachers.

Teachers act as parents as well since they are always close to the children. A teacher with a good character is likely to impart such characters to the children whom they interact with. On the other hand, a teacher with evil characters can also foster such characters to the children. Therefore, it is ideal for focusing on the teachers for the betterment of the children.

Teachers’ training colleges and other institutions of higher learning should implement the right teaching strategies. They should develop useful codes of conduct and effective values and standards. These values should aim at imparting good teaching knowledge and skills. Apart from the knowledge and skills, the institutions should also train the teachers on how to have a better inner life.

In the early years, many schools were established by the missionaries and religious groups. Therefore, whoever went to such schools was likely to learn religious values and standards. For instance, an institution which is sponsored by a Christian church does have a program related to religion. Consequently, an institution that is run under Muslim culture will automatically have some programs related to religion. Therefore, the teachers’ training institutes can foster a good inner life for the teachers.

Parents trust teachers with their children. Many parents do not want to have their children wasted in regards to character and personality. A good parent would wish his or her child to have good characters. Therefore, some parents prefer some schools for others. Apart from the academic performance in different schools, parents also look at the behavior of children in that particular school.

A parent would not take a child to school, which is notoriously known for bad behaviors. The blame is always focused on the teachers in circumstances where the children behave in a wrong manner. This indicates that the teachers have the responsibility to straighten the behavior of a child. Therefore, it is good to foster a good inner life for the teacher.

Teachers are the critical pillars in shaping the next generation. The next generation depends on the current young children. Children can only implement whatever they are taught. Notably, all professionals, religious leaders, and everyone who is in power went through a school. The current generation can predict the traditional modes of teaching and the characters of the then teachers.

As far as spirituality is concerned, children align themselves to the first religion that they are introduced to by their teacher. The spirituality of the next generation depends on the current teachings that are imparted to young children (Davies and Guest, 2016). Teachers who are spiritually oriented are likely to shape a spiritual feature. In this regard, I mean that these teachers are capable of drawing many children to the spirituality of their choice.

Teachers have immediate contact with the children. Young children tend to have a good time with their teachers. During school days, children spend most of their time in school than at home. Ideally, children can quickly learn from those people who are close to them daily.

The children can learn a bad or good character from the teachers due to such frequent interaction. Teachers should be taught how to cooperate with the children in an effective way such that the children can learn from them. This can be done by fostering the inner life of the teacher by teaching him ethical values.

Also, children can quickly form a relationship with strangers. Unlike adults, young people tend to cooperate with their colleagues, even if they have never met before. Children can easily make good friendships with other children on the first day of the meeting. For example, a child can play with other children during a family tour without knowing the names of their colleagues.

They only need cooperation and assistance (Winncott, 2018). If a child finds someone who can cooperate with his, there is a likelihood of an interaction between them. Therefore, teachers have the best opportunity to form a good relationship with the children.

Teachers are the core role models and mentors of the children. Apart from teaching, teachers also offer mentorship services to children. In a mentorship program, the mentees tend to imitate the actions of the mentor. In other words, they admire the mentor’s lifestyle.

A teacher can use this opportunity to shape the spiritual life of the child. A teacher who is aligned with a specific spiritual background can easily influence the life of the children. The children can follow the teachers’ spiritual knowledge.

In terms of role models, teachers are in a better position to shape the life of the children. They should act as an example so that the children can imitate the right actions from them. For example, a teacher who speaks rudely to the children is likely to influence the children to talk in the same manner.

Consequently, a polite and respectful teacher can also impart politeness to the children. In many cases, children tend to do what their teacher told them. Whenever the child is away from school, they can still imitate what they saw their teacher doing.

Research indicates that children are first learners than adults (Arciuli and Simpson, 2012). Children learn through different means. A teacher can implement effective learning strategies that the children are well conversant with. Some teachers teach young children through songs and repetition of words. Such a rhythmic style is essential as far as teaching young children is concerned.

Children can easily master something from their peers.  The teachers can easily influence the lives of the children through their actions and characters. The best way to teach a child is through actions. Children can quickly learn from practical activities as opposed to theoretical work.

Children are always innocent. Ideally, young children do not know how to compare between good and evil. According to psychology, young children tend to tell the truth than adults. In an instance of wrongdoing, children are likely to be the best witness. Sometimes, the courts of law use the children who were present at the crime scene to find the truth.

Children can openly say whatever they know without fear of contradiction. Such innocence enables children to learn faster. Moreover, children can easily tell their parents whatever they learned from the teacher. Therefore, children can tell their parents what their teacher does.

Moreover, young children are more faithful then adults. They tend to act in the way they are told to. When the teacher tells the children to jump, they do respond quickly. Unlike adults, children do not have any questions regarding what they are told to do. Adults can either ask for a reward or the reason why they are asked to do anything.

Adults tend to look at the relevance of something before acting. Therefore, teachers can easily foster good characters in the lives of the children. Teachers can only teach good characters with a good inner life. The inner life of a teacher is capable of shaping his character. Therefore, a teacher can teach what he thinks is right. A good teacher cannot teach evil practices to the children.

Spirituality refers to the unseen condition of human beings. Spirituality is mostly concerned with religion (Granqvist and Kirkpatrick, 2013). In other words, spirituality is the act of being spiritual. Human spirituality can be determined by way of talking, dressing, and even communication.

In contemporary society, there are different religions. Statistics indicate that the most dominant religious groups are Christianity and Muslim. Each religion has its way of doing things. A person’s religion can be determined by his or her lifestyle.

Dressing code is one of the determinants of religion. Christians dress differently from Muslims. Muslims wear long clothes as well as head cover, whereas Christians do not (Sarkissian, 2012). This is an indication that someone’s religion can be portrayed by way of dressing and interaction with people. Therefore, a child can learn the type of religion from their teachers. They can tell from the dressing codes of their teacher. Though the children might not know the meaning of the dressing code, they can imitate the dressing code. In the long run, this can influence the spiritual life of the children.

Children learn through questions. Ideally, asking questions is one of the best learning strategies that children portray. They tend to ask questions about anything that they do not know. Many children are always curious about the environment. Therefore, they can even ask some rhetoric questions which they intend to know (Thornton, 2018). The children perceive that their teachers should know everything.

A teacher is regarded as a solution to the problems that are faced by the children. Therefore, children do not hesitate to ask their teachers any question as long as they need an answer. This indicates that the teacher can influence not only the academic life of the children but also their spiritual life.

As far as religion is concerned, spiritual faith plays a crucial role in human spirituality. Young children can be taught how to live a spiritual life by their teachers. Children perceive that whatever their teachers teach them is always right.

Young children seek guidance from the teachers at any point in need because they are easily trustable. Young children are not fond of telling lies. They act according to what the teachers teach them. Teachers have the mandate to tell the children the truth and to ensure that they are good citizens.

In conclusion, it is essential to foster the inner life of the teachers. This can be done through the teachers’ pieces of training in different institutions of higher learning. These institutions should ensure that the teachers are trained not only academically but also spiritually. Teachers have a more significant role in shaping the spiritual life of children. Children have familiar characters that enable them to learn from those who are close to them.

Such characters include faithfulness, truthfulness, and trustworthiness. Teachers also act as role models as well as mentors. The children are the mentees who tend to imitate the lifestyle of their teachers. Therefore, a teacher’s actions and spiritual growth can easily influence the spiritual life of the children with who they interact.

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