Autumn leaves resting on a plate created by Jane Schaffer – ceramicist. Photo: Courtesy of Sarah Allen.
Being still
Sarah Allen describes her experience at a recent conference for teachers of Religious Education
A marvellous book by Mary Stone is a favourite of many RE teachers and contains a treasure trove of visualisations and stilling exercises that can be used in the classroom. It is entitled Don’t just do something, sit there and I turned to it recently when asked to talk at a conference for RE teachers on the subject of Quakers. The conference, ‘Learn Teach Lead RE North’, was held on Saturday 7 October at York St John University in York and was the first of its kind. It was aimed at improving the quality of RE teaching and building community.
As well as some interesting keynote speakers, the workshops were on Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, Islam and Orthodox Christianity, as well as the Quakers. I began with a whistle-stop tour of Quaker history, testimonies and key beliefs, followed by a YouTube clip of some young people talking about the value of silence. We then used one of Mary Stone’s visualisations on using leaves as a stilling exercise. This was followed by some silence and a a sharing of resources to aid stilling in the classroom.
The feedback from teachers is that we observe more and more that young people have very few opportunities for silence and sitting with their own thoughts. We perceive, though, that there is a real appreciation of stilling and ‘going within’ when pupils are given a chance to do so. This reflects my own experience working in a Quaker school where social media, in particular, has had a profound effect on day-to-day interactions. In a world where teenagers are increasingly plugged in and tuned into the virtual world, opportunities for silence and reflection seem even more precious.
Meeting together in Quaker Meeting for Worship seems radical in an age of continual media interaction. The idea of ‘going within’ to connect with something deeper and possibly beyond oneself can be challenging to young people today; however, it never ceases to amaze me when I am part of a body of 400 plus students, aged between eleven and eighteen, practising silence in Meeting for Worship. Often students say it takes them years to get the hang of this experience, but eventually many speak of the value of these pockets of silence to start the day, to be challenged, to ponder where they are going in life, and to think about their relationships and friends.
Through the practice of silence, a habit is formed where time is given for reflection and spiritual growth. Occasionally an advice or query is beamed on the wall in the silence to invite thought or ministry. ‘Are you open to new light, from whatever source it may come?’ was one such example (Advices & queries 7).
Quite by coincidence, I was asked in Quaker Week to give this talk. I felt most grateful for the opportunity to share some aspects of Quakerism, as well as the simple yet powerful experience of silence, with other RE teachers.
Sarah is a teacher of RE at Bootham School in York.
