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December 2007
A
regular e-zine from the British Institute of Sathya Sai
Education www.ssehv.org.uk
Registered Charity No. 1118625
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HAPPY
CHRISTMAS
Dear
Readers
Welcome
to the last issue of the Sathya Sai Education in Human Values
UK email newsletter for 2007. Wishing you a year ahead filled
with Love, Peace, Truth, Right Conduct and Non-violence.
This
month:
The Making of a Mural
![](http://www.sathyasaiehv.org.uk/Newsletters/Dec07/owl.jpg)
Visiting the Sathya Sai School of Leicester
Five-Day SSEHV Event in West London
Thought for the Day - The Present Moment
Story: The Slippery Slope
Resources
Update
Training
Update
If
you have any feedback, or would like to share your experiences
of SSEHV, please write
to us.
Kind
Regards,
The Editor
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The Making of a Mural
In
the last issue we mentioned that Lark Beecham and Judith Bruni
recently painted a mural 24m long by 1.8m tall in the car park
of the Sathya Sai School in Leicester. This
issue we are delighted to share some pictures of the beautiful
painting which covers five panels, each one representing one
of the five elements. The mural incorporates five inspiring
quotations as well as images symbolising values such as wisdom,
friendship, strength, protection and love, with the whole progressing
from dawn at one end to dusk at the other.
Before
- the prepared wall before the painting begins:
![](http://www.sathyasaiehv.org.uk/Newsletters/Dec07/blankwall.jpg)
Part
of the first panel representing the protection and wisdom provided
by parents and guardians:
![](http://www.sathyasaiehv.org.uk/Newsletters/Dec07/owl.jpg)
Lark
at work on the first panel. The quotation reads: "Parents
must feel that they are servants appointed by the Lord to tend
the little souls that are born in their households":
![](http://www.sathyasaiehv.org.uk/Newsletters/Dec07/larkduring.jpg)
The
second panel emphasises the unity of all religions. The quotation
reads: "Let the children realise that prayer is universal
and that prayer in any language to any name reaches the same
God":
![](http://www.sathyasaiehv.org.uk/Newsletters/Dec07/secondpanel.jpg)
The
third panel depicts the sun shining on everyone:
![](http://www.sathyasaiehv.org.uk/Newsletters/Dec07/sun.jpg)
The
fourth panel (here not yet finished) depicts a beach scene with
children playing in the waves and flying kites, representing
friendship. The quotation reads: "Do you know what ABC
means? Always Be in good Company"
![](http://www.sathyasaiehv.org.uk/Newsletters/Dec07/panel.jpg)
The
fifth panel (not shown) depicts a peaceful evening scene with
a rainbow crossing the sea and swans silently gliding on a moonlit
lake while stars - representing the wisdom of teachers - punctuate
the darkness.
Both
artists thoroughly enjoyed working on the mural with the help
of children and teachers at the school. "The experience
of being at the school and witnessing the peace in the faces
of the children, being a part of their morning assembly and
lunchtimes, and feeling the love and dedication of the teachers
will go on and on inspiring me," said Lark. "I appreciate
how blessed I am to have had this opportunity to be in such
good company, with such generous and open hearted people."
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Visiting the Sathya Sai School of Leicester
By
Subita Mahtani
First
published in Love & Light
Our
visit to the Sathya Sai School in Leicester was pre-empted with
many high expectations, as we had heard so much about the school
and its achievements. Well, all that we expected was true and
so much more
.
Our
visit began with being welcomed by the beautiful mural which
brilliantly shared pictures and quotes that inspire the students,
teachers and parents of this human values school. It set the
scene marvellously for what was yet to come.
There
was a wonderful sense of peacefulness when walking into the
school building;1 the wet rainy grey of the outside was immediately
dispersed and replaced with a loving, warm, welcoming atmosphere.
When we entered the hall where the assembly had started, the
children were sitting lined up on mats in neat rows singing
with beautiful voices, each group taking turn to sing flawlessly,
very much synchronised, showing dedication, concentration and
patient practice.
The
teachers were sitting on the edges spread out evenly behind
the children. Once assembly was finished the children turned
around to face each teacher individually, giving both teacher
and children a chance to greet each other. The exchange was
loving, respectful and pure. When it came to our turn, even
though we had only been there for a few minutes, there was a
feeling of love and warmth that made us feel not like visitors,
but as if we had always been there.
The
first lesson we sat in on was focused on thinking about what
you say to others, and how your words will make them feel. The
lesson of harmony of thought word and deed was successfully
delivered using interactive methods, discussion, and promotion
of doing good. The children participated in a way that showed
they were not only taking in the moral value of what was being
taught, but the practical value as well, and were encouraged
to apply it immediately amongst their peers.
Each
lesson had a charm of its own. We experienced learning about
biographies, role plays focussing on current events, IT and
preserving the world's environment with the older year groups,
while with the younger ones we heard about world leaders who
are excellent role models, did puzzles, and watched angel arts
and crafts. All the lessons were professional, interactive,
inspiring and overflowing with human values, morals, ethics
and high ideals.
Lunch
was phenomenal to watch. Each class entered the lunch room silently,
took their food, settled into their seat and continued to eat
in silence. When finished they cleared up their table, asked
permission to take a wet cloth, wiped their place and then quietly
returned to their class room smiling from ear to ear, from eldest
to smallest. We watched in proud amazement.
The
new mobile classrooms were fantastic; they were spacious, bright,
and clean and had large windows which allowed an abundance of
natural sunlight to come in, creating an even warmer atmosphere
of love and happiness. They are well suited for the age group
and had model modernised amenities.
If
we thought the children were having fun in their academic classes,
we had yet to see where the real fun began. PE seemed to be
everyone's favourite. They were so enthusiastic to set up, make
teams, play the sport and then help clear up as well. There
was lots of excitement in the room, and when asked who wanted
to be the leader every single hand went up. We were amazed by
the confidence and eagerness to assist, as well as the easy
manner with which they accepted responsibility.
Each
and every aspect of the school encompassed love, respect, understanding,
happiness and enjoyment, just to mention a small number of the
attributes. Usha, Hoe and their team offer a wide range of talents
and expertise as well as dedication. Each individual teacher
gives so much of themselves, embodying a calm, thoughtful and
loving demeanour as well as maintaining a very professional
manner. We sincerely thank the entire faculty for their warm,
welcoming hospitality and for making our visit such a wonderful
experience.
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Five-Day SSEHV Event in West London
During
the October half-term, around 80 local children attended a five-day
SSEHV event at a primary school in North West London. A group
of volunteers lead by the camp co-ordinator Joyce
Power engaged the children in values-based activities including
drama, singing, story-telling, out-door play and sports.
The
camp was visited by local education officials. One of these
was Maggie Coates, Cluster Co-ordinator for the region, who
commented, "My observation would be that the camp is a
wonderful experience for the children and for the volunteers.
The blend of activities means that every child gets the chance
to shine and the positive feedback given during the day builds
their belief in themselves
The day that I visited the camp
was promoting the value of truth by gently asking the children
to consider this quality as they took part in activities during
the day. The volunteers who ran the camp came from many different
racial groups, were male and female, young and old, and so provided
a range of different role models for the children. The volunteers
were a wonderful group of people, so positive and caring in
their outlook and utterly dedicated to the happiness and well
being of the children in their care."
Another
official, Sukhi Cooper, Extended Education Co-ordinator, remarked,
"I was very impressed with the whole set up of your camp.
The day was well organsied and the activities, whilst enjoyable
for the children, all embedded the human value for the day very
clearly.
"I
went away feeling the camp was safe, secure and very empowering.
I think it was amazing how all the pupils were engaged and the
evident calmness amongst them and the staff. I wish I could
have seen the whole week."
Prabodh
Mistry, Sathya Sai Schools Co-ordinator, also visited the camp,
noting: "The assembly was excellent and the children responded
so well to Dipak. Then we went to the drama class for four to
five year olds that was conducted by Bahnoon; she brought out
brave young adults performing almost impromptu in front of us.
Then we went to the class for seven year olds conducted by Ann.
The whole lesson - 45 minutes? - went so quickly and every single
child was engaged in all of the activities - and so silently!"
The
camp took place in a local primary school which provided its
premises free of charge for the purpose.
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Thought for the Day
"I
cannot predict the future.
I
cannot change the past.
I have just the present moment.
I must treat it as my last."
Anon
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Story
The
Slippery Slope
By Ann McMail
Value:
PEACE: Being kind brings peace of mind
Related values: faithfulness, gratitude, self-acceptance,
harmony, understanding
Thomas
and Dafydd were friends and were in the same class together.
When Dafydd had his ninth birthday, he invited most of the class
to his party. Thomas was having a great time dancing with his
girlfriend Sian, but Dafydd was jealous. Halfway through the
party Dafydd played a trick on Thomas, he put a huge spider
down his back! (That poor spider!) Now Thomas had already told
Dafydd how scared of spiders he was, so it was really unkind
of Dafydd to do this to him. He was so frightened that he cried,
shouted and danced around looking really daft but he couldn't
help it. He was so scared that his heart felt as if it would
jump out of his body! Thomas was glad when the party finished
and he could go home.
On
Monday he had to face the whole class and, worst of all, Sian.
He felt so embarrassed that he felt sick. He had to keep swallowing
to keep down the really nervous feeling that he had. Dafydd
laughed at him and called him 'Chicken'. He made his arms flap
up and down like the wings of a chicken and he made clucking
noises. Thomas was starting to feel very upset, until he caught
sight of Sian who smiled at him. That somehow made him feel
much better about himself.
About
a week later Sian and Thomas were walking up the 'Slippery Slope'
together. This was a steep part of the mountain just behind
Thomas's house. His mum would watch them from her kitchen window
sliding down on plastic bags. It was brilliant! It was great
except for the fact that there was a big drop at the bottom.
If you were clever you could steer either left or right to avoid
it. But if you weren't very good at it you would go right over
the edge straight into the brambles - OUCH!!!
As Thomas and Sian walked past the brambles and trees they heard
someone crying, a sad whimpering cry. They peered into the brambles
and saw a round white face covered in dirt, tears and scratches
staring back at them. Guess who it was? It was Dafydd! Now I
think if I had been Thomas and Sian, I might have laughed at
him or even been tempted to leave him there with his bottom
stuck in the bushes. But Thomas stretched down to help him.
Sian pulled the brambles away from Dafydd's face while Thomas
pulled until Dafydd was standing on the slope. He looked down
at his feet, because he was ashamed of how spiteful he had been.
Do
you know, Thomas never told anyone about Dafydd crying or how
he helped him? And now the first two boys to run into the yard
together at break-time are always Dafydd and Thomas. Dafydd
is very lucky to have a friend like Thomas to whom he had been
unkind but who, even so, could be a good friend to him in return.
Questions
1 How did you feel when you heard this story?
2 Why
do you think Dafydd was unkind to Thomas?
3 Have you ever been embarrassed about something you have done?
4 Do you think Thomas was right to help Dafydd even though Dafydd
had been very unkind to him?
5 Why didn't Thomas tell anyone that Dafydd had been crying?
6 What lesson did Dafydd learn?
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Resources
Update
Teachers
Workbook 1 for Ages 6 to 7 has been revised and updated.
All 26 lesson plans contained in the new book are available
to download for free in the Resources section of our website.
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Training
Update
All
SSEHV courses are free to attend, although a refundable deposit
of £10 may be required at registration (this is to cover
photocopying costs of the extensive handouts provided at the
course for you to keep). Details of all our training courses,
together with contact information and dates can be found on
our website at www.ssehv.org.uk,
in the Training section.
The
next courses are:
Location
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Date
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Contact
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Pinner,
NWLondon - Foundation Course |
20th
Mar 08 |
1 |
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21st |
2 |
22nd |
3 |
23rd |
4 |
24th |
5 |
25th |
6 |
Pinner,
NWLondon or Broadstairs, Kent - Foundation Course |
3rd
Aug 08 |
1 |
|
4th |
2 |
5th |
3 |
6th |
4 |
7th |
5 |
8th |
6 |
If
there is no course scheduled in your area but you would
like there to be one, this can be organised, as long as there
are a minimum of ten people who would like to attend. Please
contact the editor
for more information.
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Copyright
© 2007 British Institute of Sathya Sai Education (BISSE
Ltd).
BISSE Ltd is a non-profit organisation committed to promoting
human values in education.
Registered
Charity No. 1118625
Registered address: The Glen, Cuckoo Hill, Pinner, Middlesex
HA5 2BE United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0) 20 8429 2677 Email: feedback@ssehv.org.uk
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