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Welcome to the November 2003 Issue. This month:
Please do send us an email if you have any feedback about this newsletter, or if you'd like to share your experiences of SSEHV, to: feedback@ssehv.org.uk. Kind
Regards, |
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25 teachers and head teachers from seven Newcastle Primary Schools attended an SSEHV Training Day at a local school in October. The BISSE representatives who staged the training and who had left home at 5.00am to travel to Newcastle in time for an 8.30am start, were very warmly received. Everyone enjoyed the day and the teachers participated in the training exercises with enthusiasm. Following the Training Day, the head teacher of the host school wrote, "…the SSEHV Programme was well received... The programme of activities was very relevant to both Key Stages 1 and 2, and suggested many ways in which PHSE and Citizenship could be introduced into the school curriculum. The programme materials were particularly appropriate for introducing a range of activities to include, circle time, story time, thinking skills, music and singing with actions. Also the programme encourages children to work together and be willing to share their feelings. From group-work the teachers came up with wonderful ideas for activities which would encourage children to have good feelings for one another, to share their feelings, to discuss moral issues e.g. strong feelings of right and wrong and to promote good social behaviour. Since the Training Day, staff have used many of the ideas from the course in their own teaching and the feedback has been very positive. New Reception children have been encouraged to sit quietly within the circle time and listen to music. Following this they were encouraged to discuss their feelings about the music etc. It is hoped to implement many of the ideas within the SSEHV into the school's PHSE and citizenship curriculum. The evaluation feedback from course members ranged from excellent to very good." |
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A two-day half-term weekend SSEHV camp took place in Oxford on 1st - 2nd November. At the end of the first day, one six year old child told his mother, "It was the best day of my life!" That comment alone more than recompensed the organisers and volunteers for all their hard work in making the camp happen. But that little boy was just one of nineteen children who attended and benefited from the joy and the learning that abounded throughout the weekend. Even though the experience lasted only two short days, it was possible to see positive changes in the children as their self confidence increased, and they became calmer and more relaxed. Activities at the camp included Choi Kwang-Do, drama, sports, games, singing, SSEHV lessons and silent sitting. Following
the success of the weekend camp, a Good Values Club, a week long summer
camp and a Sathya Sai School are all planned for the Oxford area. |
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A Day in the Life of Mary It was a Saturday morning and Mary was at home, wondering whether to go to her school's annual fete. Instead of feeling excited about the prospect of this special day, meeting friends, joining in games and generally having fun, Mary felt depressed. For Mary life had become a world of constant pain, isolation and rejection. She found it too upsetting at times to think about why the children in her class rejected her so much, but she knew it was to do with her father. Mary's father was German and this was post-war Britain. Everyone, it seemed, held deep hatred towards Germany and any association with a German, or even the mention of the word, provoked a nasty reaction. She was now 14 years old and had been subjected to many years of racism including physical and verbal attacks, not only from children in her local school, but also from their parents and even from some of the teachers too. Mary decided she must attend the fete. It was surely a sign of cowardice not to go, and besides, why should she have to hide herself away in fear? On arriving at the fete, she wandered around the stalls alone. Suddenly, she felt a tap on the shoulder. She turned round and came face to face with Sandra. Startled, Mary asked her what she wanted. "Look, I'm sorry for what happened this week in school. I had no choice. I had to say those things - that you beat up the smaller children on the bus, that you were always causing trouble to us all - you and your sister," Sandra replied. Suddenly, Mary felt angry. "Do you have any idea what it feels like to be constantly persecuted and accused of things you haven't done? To be condemned as worthless? To live in constant fear because you never know what will happen next?" she exploded. "I'm sorry. I had to go along with things, I had no choice," Sandra replied, sadness and shame creeping into her voice. "How could we have done the things you accused us of?" demanded Mary. "By the time the bus picks us up in the morning all of you are seated in the back rows engrossed in talking to each other. You ignore us. My sister and I sit at the front with the small children. But no, you couldn't all stop at leaving us out, you had to make up stories and accuse us of beating up these small children." Sandra
started to look quite sorrowful and put her head down. Then she too became
quite angry. "Look, I said I was sorry for what happened. I had to
take their side because there was nothing else I could do. If I took your
side they would beat me up too." |
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A new weekly lunch hour Good Values Club has been established in a primary school in Leicester. Approximately twenty children are currently attending the club which has been set up and is being run by Michele White. Two parents, one of whom is a school governor, and two teachers from the school are also helping to run the club. Another
established Good Values Club in Leicester run by Dipak Fakey now has more
than 150 children attending on a regular basis. |
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Copyright
© 2003 British Institute of Sathya Sai Education (BISSE). BISSE is
a non-profit organisation committed to promoting human values in education.
Registered address: The Glen, Cuckoo Hill, Pinner, Middlesex HA5 2BE United Kingdom Tel: +44 (0) 20 8429 2677 Email: enquiries@ssehv.org.uk |