Connections Quarterly Winter 2018 - World Religions | Page 35

TI PS CO N TI N U E D Continued from page 32, Parent Tips • After examining rites of passage from various traditions, invite your child to create person- ally meaningful ways to celebrate transitions out of childhood and into young adulthood. • Humans are predisposed to feel awe, which unlike other emotions, focuses us outward. In the age of selfies, being wired for awe helps us transcend our “small self.” Kids are espe- cially responsive to the sublime in nature—an iridescent butterfly or a massive thunder- head. UC Berkeley researcher Dacher Keltner notes that awe promotes sharing, sacrifice, and altruism, not to mention greater well-being, curiosity, and possibly stronger immune systems! Follow your child’s lead or guide her to experience awe through nature, the arts, dogged persistence against all odds, or selflessness in service of others. • Parents should promote respect for and factual awareness of different religious tra- ditions, while forcefully rejecting unethical, harmful behavior defended on the ba- sis of freedom of religious expression. The bottom line, succinctly expressed by Wendy Thomas Russell: “Don’t hold religious beliefs against people who are being nice. And don’t hold it in favor of people who are being mean.” l Julie Stevens is a parent, former school psychologist, and former independent school teacher. She has written numerous articles on parenting and moral growth that can be found on csee.org. Continued from page 31, Teacher Tips Don’t Be Afraid of Dialogue It is appropriate to allow space for students to articulate the differences in their beliefs as long as they are engaging in respectful dialogue. Teach students to listen for under- standing rather than to convince the other person of their point. While common ground can be important in building community, it may be found in shared values rather than the specifics of religious teachings. Students can rely on the shared values articulated in the mission of the school. l Lauren Brownlee is Director of Social Action at Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart and a member of the Board of Trustees at Sandy Spring Friends School. This year she is serving as Visiting Scholar for CSEE. Lauren welcomes emails at [email protected] to continue the conversation. CSEE Connections Winter 2018 Page 33