Interesting things at Dharma School today (original) (raw)

Dharma school is our Sunday school for children 3 and up at our Buddhist Center.

When Lama Chuck asked me to be a part of it, I did not want to becuase I wanted to wait until I was done with school -Until I was a certified Elementary and Special Ed teacher. Lama Chuck wouldn't have it. They needed me now; if I didn't sign up the other moms wouldn't do it, they needed at least 4 moms. So, I signed up half-heartedly.

Now, I am really glad I choose to do it. Now, I do it whole heartedly. Last night I was up until 2 am working on my homework and I was still energized enough to get up at 7 am to get ready to go in to the Dharma School. We were still late.
What I have found is that I have an excellent opportunity to use what I am learning in my Ed classes on a weekly basis.
I really think I make a difference and this makes a difference in my life as well.

Today we had a mom who wanted to observe, because she thought her 10 year old son was too old to be up there and that he should be downstairs with her for 2 hours sitting on a cushion. Immediately, I began throwing out teacher lingo about differentiated learning and the multi levels of Buddhism. The child really wanted to stay upstairs with us. Yes, he is 10. Yes, he is mature for his age, but sitting on a cushion for two hours chanting mantras, doing meditations, and listening to the dharma talk is just too much for someone not old enough to drive a car!
In fact, I do not know if I will ever go back downstairs to service again. I am so rewarded by helping the children.

Perhaps I should say that as an Elementary and Special Ed major I work to make everything we do in the Dharma School highly kinesthetic with total child participation. We rarely have the children sitting on a cushion just listening without interacting with them directly. Every Sunday we give offerings, do prostrations, do yoga or Tai Chi, meditation, read a dharma story, and perform an activity that goes along with the dharma story. We end with a song and dedication of merit. So we, Dharma Mommies, really work to create a fun atmosphere for the children.

Even the strict mom whose child is too quite to seem real has learned through my modeling to interact with the children to teach them rules and boundaries rather than barking orders at them.

So, at the end of the session, the mom who wasn't sure he son should be in Dharma School rather than at the service volunteered to help out with the Dharma school and help us clean.