To kick off our global studies in 7th Grade Humanities, we have been focusing on the complexities of culture and how these features shape societies. One key element of culture is religion.
As we explore different continents and regions throughout the year, we will be considering varying cultural practices and examining the influence that religion – among other things – has on the people of these places. With this in mind, we started our course by analyzing the five major world religions in a broad sense. This gave the students a general construct/lens for understanding those terms as “vocabulary” and ways for applying them to our studies. What better way to do that than to invite leaders of these faiths into our classroom to answer questions, provide historical context, and overview the basic belief systems and cultural practices of their respective traditions?
Prior to their visits, we encouraged the students to think about what they already knew about each faith and to brainstorm questions they might have for each guest.
Monday: Christianity – Reverend Vanessa Rose, First Church, Fairfield – Vanessa guided the students through an informative slideshow on the history of Christianity, various denominations, and many cultural expressions of the faith across the globe. She brought a number of items, like her collar, stole, and bible, to show the kids. Her presentation was the perfect “kickoff” to our week!
Tuesday: Judaism – Rabbi Evan Schultz, Congregation B’nai Israel, Bridgeport – Rabbi Evan engaged the students in a lively conversation using flashcards. He spoke about Jewish life cycle events, cultural celebrations, key beliefs, and more. Students asked lots of questions around dress, dietary laws, the Torah, and more.
Wednesday: Buddhism – Venerable Shim Bo, Buddhist Chaplain at Sacred Heart University – The Venerable Shim Bo encouraged students to “WAKE UP!” He modeled a Buddhist chant using his moktak and bell, walked us through the 4 Noble Truths and 8 Fold Path, and guided the class through a short meditation. Each student received a bracelet reminder to breathe.
Thursday: Islam – Imam Kemal Cecunjanin, Muslim Chaplain at Fairfield University – Imam Kemal started our class with a livestream of Mecca for the students to watch. They were awed by the sheer size and number of people. They were able to hear what the Call to Prayer sounds like, and asked lots of great questions. Imam Kemal engaged in a thoughtful conversation around the basic tenets of Islam, and generously brought us a class set of books on Islam!
Friday: Hinduism – Venkat Gade, Board Member, Chinmaya Mission Fairfield-New Haven – Mr. Gade, accompanied by his associates, Mrs. Rani Parimi and Mr. Mahabala Salian, started our meeting with an “om” and an opening chant. He presented an engaging slideshow for the students which outlined basic Hindu beliefs, discussed how yoga fits into Hinduism, and debunked a popular misunderstanding – that Hinduism is, in fact, a monotheistic religion, despite the different “gods” many are used to seeing. Students were able to ask lots of questions – it was a great way to end a successful week of learning!
This academic experience served to deepen the students’ understanding of the world around them, and we hope resulted in some really meaningful conversations at home, too! We were able to guide students in reflective conversation after each guest left, which allowed us to think about similarities and differences between faiths and make connections with the content and each other.