Pastoral Care in Australian Schools: Understanding the Importance of Adopting a Spiritual Aspect to Pastoral Care programs in State and Schools.
A large part of Catholic Education is its Pastoral Care system. Independent (religious schools) has a set and stable Pastoral Care program which benefits the community and student wellbeing. All state schools could benefit from having a values or pastoral program to foster appositive school ethos where students have an opportunity to explore their spirituality.
Introduction:
Students spend the majority of their teenage years in a schooling environment. It comes as no surprise that over the last several years there has been growing acknowledgment of the importance the school environment plays in student
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Pastoral Care was initially associated with Religious Schools and had a focus on spirituality ‘self-reflection and self-watchfulness, self-discipline, moral indignation at having done wrong and ethical self-development.’ (Lydia Hearn, 2006) Within the new chaplaincy program in Australian schools, there is much debate over the exact definition of ‘Pastoral Care’ within schools. (AAP, 2012). In accordance with the ‘Guidelines for Pastoral Care in Catholic Schools (2003)’ Pastoral Care is defined as; ‘being concerned for the total wellbeing of students, and with the development of the whole person.’ While spiritual development is a focus in independent Religious schools, State schools have less of a focus on developing individual spirituality. The Pastoral Care system of a school needs to be a reflection of the overall ethos of the school. In recent years the focus of Pastoral Care has moved from ensuring students salvation to ensuring their prepared for the world beyond the school walls. Although preparation for the future is an important part of Pastoral Care, giving students the opportunity to develop in their spiritual well-being in the state school system plays a vital role in developing the student as a whole. It is important for a school to ensure that within their Pastoral Care system they give students the opportunity to develop socially, emotionally as well as …show more content…
As educators and the promoters of educators, they are responsible for ensuring the holistic development and preparation of students for the future. Pastoral Care is not the destination but the nourishment for the learning journey. (Cross, 2012) The inclusion of religion in Religious schools across Australia plays a major role in ensuring a holistic approach is take in their Pastoral Care program. Through this approach students are able to develop and explore their understanding of spirituality. This exploration helps students to develop the respect and understanding of spirituality needed in the diverse country and world they are living in. Although there are programs in place in the State school system within Australia to assist in students having the opportunity to explore their spirituality; the programs are not compulsory for all State schools. The compulsory implementation of programs focused on Spirituality wil assist the State school Pastoral Care program to be level with that of the Religious schools in ensuring a holistic approach is taken to students development and wellbeing. Although there are some disadvantages and stepping stones to implementing programs exploring spirituality in State schools; it is not impossible. Through these programs and with the support of Government and parents schools can provide students with the opportunity to learn life long skills and to develop as
Faith plays a pivotal role in our construction of religion. The work of Dr. Sharon Parks analyzes faith development throughout one’s life span but pays special attention to emerging adulthood. Dr. Parks has an extensive academic career which incorporates her attendance of Princeton University’s theological seminary. As well as her attendance of Harvard University’s divinity school where she obtained her doctorate. Through her extensive research in areas such as “developmental psychology, religion, theology, leadership and ethics” (Service Resources, 2014) Parks is able to focus her work on faith development. Her work is influenced by theorists such as Erickson, Piaget, Perry and Levinson but primarily it is based off of Fowlers work in faith development. Her background in teaching and counseling has allowed her close access to seeing students during this important portion of their lives.
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Cunningham, M. (2012). Integrating Spirituality in Clinical Social Work Practice: Walking the Labyrinth (1 ed.). Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education Inc.
Clinton, T. & Ohlschlager, G. (2002). Competent Christian counseling: Foundations and practice of compassionate soul care. Colorado Springs, CO: WaterBrook Press.
Psychology, Theology, and Spirituality in Christian Counseling written by Mark McMinn and published by Tyndale House in 2011 notions towards the idealization that Christian counselors need to be privy in the most recent psychological methods as well as theological theories. “This is a book about counseling processes techniques” (McMinn, 2011, p. 150). McMinn also alluded that Christian counselors benefit from having a spiritual maturity. With having these attributes counselors are better prepared to take note of prayer, Scripture, sin, confession, forgiveness, and redemption. McMinn (2011) model flows in the direction of healing while equating to a more advantageous relationship with The Lord Jesus Christ as well as with other relationships (McMinn, 2011).
• "Religious Education Research through a Community of Practice. Action Research and the Interpretive Approach." Google Books. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 May 2014.
Humanity is made in the image of God. Therefore, all people have unique and valuable gifts to contribute to society. Every individual is also a sinner in need of redemption through Christ’s death and resurrection. Developing a relationship with Christ is the foundational purpose of my Christian educational practice. Instruction must be differentiated because each student is a unique creation. Effective differentiation is impossible without the guidance of the Holy Spirit and the use of research-based instructional methods and formative evaluation. Powerful teaching constantly modifies instruction to best address the needs of the each student and provides a foundation of love that recognizes each child as a gift from God.
It seems as though the future of chaplaincy is in the balance. Do chaplains move with the times, accept change and development, work towards professional status or do they maintain the status quo, remain important to the well-being of the whole community but fail to communicate this and risk extinction or at best compassionate tolerance? More than ever society demands that employees prove their value through research, audit and refining of practice chaplains are part of this! Alongside retaining their distinctive role as those who are accountable to their faith communities chaplains need to ensure they articulate their distinctive role as those who care for the spiritual. This involves time, energy and action and being in many roles simultaneously. It involves being prepared to assess and review practice and above all to change.
In conclusion, teachers who share their worldview with their students and encourage them to also expand and develop their own biblical worldview are giving their students a whole integrated education. The hope of a teacher should be that what their students learn will carry them through life by always seeing everything through the lens of God’s
On the down side there are a limited number of educational programs that adequately deal with the issue of incorporating religion and spirituality in therapeutic/counseling settings. This can be attributed to the fact that counseling is based in psychology, a scientific field, which has traditionally neglected issues of a spiritual nature (Nelson, Kirk, Ane, & Serres, 2011) as well as the practice used within the United States to separate education and religion (Cashwell and Young, 2011). This then results in a significant portion of therapist and counselors who are not prepared to address the issue of spirituality and religion with their clients. One would think that with the value many Americans place on the topic of religion and spirituality that there would come a time when a client would want to address this topic during his or her session.
In the context of Pastoral Care, this assignment will focus on some of the values of Egan’s model with consideration given to some of its limitations in that arena.
The shepherd and sheep relationship is the best illustration for the relationship between pastor and parishioners. When Jesus asked Simon Peter does he love him three times and said to him “Feed my sheep”, the shepherd and flock relationship has been set. Since Jesus is our good shepherd (Jn. 10:11a), he laid out a good example for us to follow - to lay down his life for the sheep. (Jn. 10:11b) Thus, the wellness of both in and out of the parishioners should always be the concern in the pastors’ hearts. Soul care for the people is essential. Christian friendship is the foundation of Christian soul care. Pastoral ministry including preaching, teaching, and worship forms the broad context of pastoral counseling. Pastoral care is within pastoral ministry but broader than pastoral counseling. God’s love is the source and motivation. Within the pastoral care, there are spiritual direction and pastoral
It is important through Christian education to be aware of the impact that occurs in the heart of a child as well. Christian education must go further than giving the child knowledge and facts. It must include a vision for the impact their educational experience has on the heart of a child by seeking to educate their emotions and the influence of their actions in their lives. The worldview of a child is influenced greatly in their school experience. It is the responsibility of the educator to provide a learning environment that will make this impact appropriate and pleasing to
During the first day of school, a variety of different students enter the classroom. These students are excited and nervous, they have their parents by their sides who are observing the classroom walls and arrangement. From the minute the students enter the classroom, students are observing the classroom environment and notice the everything. Everything in the classroom needs to have a purpose, but provide a pleasant environment. When preparing and organizing the classrooms, teachers need to consider the different variables that impact the classroom. Classrooms can be disorganized if the walls are cluttered and have no meaning The organizations of the desks, the wall decorations, and the seating arrangements significantly impact the physical environments. Students are like sponges, they soak up everything that surrounds them. In the article A comparison of actual and preferred classroom environments as perceived by middle school students in the Journal of School Health stated “studies have shown that classroom environments are closely related to a number of aspects of student
Professional social work originated within a ‘primarily faith-based ministerial outreach’ (Thyer & Myers, 2011, p.9) context, where religious salvation was premised upon. Howeve...