Spiritual Life in the Classroom – Revisiting Robert Coles
Notes from a presentation at the Critical Questions in Education Conference, March 2024, New Orleans, LA.
Wordsworth (quoted in Coles, 1990, p. 328):
Those first affections,
Those shadowy recollections,
Which, be what they may,
Are yet the fountain light of all our day?
William James:
Were one asked to characterize the life of religion in the broadest and most general terms possible, one might say that it consists of the belief that there is an unseen order, and that our supreme good lies in harmoniously adjusting ourselves thereto. (The Varieties of Religious Experience, 1902/1994, p.61)
Jesus:
Let the children come to me, and do not stop them, for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it. (Luke 18:15-17)
In 1990, psychiatrist and ethnographer Robert Coles published The Spiritual Life of Children, the eighth and final volume of his Children of Crisis series. This book, like Coles’ earlier volumes in the series, documents extensive conversations with children; in this case, those conversations focused on the children’s spiritual lives and understandings. According to Coles, even very young children possess well-organized and coherent concepts related to spiritual matters. One of his goals, as a psychoanalyst and researcher, was “to learn from young people that exquisitely private sense of things that nurtures their spirituality.” In his research with children, Coles drew upon the work of developmental psychologists like Lawrence Kohlberg and Jean Piaget, though he emphasized that he was not interested in formulating anything like a developmental theory of spiritual development (Coles, 1990, pp. 38-39).
Coles’ research was largely descriptive and his methodology was non-directive. In my opinion, Coles’ methods can serve as a model for classroom teachers who wish to explore the spiritual lives of children. The key questions and issues are: How can (and how should) we approach the development of spiritual understandings in children? What questions should we ask? How do we respond to children’s spirituality-based statements and questions?
One possible answer: We don’t and we shouldn’t. But, as Coles emphasized and demonstrated, children are already dealing with spiritual questions and inclinations, in the same way they are dealing with basic moral and ethical issues inherent in maturation, relationships, home life, sense of identity, and other psychologically rich areas of their lives. So, with Coles, one could reasonably conclude that spiritual thinking has a legitimate place in school curricula and that part of a teacher’s responsibility would be to address this dimension of children’s cognitive development. Children are looking inward. Shouldn’t we – as teachers – be there with them? Coles goes on to suggest that teachers “might enjoy walking this road, one that has been somewhat neglected, even shunned, by any number of us who are significantly secularistic and scientific in our education.”
So, what is – or is not – appropriate in school? For example, while spirituality can certainly be addressed without reference to particular religious beliefs or institutions, we are generally not accustomed (especially in western contexts) to processing it that way. So, how do we guard against spirituality-oriented talk migrating – inappropriately – into areas suggestive of organized religion, church, evangelism, or challenges to individual religious and spiritual perspectives? And when are such migrations not inappropriate, e.g., when suggested independently by children or when appearing in a children’s or young adolescent’s book? As teachers, how do you currently navigate these issues in your classrooms or advise your pre-service teachers to navigate them?
My perspective: We should not only allow but encourage children and adolescents to discuss their spiritual lives as their thinking evolves and develops. I assume that the main culturally-based religious traditions represented in this room are Christianity, Judaism, and Islam ... perhaps Hinduism, perhaps Buddhism. My own religious background is Christian, but I also employ some Buddhist and Taoist practices in my personal spiritual life. An important element of my perspective is the principle that I would never presume to “push” my beliefs on others and I would definitely hesitate – speaking as a teacher now – to elaborate upon them in a classroom setting, where the power differential between teacher and student makes any kind of spiritual or religious persuasion ethically problematic. However, my inclination is to listen thoughtfully and reflect upon spiritually-oriented ideas that arise in the classroom. As a teacher, I think I can walk – in fact, I have walked – this fine line in the service of responsive pedagogy.
As an educational psychologist, I ask:
o ... with Piaget, what experiences of “spiritual disequilibrium” are typical for children at different stages of cognitive development? And how can I – as a teacher – help children navigate that disequilibrium (e.g., partial knowledge, misunderstandings, incomplete concepts) to achieve understanding and self-awareness?
o ... with Erikson, where does spirituality fit into a child’s overall identity development?
o ... with Carol Gilligan, what are the spiritual components of the “ethic of care” and other dimensions of moral development?
o ... with Maslow, does self-actualization include a spiritual aspect?
o Where would spirituality fit into the classic information processing model? (sensory, short-term / working, and long-term memory)?
o How should acknowledgment of children’s emerging spirituality be represented in discussions of intersectionality, worldview, or Freire’s problem-posing and dialogical approaches?
o How is spiritual thinking related to creativity, imagination, critical thinking, problem-solving, and other cognition-based areas of school curricula?
According to Robert Coles – as clearly evidenced in his book – children have Big Questions ... Big Spiritual Questions. In the book, Coles documents numerous cases of children describing interactions with parents or other family members related to spiritual and religious beliefs. Some examples:
o I once asked my mom [a question about God] and she sure looked at me funny. “Now what made you think of that?” That’s what she said. I said, “I dunno.” Then, she put on the car radio. (Coles, 1990, p. 34)
o How can [God] possibly keep track of everyone? My uncle says it’s all a lot of nonsense. (Coles, 1990, p. 312)
Where do we – as teachers – enter these lines of thinking when they emerge in our classrooms, whether out of the blue, as part of a curriculum-related discussion, or perhaps in response to a book?
Some questions:
o The culture is full of God-talk. Children hear it ... and some of it raises questions. Should we not follow up at school?
o Should we – as teachers – just “wait” for questions to arise or can we facilitate or advance the conversation with well-placed statements and questions? Should we accept and respond as active listeners or may we introduce items for discussion? Is there a line that should not be crossed and, if so, where is it?
o Is “tolerance for mystery” a legitimate and desired outcome for school curricula and would acquisition of this disposition result in more open-minded and tolerant citizens? In other words, could there be a connection between spiritual self-awareness and acceptance of differences (plus compassion, respect, kindness, etc.)?
o What can we legitimately dismiss – if anything – as “magical thinking?”
o What are some existing topics (in public school curricula) that include a spiritual dimension worthy of being incorporated in our treatment of those topics?
o Should this whole topic be approached differently for teachers in relatively homogeneous schools as opposed to those in more spiritually and/or religiously diverse settings? (ex. Coles’ work with the Hopis.)
o Is there such a thing as “spiritual intelligence.” If so, what are some of its attributes? (e.g., Howard Gardner, Danah Zohar, and others)
o Does spirituality necessarily imply religious practice?
o Can school be defined (in part) as a pilgrimage? Would it be helpful for you – as a teacher – to think of children as pilgrims? According to Dorothy Day, a spiritual pilgrimage does not necessarily imply religion (Coles, 1990, p. 326).
o How do we teachers best respect children’s spiritual insights without treading into “forbidden” territory? Reflecting on a spontaneous discussion of the nature and capabilities of God occurring during one of his sessions with 5th graders, Coles wondered about “the Supreme Court and its cautionary rulings about the relationship between religion and public education. Were we in danger of violating some law? In this [discussion], we were moving fast toward highly speculative theological reflection. What would the children’s parents make up all of this? But those parents are already set the stage ...” (Coles, 1990, p. 116).
o What are the most important distinctions between home and school when considering the exploration of spiritual ideas and knowledge?
Some Actual Questions From Children
I have not observed children struggling to compose these questions. They emerge in a way that tells me they are already there. And these are pilgrimage questions, important developmental questions. So why are they relegated to church and home alone ... and not school?
More general ...
Does God control our future?
Can God see the future?
Is God always with you? If he is, how is he with everyone at once?
When people make pictures / drawings of God or heaven, where do they get inspiration from?
What’s God’s favorite ice cream flavor?
Was there anyone with God before he made anything?
How do you know if God is happy? Or sad?
Why did God give animals things to protect themselves, but not us?
How did the universe get made?
How was God born?
Does God eat food?
Why is God?
Are animals aware of God?
Are we God’s school project? If so, did God get an A+?
Does God have more creations?
Does God know we talk about him?
Is God married?
More specifically Christian ...
Why did God not give Adam and Eve a second chance in the garden?
Why is the cross so important for us? What does the cross stand for?
Why does God not want there to be any other gods?
There are a lot of religions; do they go to Heaven or Hell and if so, why?
Whe decided which people got their book published in the Bible?
Scenario
How would the following dialogue play out in your classroom?
o Request offered to a group of 5th graders (Coles, 1990, pp. 312-313): “Tell me, as best you can, who you are, what about you matters most, what makes you the person you are.”
o First child: “I was put here by God, and I hope to stay until he says OK, enough, come back. Then, I will not be here anymore. By the end, I hope I’ll find out why I was sent down, and not plenty of others. There must be a lot waiting. God decides.”
o Second child: “What does God decide?”
o Third child: “Well, how does he decide? How can he possibly keep track of everyone? My uncle says it's all a lot of nonsense.”
Possible Pedagogical Approaches and Methods for Exploring Spirituality in Public Schools
Writing
Drawing
Artworks
Children’s literature (in order from less to more “religious”)
I Am Love: A Book of Compassion (Susan Verde)
In Every Life (Marla Frazee)
Ganesha’s Sweet Tooth (Sanjay Patel and Emily Haynes)
When I Talk to God, I Talk About You (Chrissy Metz and Breadley Collins)
Dreams
Well-placed questions and “I wonder” statements:
o I wonder what God’s voice sounds like.
o If you were to meet God face-to-face, what would you say to him? What might he say to you?
o Can you name something that you can’t see but you know is there (is true)?
o What about invisible (so-called imaginary) beings, such as fairies, angels, or spirits?
o What does it mean when someone says, “if it’s meant to be” or “I trust a higher power.”
Conclusion
Is this a legitimate realm of pedagogical possibilities, one where we teachers don’t have final answers, where we are on similar levels of wonderment and uncertainty as our students? For the educational psychologist, this means viewing life as narrative (i.e., a journey or unfolding story), which is not the same as the abstract propositional thinking so highly valued in school. This perspective (mindset) would lead to a corresponding (and perhaps different and unique) set of objectives, skills, methodologies, and teacher temperaments.
Coles’ conclusion:
So it is we connect with one another, move in and out of one another’s lives, teach and heal and affirm one another, across space and time – all of us wanderers, explorers, adventurers, stragglers and ramblers, sometimes tramps or vagabonds, even fugitives, but now and then pilgrims: as children, as parents, as old ones about to take that final step, to enter the territory whose character none of us here ever knows. Yet how young we are when we start wondering about it all, the nature of the journey and of the final destination. (Coles, 1990, p. 335)
Reference
Coles, R. (1990).The spiritual life of children. Houghton Mifflin.