Spirit In The Learning Process

SUN., JUNE 1, 1986, 5:44 AM
FARM, STUDY

You come after several days away… and not as early as you planned. Your plan was a good one, and you may carry out the compromise, of which you just thought (or am I involved in this also?) You shall produce a Ruminations this month, and this title that I give this morning shall be its theme. This will require some diligent research, for I have taught you much on this theme, but most has come as part of Teachings with titles you will not recognize as relating to education. You needn’t find everything, but I do want quotes from a wide range of Teachings.

Hear, then, o son, as I speak to you on the learning process, with spirit as an important factor. On Friday last you were reimpressed with the spirit that can be developed in a group, with very little direct effort on your part. Now it is true that you could have conducted the class in a way that would not have brought forth spirit at all. (Actually you could no longer teach this way, but theoretically it could have been done.) You know how to do this, but you still are reluctant to do all that you know. Your second summer class, done after your Ruminations, will be an opportunity to truly test out virtually all that you know to do.

There are several key factors in achieving the fact of this morning’s theme. One, of course, is your own willingness to be the spiritual leader… to put in much of yourself as the process develops. Little things, like the willingness to get tests and papers back the following day… providing drinks and snacks… telling personal stories… are cumulatively as important as large schemes. Yet you cannot give more in the way of spirit than you have. Fortunately, you have sufficient spirit to be an effective teacher in the way of which I speak, and now as you become more conscious of this opportunity you shall develop as you practice what you know.

Another key factor is the interactions among learners. These come in groups of two to five around some task that gives opportunities to share feelings, convictions, and personal stories. Change the groups so that there is opportunity to interact with as many in the total class as possible. You certainly could devise a number system that would let you know how you are doing with this, as the class progresses.

Your use of outside speakers is another important factor, but exert the effort to involve the learners a bit more actively. Do some interviewing, introduce speakers more personally, and devise ways for the group to interact with each speaker, as well as hear their “content.”

Class at the Farm is, you realize, another key. You were blessed with a marvelous afternoon on Friday, but you also remember, vividly among many, the afternoon that it rained, and the experience was extraordinary. Be conscious of all that makes this Farm experience a contributor to spirit, particularly as it provides an opportunity for individuals to talk about their lives… as you share with them.