School Bells – Current Affairs – Grade 8 – Week 18
American Dream and spiritual goals
Goodness, these weeks pass quickly. As always, however, I am excited about meeting with the 8th grade students. The assignment for this week was:
For next week, I am suggesting that you and our families talk about what it means to have a spiritual goal. Instead of thinking about The American Dream think about a spiritual goal or ask if your American Dream is a spiritual goal. You and your families might have to define what you mean by spiritual.
This should be a very interesting class. I am particularly interested in how the students and their families define spiritual.
I hear the class coming now.
Me: Good morning class.
Class: Good morning Mr. Jim. Cookies?
Me: No cookies today but I promise some for next week before we take our December break. I am eager to hear what you and your families have to say about spiritual goals. I would first like to hear how families defined spiritual.
Paul: Although we go to church many of our friends have a different religious faith or are not involved in any religion. When we started talking we realized that we would consider all of them spiritual. Then we had to try to find the words for what we mean by spiritual.
Me: Did you look it up?
Paul: Yes, Uncle Jim because I know that would be the first question you asked. I have it here. The two definitions which the Oxford Dictionary gave were:
“Relating to or affecting the human spirit or soul as opposed to material or physical things.
Having a relationship biased on a profound level of mental or emotional communion.”
Then we had to look up the word communion. It said:
“The sharing or exchanging of intimate thoughts and feelings, especially on a mental or spiritual level.”
Me: What does this mean to you family Paul?
Paul: Everyone we know who comes to our house is very loving and always helping other people.
Will: In our family, grandmother makes sure we help each other and are kind to each other. She gets really mad if we go to church and then treat each other mean.
Susie: Mr. Jim, in our family we don’t go to church but everyone is really kind. The most important thing is to share what we have and to help others who are hungry or need a warm coat. We think that is spiritual.
Abdul: When we came to this country a lot of people helped us. Some were Muslim and some were Christian and some were we don’t know.
Amena: We have some relatives who are very religious and go the mosque a lot but they are always saying that Allah does not like us because we do not go. They think it is very important to go to Mosque and observe all the traditions.
Ann: I know what you mean Amena. We have an Uncle who is a minister and he treats his wife and our cousins very mean. He says that God will not let us go to heaven.
Me: What does all this have to do with the American dream?
Tom: Sometimes it seems as it the American Dream is to have a lot of stuff instead of sharing it.
John: My sister who is in college says that she and her friends do not want a lot of stuff. Their dream is to make the world better for more people. She may join the Peace Corps.
Paul: My parents are proud when my sister and I help at the Soup Kitchen.
Susie: I want to have a big house with lots of bathrooms. We have one bathroom for six people. I would let other people come use the bathrooms. Would that be spiritual?
Me: Wow. You have again impressed me with how much you and your families have thought about this. It seems as if the American dream has always been different for some people. I wonder if the fact that some of your parents focused on making life easier for you if that gave you the possibility of thinking outside the box.
Paul: You, I and Sam have talked about that before Uncle Jim. It is … What is that word you used Uncle Jim?
Me: I think you mean ironic. What does it mean Paul?
Paul: I think it means that something which seems not to be true is true. In this case, I think it means that first having a lot helps Sam and me think about not needing so much.
Me: Paul, I am very impressed. That is exactly what it means in this case. At least that is what it means to me. It is wonderful that you and Sam appreciate this fact.
John: Are you saying that first one has to not be hungry or cold because then they can think of helping others? That is part of what we decided.
Me: I think that is partly true, but I also think we have to be careful with that statement. When my office was next to the center for homeless people, often they helped me in lots of small ways. They were often kinder without expecting anything in return than people who had a lot. There were some who were so focused on surviving that they did not notice what others needed.
Susie: It seems as if our dreams may be different than that of our parents or some other people.
Will: It also seems as if spiritual and religious might or might not go together.
Me: We do seem to be saying both of those things. Goodness. The time has flown by again. For next week, the assignment is to discuss with your family whether it is important to set daily spiritual goals and what might they be? Will and Susie will you please pass out the assignment?
Will and Susie: Yes, Mr. Jim.
They pass out the assignment.
Me: Have a good week everyone.
Ring! Ring! Ring!
Written December 13, 2016
American Dream and spiritual goals
Goodness, these weeks pass quickly. As always, however, I am excited about meeting with the 8th grade students. The assignment for this week was:
For next week, I am suggesting that you and our families talk about what it means to have a spiritual goal. Instead of thinking about The American Dream think about a spiritual goal or ask if your American Dream is a spiritual goal. You and your families might have to define what you mean by spiritual.
This should be a very interesting class. I am particularly interested in how the students and their families define spiritual.
I hear the class coming now.
Me: Good morning class.
Class: Good morning Mr. Jim. Cookies?
Me: No cookies today but I promise some for next week before we take our December break. I am eager to hear what you and your families have to say about spiritual goals. I would first like to hear how families defined spiritual.
Paul: Although we go to church many of our friends have a different religious faith or are not involved in any religion. When we started talking we realized that we would consider all of them spiritual. Then we had to try to find the words for what we mean by spiritual.
Me: Did you look it up?
Paul: Yes, Uncle Jim because I know that would be the first question you asked. I have it here. The two definitions which the Oxford Dictionary gave were:
“Relating to or affecting the human spirit or soul as opposed to material or physical things.
Having a relationship biased on a profound level of mental or emotional communion.”
Then we had to look up the word communion. It said:
“The sharing or exchanging of intimate thoughts and feelings, especially on a mental or spiritual level.”
Me: What does this mean to you family Paul?
Paul: Everyone we know who comes to our house is very loving and always helping other people.
Will: In our family, grandmother makes sure we help each other and are kind to each other. She gets really mad if we go to church and then treat each other mean.
Susie: Mr. Jim, in our family we don’t go to church but everyone is really kind. The most important thing is to share what we have and to help others who are hungry or need a warm coat. We think that is spiritual.
Abdul: When we came to this country a lot of people helped us. Some were Muslim and some were Christian and some were we don’t know.
Amena: We have some relatives who are very religious and go the mosque a lot but they are always saying that Allah does not like us because we do not go. They think it is very important to go to Mosque and observe all the traditions.
Ann: I know what you mean Amena. We have an Uncle who is a minister and he treats his wife and our cousins very mean. He says that God will not let us go to heaven.
Me: What does all this have to do with the American dream?
Tom: Sometimes it seems as it the American Dream is to have a lot of stuff instead of sharing it.
John: My sister who is in college says that she and her friends do not want a lot of stuff. Their dream is to make the world better for more people. She may join the Peace Corps.
Paul: My parents are proud when my sister and I help at the Soup Kitchen.
Susie: I want to have a big house with lots of bathrooms. We have one bathroom for six people. I would let other people come use the bathrooms. Would that be spiritual?
Me: Wow. You have again impressed me with how much you and your families have thought about this. It seems as if the American dream has always been different for some people. I wonder if the fact that some of your parents focused on making life easier for you if that gave you the possibility of thinking outside the box.
Paul: You, I and Sam have talked about that before Uncle Jim. It is … What is that word you used Uncle Jim?
Me: I think you mean ironic. What does it mean Paul?
Paul: I think it means that something which seems not to be true is true. In this case, I think it means that first having a lot helps Sam and me think about not needing so much.
Me: Paul, I am very impressed. That is exactly what it means in this case. At least that is what it means to me. It is wonderful that you and Sam appreciate this fact.
John: Are you saying that first one has to not be hungry or cold because then they can think of helping others? That is part of what we decided.
Me: I think that is partly true, but I also think we have to be careful with that statement. When my office was next to the center for homeless people, often they helped me in lots of small ways. They were often kinder without expecting anything in return than people who had a lot. There were some who were so focused on surviving that they did not notice what others needed.
Susie: It seems as if our dreams may be different than that of our parents or some other people.
Will: It also seems as if spiritual and religious might or might not go together.
Me: We do seem to be saying both of those things. Goodness. The time has flown by again. For next week, the assignment is to discuss with your family whether it is important to set daily spiritual goals and what might they be? Will and Susie will you please pass out the assignment?
Will and Susie: Yes, Mr. Jim.
They pass out the assignment.
Me: Have a good week everyone.
Ring! Ring! Ring!
Written December 13, 2016
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