"The Sunday school for the children ... is indeed a blessed thing. You must certainly continue this organised activity without cessation, and attach importance to it ... If this activity is well organised, rest thou assured that it will yield great results. Firmness and steadfastness, however, are necessary, otherwise it will continue for some time, but later be gradually forgotten. Perseverance is an essential condition."

From these quotations of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, we can see that the concepts of organisation and systematisation are closely linked to child education, and that success is actually dependent upon them. Shoghi Effendi, not surprisingly, gives similar advice to Local Spiritual Assemblies:

Without organisation no collective enterprise can hope for success, development or longevity, for it means all of the following and more:

* prior thinking and consultation

* deciding what you want to do

* planning

* applying relevant and appropriate knowledge and skills from previous experience

* developing a structure or series of related structures

* developing a procedure or series of related procedures

* recruiting willing and able personnel

* training them adequately beforehand or during the task

* acquiring premises and resources

* securing funding

* ensuring adequate publicity

* securing understanding and support of target population

* monitoring progress, reviewing and evaluating it and adjusting the system and / or procedure to be more effective

Organisation requires forethought, vision, experience, hard work, sacrifice, dedication and perseverance. Educational systems are not for those who crave public adulation or instant gratification, for the consumers are unaware of what lies behind what you do, and the results are discernible in decades rather than days and in lifetimes rather than seasons.

**********************

A description of what a curriculum is and how it differs from a syllabus.

It is interesting to observe, at this point, that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá writes and pronounces upon such matters as the environment in which the school is set, the methods to be adopted by the teacher, the qualities that the teacher must possess, how the school is to be organised and how the child’s education should continue at home. Clearly, then, a curriculum is a complex, multi-stranded matter.

A curriculum springs from a way of looking at the world, from how reality is constructed by those who draw up curricula. A curriculum reflects the most profound and most cherished assumptions about the universe that its makers maintain. As L. D’hainaut writes in "Curricula and Lifelong Education" (1981):

A Bahá’í curriculum will therefore reflect the beliefs and assumptions that Bahá’í curriculum makers hold. This must cause us to examine the nature of our beliefs and assumptions. What is our concept of the Bahá’í Faith? A paper on "The Spiritualization of Education" in "Trends in Bahá’í Education" (1990) writes:

The paper goes on to say:

Naturally, a Bahá’í curriculum should reflect these values and notions and ways of operating. It does not stop there, as the paper continues:

Furthermore, the sacred writings and authoritative pronouncements of our Faith elaborate more specifically on how that education should be carried out and of what it should consist.

A curriculum, then, provides educators of children and youth, whether parent or teacher, older family member or club leader, with a vision toward which they may strive with those under their care, with an insight and depth of understanding as to the purpose of all their educational activities.

A curriculum is a rigorous, all-encompassing, overarching construct which contains every important element to which the children are to be exposed in their unfolding development toward adulthood and other-worldly existence.

A curriculum provides the theological, the theoretical and pedagogical basis for all that we do within and beyond the Bahá’í classroom. It links our notions of what the Faith is to what should be taught to the children and youth at home, at school or in any other context.

A curriculum provides a complete picture of education, allowing us to grasp the totality and to see the relationship of all the parts to the whole.

A syllabus is a different creature entirely. The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary describes it in this way:

Put very simply, a syllabus is a list. It is a list of the topics or themes to be taught within a given subject. A syllabus is derived from a curriculum. Where a curriculum is theoretical, a syllabus is practical. Where a curriculum is general, a syllabus is specific. A curriculum provides the underlying rationale for what is to be taught; a syllabus describes the contents and order of what is to be taught. If the curriculum is strategy, the syllabus is tactics.

To put it another way, we can look at the science of Architecture. To build a house we need a plan - the architectural drawings, which set out the dimensions and manner of construction of the building. Without the plan, the drawings, we cannot construct the house properly. The building would be haphazard, lop-sided, liable to collapse, even dangerous to use. The house in this case is the syllabus. The plans or drawings are the curriculum. To extend the analogy, the decoration and furnishings of the house are the lessons themselves. And, like the decoration and furnishings, the lessons are devised according to the personal tastes of the teacher. You cannot paint or furnish a house that is not yet built, nor can you build it without previously setting out the plan. First, therefore, comes the curriculum, then the syllabus and finally the individual lessons. The effectiveness of an education system depends largely upon how carefully and systematically this process is followed. Simple and obvious though this may be, it can be easily overlooked by those preparing systems of education. Another example:

describes the major elements

of the human diet, such as

carbohydrates, fats, proteins,

vitamins and minerals, and also

describes their types, functions

and relationships to each other.

give specific examples of foodstuffs

for each category, e.g. carbohydrates

include bread, cakes, biscuits, cereals,

potatoes, pastry, batter, honey, jams, etc.

could be made up of : beans on toast,

roast beef and trimmings, curried

chicken and rice, pizza and salad,

fish and chips.

To use a Bahá’í example, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s "Tablets of the Divine Plan" are the blueprint for all global and regional or national teaching plans drawn up by Shoghi Effendi and the Universal House of Justice. The Tablets of the Divine Plan are the curriculum - the source and impetus for the various plans drawn up subsequently. These subsequent plans are each a syllabus, drawn up for a specific time and place.

A curriculum, then, is a giant storehouse or refrigerator from which we may derive the menus of many different syllabi. Using all the elements contained in the curriculum, we may make more or less detailed syllabi with certain emphases, either in terms of subject matter or approach.

What we must not do is to mistake an anthology of verse for the whole canon of English Poetry. If we provide only a syllabus, in place of a curriculum, we are giving our teachers and pupils a bag full of jumbled jigsaw pieces. They need the box with the picture on its lid to show them where the pieces go and how they fit together in relation to each other. That way the puzzle has a meaning and is more fun to work on.

An examination of the reasons for having a curriculum and what it can provide.

The reasons for having a curriculum are many. Some of these are examined briefly below:

i) To define what should be taught and provide a clear justification for it. This allows us to avoid being haphazard and give us some confidence in the rightness of what we are teaching.

ii) To help us understand each element we are to teach, in relation to the other elements and to the whole. If we have no overall grasp of what we are doing, how can we expect the children to appreciate the significance of anything we teach them?

iii) To allow us to respond fully and sensitively to the unique conditions of our own situation, and not simply adopt uncritically the methods, contents and emphases of educational programmes developed for another place and / or time.

iv) To help us toward a standardisation of educational provision over the whole country, so that, no matter where a child or youth is or how or by whom they are taught, they may receive the same entitlement to a quality Bahá’í educational experience.

v) To help us provide continuity, consistency and progression in educational provision from a child’s earliest learning experiences up to its maturity as a self-sustaining learner and teacher of others. Thereby a child’s education is not left to chance or whim, nor subjected to eccentricities of teachers’ understanding or preoccupations. No matter where a child is, no matter what age, they will receive an education relevant to their needs, one which builds on what has gone before and which prepares for what is to come.

vi) To provide the community with direction and purpose in its educational activities, without which our motivation flags, our patience wanes and our perseverance falters. A curriculum gives us goals, and a compass by which to reach them in steadily advancing and manageable stages.

vii) To enable us to decide what is important and what is not, what is relevant and what is not, and what is necessary and what is not. This avoids the dangers of wrangling over choice of subject-matter or falling prey to the conflicting and ever-changing educational theorisings of the outside world, no matter how attractive or effective they may seem at the time. Current ideas and practices in education must always be filtered through the sieve of the divine standard, and not seized upon because enthusiasm has dulled our critical faculties.

viii) To assist us in maintaining a balance of educational content, thus avoiding the very real danger of concentrating so much on some elements that we ignore others and so deprive our children of development in certain vital aspects. To act as a safety net, a constant reminder to all educators, whether parents, teachers, leaders or facilitators, that all elements must be addressed in any given year’s learning and none neglected.

ix) To enable us to avoid having to reinvent the wheel every time we come to prepare an educational programme for children or young people; to avoid the endless duplication of certain materials while others are never developed because it never occurred to anyone to produce them; to ensure economy of time and effort and maximise our collective input. A curriculum is a mapping exercise; it shows up overlaps and exposes gaps in educational provision.

x) To provide us with an overall framework into which we can fit all the loose, separate and previously unconnected materials that so many dedicated souls have laboured so much and so long to produce.

xi) To allow us to ease the burden, once and for all, of all the parents, teachers and educators who, when faced with the prospect of producing an educational programme for their children and youth, ask the questions: What do I do? Where do I start? To allay the anxieties of those who, in the past, have been asked to sail across the ocean of knowledge with an eager crew but no charts or compass, no sextant, no provisions and no training in navigation or seafaring.

xii) To provide us with a focus for teacher training. For, if we do not know what we want our children and youth to learn, how can we adequately prepare those who are to teach them?

In short, without a curriculum, as opposed to a syllabus or series of lesson plans, it is very difficult to run an education system that extends over an entire nation and that is meant to last for longer than a decade.

It is a tribute to the dedication of the believers, who have taught children and youth over the last eight decades in this country, that they have done so without a United Kingdom National Bahá’í Curriculum, and have had, each in their own way, to work from scratch or adapt something produced for other purposes than their own.

An exploration of the purposes of a Bahá’í education system.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá B.E. (1987) p17

In order to help us decide what a curriculum should contain, we need to know what we want from our educational system. We can come to a decision by asking such questions as: where do we want the Bahá’í community in this country to be in 10 to 15 years time, or by asking what kind of adults do we want our children to be.

In a sense these questions are two sides of the same coin and the answers to them will furnish us with the rationale for our curriculum structure and content.

We surely want our children to become adults who are:

a) Enabled to develop spiritually and morally, to be prepared for eternal life in all the worlds of God, and to lead an upright and useful life in this physical world, being ready to sacrifice for the benefit of others and to be of service to their fellows.

b) Equipped with sufficient knowledge and understanding of the manifold aspects of the Faith to appreciate the purpose of God for humanity in this day, to promote the advancement of the human race, and to be able to share the Faith with others.

"Wherefore, O loving Friends, strive ... that these tender plants of the divine garden may grow and flourish in the grace that showereth down from the clouds of knowledge and true understanding, and advance to such a degree as to astonish the company of those who know." ‘Abdu’l-Bahá B.E. (1987) p29

c) Equipped with the skills necessary to function effectively as a believer in relation to personal development, education, livelihood, family, society, the Bahá’í community and the administration of the Faith.

Perhaps, more simply, we might ask: what kind of people do we want to produce as a result of them going through eleven or so years of a systematic Bahá’í education?

i) People who are able to maintain a meaningful relationship with God, who can lead a moral life, and who will be of service to the human race.

ii) People who have a good knowledge and understanding of the Faith.

iii) People who have the skills to allow them to function as useful members of the Bahá’í community

A Bahá’í education programme that fails to provide any of the above would seem to be a waste of everyone’s effort. None is sufficient without the other, they are interdependent and inseparable.

A setting out of the goals of a Bahá’í education system, which will provide the defining features of the curriculum.

All teachers and many parents in England and Wales are familiar with the broad outlines and terminology of the National Curriculum, produced as the result of the 1988 Education Reform Act. In Scotland, the "National Guidelines on Curriculum and Assessment in Scotland" (1993) is equally familiar, with its 5-14 curriculum outline, as are the Northern Ireland Curriculum Council’s "Guidance Materials" (1994) for Northern Ireland.

Although Bahá’ís should be wary of adopting the practices of the outside world just because they are available, it seems sensible, if not advisable, in this case, to make use of a system of terminology which is recognisable to such a large number of people, particularly those in mainstream education. If we wish to have credibility as a community, if we wish to communicate with those involved in the wider educational world in language they can readily appreciate, then we should speak to them in their own language, as long as it makes sense and does the job. Why go to the trouble of inventing a whole new set of terms that most Bahá’ís will have to learn from scratch anyway, and that only Bahá’ís will know what they mean, when there is one already in existence that is understood and used on a daily basis by hundreds of thousands.

Before we can get into the details of a National Bahá’í Curriculum, we must establish our goals, our aims, the broad features of what we wish our children and youth to have attained by the time they complete their eleven or so years of systematic Bahá’í education. These goals or aims are described as ATTAINMENT TARGETS, or targets we wish our children and youth to attain.

To derive the attainment targets for the U.K. National Bahá’í Curriculum, we simply have to refer back to the questions posed in the previous section, i.e.: what kind of adults to we want our children to be?

i) Affective learning is to learn new attitudes, new ways of thinking and behaving, and, in many ways, this is what lies at the heart of being, or becoming, a Bahá’í. In an increasingly material world it is more difficult to acquire and sustain a spiritual and moral lifestyle. Everyone is encouraged to be selfish and demand instant gratification. Profit has replaced service as the main motivation in human affairs. We must be in the world but apart from it, and therein lies the struggle. A greater degree of misery and suffering would be ameliorated if our lives were infused with a higher level of spiritual and moral awareness. It is the essence of religious teaching to impart this awareness to humanity. Therefore this is the first Attainment Target.

The Acquisition of a Spiritual and Moral Character devoted to Sacrifice and Service.

This, then, is a statement of intention that we wish our children and youth to attain to a virtuous character that will encourage selflessness and a striving to assist others before themselves.

ii) Many educationalists would hold that everything starts with knowledge and understanding. Until we have knowledge and understanding of something, it is said, we cannot progress to doing something about it. Learning new knowledge is what most people first associate with education and it is probably what most of our Bahá’í education consists of at present. It is not, however, the first of our Attainment Targets, because of the primacy of spirituality and morality in the Bahá’í teachings.

The Acquisition of Knowledge and Understanding of the Laws, Teachings, History and Key Figures, Covenant and Administration, and Sacred Scriptures, of the Bahá’í Faith and other Divinely Revealed Religions.

This, then, is a statement of intention that we wish our children and youth to attain to a knowledge and understanding of the various aspects of the Bahá’í Faith.

iii) To function effectively as a member of the Bahá’í community we need to make use of a wide range of skills. These can be learned best when we are young, indeed, must be learned, if we are to play our part competently in the various roles we have in our lives. Much unnecessary personal and collective frustration and suffering could be ameliorated if our community members were more highly skilled in ways which allowed them to live more meaningful and fulfilled lives.

The Acquisition of Skills appropriate to the Individual, Family, Social and Administrative Life of a Bahá’í.

This, then, is a statement of intention that we wish our children and youth to attain the various skills they will need to function effectively in each aspect of their lives as Bahá’ís.

These are the three Attainment Targets in brief. Together they encompass all Bahá’í education. Later sections will show how we break them down further and how they relate to each other. What is also important to remember is that everything in a curriculum, a syllabus, a set of lesson plans should be informed by the Bahá’í Writings and Pronouncements. What is interesting to observe is that the Scottish Curriculum 5-14 has four aims, of which three are: "Acquisition of knowledge and understanding", "Development of learning skills", and "Personal and social development"!

A setting out of the various age-ranges of a Bahá’í education system, which will inform the developmental stages of the curriculum and an explanation of curriculum progression.

The Key Stages are the age-ranges of the children and youth in the education system. There are four of them and they each have their own needs, appropriate to the level of spiritual, cognitive, emotional and physical development that the children have reached.

These key stages match the different stages of schooling over much of the United Kingdom. Once again, there is no need for us to invent a new system when a perfectly serviceable one already exists. Although the terms used here are derived from the government’s National Curriculum for England and Wales, there is nothing in curriculum statements or in actual school practice that differs markedly from this in Scotland or Northern Ireland.

Key Stage One roughly corresponds to the age-range in an Infant school, stretching over a period of three years, from 4 to 7.

Key Stage Two corresponds to the age-range in a Junior school, stretching over a period of four years, from 7 to 11.

Key Stage Three corresponds to the age-range in the lower years of a Secondary school, stretching over a period of three years, from 11 to 14.

Key Stage Four corresponds to the age-range in the middle years of a Secondary school, stretching over a period of two years, from 14 to 16. These two years are the years in which G.C.S.E. courses and their Scottish equivalent are studied by the youth.

Compulsory education begins at 5 years of age in the U.K. and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá refers to 5 as the beginning of a child’s formal education (B.E. p30 1987), but many parents wish their children to have pre-school provision at nursery or playgroup. This is reflected in the Bahá’í community by the existence, in every Bahá’í Community School, of a pre-school class with children as young as 2½ attending. It is surely of great benefit for very young children to develop the habit of attending Bahá’í classes, of associating in a Bahá’í environment with children of the same and similar ages. Therefore a Bahá’í curriculum should allow and provide for a stage before Key Stage One; so:

Key Stage Zero corresponds to the age-range in the pre-school years of nursery or play-group, a period of about one and a half years from 2½ to 4.

Below, these key stages are summarised in a table for ease of reference:

It may, presently, be the case that few 14 - 16 year olds are regularly attending the Bahá’í Community Schools, whether through lack of provision for them or lack of interest on their part. That does not, however, excuse the curriculum from providing for their needs, especially as Bahá’u’lláh had made the age of maturity 15 years and Key Stage Four goes up to , and just beyond, that. It would, indeed, be preferable, for many reasons, that youth continued to attend regular Bahá’í classes, in whatever form, for the sake of their continued systematic Bahá’í education. Education is life-long, the more so if it involves training for adult life. And if, as ‘Abdu’l-Bahá says, education and training in character formation is wasted after puberty (B.E. p17 1987), then the more that the youth can be exposed to while they are still even slightly impressionable, the better.

Curriculum documents address general guidance to the age-range in each Key Stage. It is the syllabi that draw out the details for each year separately. A curriculum would only ever state what should or might be covered for each Attainment Target by the end of each Key Stage. This allows syllabus-makers plenty of freedom to arrange subject matter in different ways to suit different needs and different tastes.

In the present situation, where the classes in Bahá’í Community Schools and elsewhere are often made up of children whose ages vary from two to four years from each other, it is important to ensure that the programmes of study devised for the children are arranged so that they provide new lesson materials for each year that the children are in that class. Thus a class with children whose ages vary by four years should have a four-year rolling programme to avoid repetition.

However, it is equally important to ensure that, just because the children have learned about ‘Abdu’l-Bahá during Key Stage One, they do not miss learning about ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in progressively more detailed and demanding ways at each subsequent Key Stage. A curriculum ensures that this vital consideration is addressed.

This idea of curriculum progression is as much a part of the curriculum as its attainment targets and strands. Over the eleven or more years of Bahá’í education, any individual child should be enabled to progress in a number of different ways. Indeed, this progression should be part of every strand. In a very interesting article by Mike Newby called "Understanding Curriculum Progression", which appeared in the Autumn ’95 British Journal of Curriculum and Assessment, some eight forms of learning progression are listed:

2. From simple skills to more complex skills.
3. From the local and present to the distant and past or future.
1. From the past and distant to the present and local.
2. From simple to multiple discrimination. (or from simple to sophisticated classifications).

6. The progression to conceptual understanding.
7. From conceptual thinking to problem-solving.
1. Progression in habit development

Obviously, if a child that is capable has shown no progress or development in these eight ways after a systematic working through of the curriculum, then their education has been largely wasted and the curriculum has failed them.

A setting out of the areas of study, for each Attainment Target, that will run through the entire curriculum, from the lowest age group to the highest, with references from the Writings to support their inclusion.

Having established the kind of adults we want our children and youth to be, and having derived the three main goals or aims of our education system, we need to set out the areas of study that each Attainment Target is to contain.

These areas of study are referred to as STRANDS because they run right through the curriculum from the lowest age group to the highest, in this case from 2½ to 16 years of age. They are so important that they must be taught to each and every age group, in the appropriate way for their capacity and need. This continuity, with built-in progression, is vital for the proper and balanced development of the children and youth being taught.

What follows is a systematic listing of the main areas of study under each Attainment Target, the STRANDS in other words, together with quotations from the Writings and Pronouncements of the Faith to support their inclusion.

The Acquisition of a Spiritual and Moral Character devoted to Sacrifice and Service.

This Attainment Target has four strands:

‘Abdu’l-Bahá P.U.P. (1982) p54

The Acquisition of Knowledge and Understanding of the Laws, Teachings, History and Key Figures, Covenant and Administration, and Sacred Scriptures, of the Bahá’í Faith and other Divinely Revealed Religions.

This Attainment Target has six strands:

Bahá’u’lláh B.E. (1987) p6

‘Abdu’l-Bahá B.E. (1987) p42

‘Abdu’l-Bahá B.E. (1987) p30

The Acquisition of Skills appropriate to the Individual, Family, Social and Administrative Life of a Bahá’í.

This Attainment Target has four strands:

On behalf of Shoghi Effendi B.E. (1987) p52

‘Abdu’l-Bahá S.W.A. (1978) pp181-2

‘Abdu’l-Bahá B.E. (1987) pp281-2

‘Abdu’l-Bahá B.E. (1987) p46

"It is highly important for man to raise a family. So long as he is young, because of youthful self-complacency, he does not realise its significance, but this will be a source of regret when he grows old …In this glorious Cause the life of a married couple should resemble the life of the angels in heaven - a life full of joy and spiritual delight, a life of unity and concord, a friendship both mental and physical. The home should be orderly and well-organised. Their ideas and thoughts should be like the rays of the sun of truth and the radiance of the brilliant stars in the heavens. Even as two birds they should warble melodies upon the branches of the tree of fellowship and harmony. They should always be elated with joy and gladness and be a source of happiness to the hearts of others. They should set an example to their fellow-men, manifest a true and sincere love towards each other and educate their children in such a manner as to blazon the fame and glory of their family."

‘Abdu’l-Bahá Family Life (1982) p397

"The supreme need of humanity is co-operation and reciprocity. The stronger the ties of fellowship and solidarity amongst men, the greater will be the power of constructiveness and accomplishment in all the planes of human activity. Without co-operation and reciprocal attitude the individual member of society remains self-centred, uninspired by altruistic purposes, limited and solitary in development like the animal and plant organisms of the lower kingdoms." ‘Abdu’l-Bahá PUP (1982) p338

‘Abdu’l-Bahá The Compilation of Compilations (1991) pp 509-510

Directives from the Guardian (1973) pp 84-5

Thus a framework of the whole curriculum would look like this:-

A setting out of some of the topics that could be taught under each strand, together with suggestions as to the age groups where they might be appropriate.

Having derived a framework for the curriculum - the Attainment Targets and Strands, the next stage is to set out the major elements that might be dealt with in the Programmes of Study for each Strand at each Key Stage.

The elements that appear below are not intended to be exhaustive, nor, indeed, are they cast in bronze for evermore. They are important, yes, but they are in the nature of guidance and description, rather than law and prescription. It is acknowledged that curriculum implementation is an evolving thing. No one person has all the answers, though individuals, by their efforts, can make a big difference in encouraging the development of curricula for the education of children in the Bahá’í community. However, we must start somewhere, lines have to be drawn, or we would never embark on any venture. No claim is made that this curriculum is the last word, nor the best, merely that this is the stage we have reached so far, and that this is what might serve us well enough into the early years of the next millennium. God willing, second generation Bahá’í curricula of greater sophistication, and of closer adherence to the spirit of the Writings, will grow from efforts such as this.

What follows is a systematic breakdown of what might appropriately be taught for each of the fourteen Strands that run through the whole curriculum, together with some suggestions as to what might be appropriate for each Key Stage.

This Attainment Target contains four Strands:

a) SPIRITUALITY

b) MORALITY

c) SACRIFICE

d) SERVICE

a) SPIRITUALITY

The acquisition of a spiritual nature, the spiritual refinement of a soul, the cultivating of a strong relationship between a soul and its Creator is, in a sense, the essence and primary purpose of a religion. If, in practising one’s Faith, one does not achieve any degree of spiritualisation then that Faith is redundant and one remains on the level of an animal with a will of its own, albeit a clever one.

The cultivation of a spiritual nature, of spirituality, in children and young people, is one of the most difficult tasks a parent or teacher faces. This is inherent in the nature of spirituality itself. It is not easily seen, nor subject to the usual limitations of measurement. Its effects may be observed, though they are subtle. Its potentiality is infinite, but it requires great effort and vigilance.

One particular aspect of behaviour in very young children has an important bearing on their later lives. Deferred gratification is the ability to control the immediate satisfying of one’s desires - to wait and work for greater rewards at a time in the future. This requires great strength of character. This is spirituality triumphing over materiality, the angel over the ape. Recent research has clearly demonstrated that those young children who can exercise delayed gratification, even as young as four years, go on to be successful in all areas of their lives. Those who cannot will have life-long problems in all areas of their lives. The message is clear for Bahá’í parents and teachers.

If we get spirituality right, the rest will follow, for it is what animates the soul, illumines the mind and sensitises the heart of the individual.

Much work needs to be done to generate effective environments, methods and materials for imparting this vital element to our children and young people, but, more than anything else, this aspect of the curriculum relies most heavily on the example of parents and teachers who are, themselves, dedicated to the spiritualisation of their own lives.

The idea of spirit

The human spirit

Spirit, mind and body

The human soul

The nature of spirituality

Coming closer to God / Personal relationship with God

Coming closer to Bahá’u’lláh

ii) Foundations of Spirituality

Prayerfulness

Meditativeness

Mindfulness of the Word of God (remembrance)

Detachment from the physical realm

Avoiding secularism

Other worldliness

Awareness of God and the other realms

Contentment with the Will of God

Radiant acquiescence

Spiritual dimension of morality

Selflessness

Integrity, Honour, Dignity, Trustworthiness

iii) Paths to Spirituality

Prayer

Meditation

Exposure to / relating to the Word of God

Restraint

Deferred gratification

Obedience to the Covenant and the Divine Institutions

Withstanding tests

4. Enhancement of Spirituality

The rôle of physical cleanliness

The rôle of order and tidiness, of neatness and presentation

The rôle of the Arts, especially: Music, Drama, Dance, Painting, Graphics & Design, and Literature

The rôle of Æsthetics, especially: creation of a suitable and pleasing environment and atmosphere

The rôle of Beauty, especially: its use, beautiful things, its contemplation as an attribute or emanation from God, the beauty of creation, the beauty of truth, the beauty of virtue, the beauty of love etc.

KS 0, KS 1 Here spirituality might be approached chiefly through the use of prayer, the sacred word, music, beauty and æsthetic environments.

KS 2 Introduce basic concepts of soul, spirit, loving God etc. in a more formal way. Widen scope of approaches.

KS 3 Greater sophistication of ideas and practices.

KS 4 Enable students to discuss all aspects of spirituality with confidence, to be confident in exercising most paths to spirituality and to know how to enhance their own spirituality and that of others.

b) MORALITY

The acquisition of a moral character must, according to the sacred text, be one of the primary concerns of all parents and educators when educating their children and young people. It has never been so important nor so difficult as now. This is just as the central figures of our Faith have predicted. Society has lost a commonly accepted moral code, indeed, has collectively abandoned any pretence to a moral way of behaving. This extends upwards into the highest levels of national and international government and downwards into the lowest strata of society. From presidents and prime- ministers to pre-teen youngsters, vice and depravity are the norm. Chernobyl, Tiananmen Square, B.S.E. act as a backdrop to the shocking events nearer home - the brutal murders of James Bulger, Philip Lawrence and Louise Allen. Human life itself has lost its meaning and its value.

In such circumstances the responsibility of Bahá’í parents and educators is weighty indeed, for their task is no less than to build anew a way of thinking and behaving based upon the moral teachings of an emerging world community. While other religions dither and fudge in the face of demands for licence from the most vicious elements of society, the Bahá’ís must stand firm and give clear moral guidance. Their children and youth must be told what is right and what is wrong in the eyes of God, and what is acceptable Bahá’í behaviour and what is not, never mind what the world thinks or does. In the sweeping, surging tides of immorality the new generation of Bahá’ís must not only be immovable rocks but beaming light houses, illuminating a channel of righteousness for a storm-tossed humanity.

Once again, not only must we have inspiring methods and materials to inculcate morality in our children and youth, but we must be prepared to lead the way by example.

What is morality?

Why is it good to be good?

The source of morality

Reward and punishment

Knowing right from wrong

Conscience and guilt

Immorality and amorality

Moral hierarchies

Absolute and relative morality

Consequences of moral and immoral acts

Altruism and the greater good

ii) Paths to Morality

Good character and conduct

Establishing and keeping a good reputation

Acquiring virtues

The Virtues :- Courtesy, Trustworthiness, Truthfulness, Patience, Kindness, Modesty, Courage, Forgiveness etc.

Shunning vices

The vices

The seven deadly sins

Eschewing the company of the ungodly

iii) Enhancement of Morality

Practising being good

Being an example to others

Being strong when surrounded by immorality

Coping with backbiting

Knowing who to turn to in a moral crisis

How to make moral decisions

Moral exemplars

Moral heroes and heroines

KS 0, KS 1 Here morality might be approached chiefly through the use of moral exemplars or stories, along with clear and constant reinforcement of good behaviour

KS 2 Introduce basic concepts of right and wrong, reward and punishment, and focus on a selection of key virtues, especially courtesy and kindness

KS 3 Greater sophistication of ideas and practices, including consequences. Chastity at pre-pubescent stages can be taught as loyalty and self-restraint, for example

KS 4 Enable students to discuss all aspects of morality with confidence, to be confident in their own moral uprightness, and to know how to enhance morality in themselves and others

c) SACRIFICE

Sacrifice is an alien concept to those who live in a materialistic society where everything is geared toward serving the self with all its needs, toward the instant gratification of the least impulse or desire. Everyone becomes so self-centred, so self-absorbed that the needs of others are forgotten, ignored or overridden. Society in such circumstances begins to disintegrate and the pleasures everyone seeks become ever more transitory in their effects and are undermined by an increasingly profound unhappiness.

Part of the mystery of sacrifice is its subtle and unseen function in keeping society running. Chronic neglect of its transference to the next generation by parents who have not experienced the genuine hardship and deprivation of wartime generations has meant the "spoiling" of the nation - people have become weak-willed, petulantly demanding of their rights and unable to cope with any kind of discomfort, deep emotion, responsibility or long-term relationship. Few seem ready or willing to subordinate their wishes, routines and comforts to the needs of others or for any cause that might elevate, promote or benefit the society of which they are a part. Thus marriages collapse in divorce, families fall apart, and the reciprocity of community life evaporates.

It is the task of Bahá’í parents and teachers to so sensitise our children and youth to the principle of sacrifice, its mysterious and hidden powers, and its far-reaching effects, that they will become sacrificial in their whole attitude to life and the world. By this is not meant a life of miserable self-denial and asceticism, but a rededication of humanity to a principle without which civilisation cannot actually exist. It is also their task to instil in our children a desire to act sacrificially in relation to the Cause - to give sacrificially to the Funds, to support and obey the Divine Institutions in a sacrificial way.

What is sacrifice?

Sacrifice as a mystery

Examples of sacrifice:

In nature - the seed sacrifices itself to let the plant grow

- the candle burns its substance to give light

In the human realm

Sacrifice as a miracle

Concept of Martyrdom:- Physical and Spiritual Martyrdom

ii) Paths to Sacrifice

Sharing - accepting less of something you like so that others may have some or have more

Letting go - leads to something better, a higher state

Giving - of time, effort, money and life

Willingness - to forgo personal pleasures, physical desires, status, public praise etc. to accomplish task in hand

Forgetting self - pleasing others before yourself, especially in friendships, marital and family relationships

Endurance - of hardship, difficulties, discomfort, pain etc.

Working - to earn the things you want in life

iii) Enhancing Sacrifice

Stories of sacrifice - throughout history

- in the Faith

Stories of Bábi and Bahá’í Martyrs

Personal goals or plans to enhance the spirit of sacrifice

KS 0, KS 1: Here sacrifice might be approached chiefly through the idea and practice of sharing and giving. The metaphor of the seed could be experienced through growing beans in jars etc.

KS 2: Introduce basic concepts of sacrifice: letting go, pleasing others, etc. Use stories from within and outside the Faith to show examples of people who sacrificed to serve higher purposes

KS 3 Greater sophistication of ideas and practices; forgoing pleasure, endurance, working for desired outcomes, stories of Martyrs, personal goals

KS 4 Enable students to discuss all aspects of sacrifice with confidence, to be confident in their own sacrificial conduct, and to know how to enhance sacrifice in themselves and others.

d) SERVICE

Profit-making has supplanted service as the main motive in business, and in human affairs generally. Material reward, especially if it is instant in nature, is seen as the goal of work - whether money, status or power. Attitudes of service are considered as belonging to a bygone era and are considered personally demeaning. These attitudes can affect Bahá’ís, especially the young, in their approach to serving the Faith, in whatever capacity, and in their serving of the community at large, whether in their occupations or their personal lives.

The priceless privilege of serving the Faith, or serving humanity, is often rejected outright or abandoned part way through when circumstances become a little difficult. However, we know as Bahá’ís that those activities and occupations which do not serve others, or advance the world of being, are merely self-indulgence.

We need to rekindle the spirit of service in our children so that they will be willing and faithful servants of the Cause as adults, and devoted servers of humanity. Our lessons and training programmes must enhance the culture of service which is part of our Bahá’í identity. Attention must be given to the development of methods and materials which will accomplish this difficult but necessary task.

An examination of the four Strands in this attainment target shows that they are closely interlinked, that elements appearing in one overlap into one or more of the others. However, it remains vital that each Strand be taught in such a way that they be given more or less equal weight, for a spiritual and moral character is all very well in isolation but it must be directed to the fields of sacrifice and service if it is to be of use in the world.

What is service?

Why should we serve others?

Service to the Faith

Work in the spirit of service

The element of service in all occupations and tasks

Attitude to service

Work as worship

Equality of value of all occupations

Pride in apparently menial tasks if they are of service

Concepts of duty and responsibility

ii) Paths to Service

Helping at home

Helping friends and neighbours

Helping others, doing things for others

Activities, occupations that are of service to humanity

Care of the sick, elderly and very young

Care of pets, animals, plants, nature and the environment

Hospitality

Helping in the local Bahá’í community

Helping at local events:- Feasts, Holy Days, Unit Conventions etc.

iii) Enhancement of Service

Carrying out service projects: Service in the community

Service to the environment

Service to Bahá’í Institutions or to Bahá’í individuals

Youth Year of Service

What to do on Holy Days, especially Ayyám-i-Há / Intercalary Days

Stories of those who have rendered great service - throughout history

- in the Faith

KS 0, KS1: Here service might be approached chiefly through the idea and practice of doing things for others, helping others

KS 2: Introduce basic concepts of service: what it is, why we should serve, work as worship etc. Encourage them to help in the home. Use stories to inspire children with desire to serve.

KS 3: Greater sophistication of ideas and practices; concepts of duty and responsibility. Get them to take on service projects looking after an elderly person, a pet, a wood etc.

KS 4: Enable students to discuss all aspects of service with confidence, to be confident in their own service to the Faith and to humanity, and to know how to enhance service in themselves and others.

This Attainment Target contains six Strands

a) LAWS

b) TEACHINGS

c) HISTORY AND KEY FIGURES

d) COVENANT AND ADMINISTRATION

e) SACRED SCRIPTURES

f) OTHER DIVINELY REVEALED RELIGIONS

Perhaps in reaction to the excessive strictness of attitude, in the Nineteenth and first half of the Twentieth centuries, to laws, duties, regulations and codes of conduct, the second half of the Twentieth century seems to have swung into a mode of complete licence where anything goes. In such a liberal climate chaos and anarchy reign, no one’s safety is guaranteed, no building is immune from vandalism, no institution invulnerable to cynical undermining, no authority holds any credibility and no one’s life is worth anything.

The hallmarks of all social interaction are self-interest, profit-making, and buck-passing. Corruption is the norm; abnegation of all personal responsibility is endemic. It should come as no surprise to any one, therefore, that, as the traffic signals of life are being ignored, there are many fatalities and serious injuries in the population and the collapse of life’s infrastructures.

Between puritanical dictatorship and hedonistic libertarianism lies a happy medium. What truly sets a person and their society free is adherence to and respect for the law; a law, moreover, which is so framed as to promote the best interests and advancement of the human race, from local to global levels.

The Bahá’í student must be so inspired and trained that they come to see the divinely revealed laws of Bahá’u’lláh as the standard for human living, as a mighty stronghold for society’s protection and as a shelter for all who seek peace, justice, dignity and recompense.

1. The Nature of Divinely Revealed Laws

God given, a gift from God, God’s bounty and mercy

Unsealing of the choice wine

Renewed periodically, evolving to promote the progress of humanity

The test of the true believer

2. The Necessity, Purpose and Functioning of Divinely Revealed Laws

A standard to measure behaviour by

Laws as a code to live by

Laws as liberation

Sorting sheep from goats

Notions of reward and punishment

As basis of a new civilisation

3. The Sources of Bahá’í Law

The Kitáb-i-Aqdas

Other tablets and writings of Bahá’u’lláh

Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

Writings of Shoghi Effendi

The Universal House of Justice

4. Obligations in Bahá’í Law

Daily prayer

Daily reading of sacred scripture

Fasting

Giving to the Fund

Marriage laws

Burial laws

Making a will

Paying Huqúq’u’lláh

Obedience to just government

Education of children

Having a trade or profession

Cleanliness etc.

5. Prohibitions in Bahá’í Law

Asceticism

Monasticism

Begging

Priesthood

Slavery

Alcohol

Drugs

Gambling

Sex outside marriage

Party politics

Voluntary military service

Murder, Arson, Theft

Cruelty to animals

Lying

Backbiting etc.

KS 0, KS 1: Here laws might chiefly be approached through looking at rules for home, school and playing of games. The laws of daily prayer and reading, and of backbiting should be touched on.

KS 2: Introduce laws as traffic rules that allow everyone to drive freely. Basic Bahá’í laws to do with daily duties and what to avoid.

KS 3: Greater sophistication of ideas, looking at the nature of divine laws and their purpose, etc. Get students to keep a diary of what comes up as issues each day of their lives.

KS 4: Enable students to discuss all aspects of divine laws with confidence, to be confident in their own obedience to the laws of Bahá’u’lláh, and to know how to enhance knowledge and practice of Bahá’í law in themselves and others.

The world, having failed to renew and update its ships of state, having left its lifeboats rotting at the quayside, having dowsed its lighthouses, torn up its navigational charts and allowed its captains free access to the liquor store, is now drowning in a sea of confusion.

The world understands little, if anything, of the storms and tidal waves which are buffeting humanity. Even those who might be capable are unwilling to make the effort, lest in being distracted from their frantic swimming they might go under and not resurface.

The world will continue to suffer unless and until sufficient numbers of people, especially those of capacity, come to hear of and accept the teachings enshrined in Bahá’u’lláh’s revelation and in the writings of His appointed successors.

These teachings are the only effective medicine for the personal, moral, social, economic, political and environmental ills from which humanity is presently suffering. They are the ark which will rescue the human race from the deluge of its own making.

The Bahá’í student must be so educated in the teachings of their Faith that they may be enabled to know and understand them, live them out through their lives and apply them to the situations and problems of the world, as well as to share them in a meaningful and relevant way with others.

There is, literally, nowhere else to turn. Metaphorically, there is no other vessel that can withstand the tempest.

Unity, peace and globalisation

Universality, collective salvation

The establishment of God’s kingdom on earth

2. Theological

The unity and nature of God

The unity and nature of the Manifestations

The nature and purpose of creation

The nature and purpose of humanity

The worlds of God and their creatures

The soul and immortality

The abolition of priesthoods, monasticism and confession

The nature of divine institutions, etc.

3. Intellectual

The gifts of the Mind

The pursuit of arts, crafts and sciences for humanity’s benefit

Independent investigation of truth

The harmony of science and religion

The vital importance of education and training

4. Social, Economic and Political

Universal peace and world government

Equality of the sexes

Abolition of all forms of prejudice

Abolition of slavery

Abolition of extremes of poverty and wealth

Universal auxiliary language

Universal currency, weights and measures

Profit-sharing

Prison reform

Social and economic development of the whole world

Conservation of the world’s environments and biodiversity

Holistic approaches to everything

Empowerment and self-help, etc.

KS 0 , KS 1: Here teachings might chiefly be approached through songs of love, peace and unity, through friezes and collages showing unity in human diversity, etc.

KS 2: Introduce all the appropriate teachings at a basic level with posters, pictures, diagrams and plentiful examples to illustrate each one.

KS 3: Greater sophistication of ideas, looking at the more difficult concepts as well as exploring more familiar aspects in greater depth.

KS 4: Enable students to discuss all aspects of the teachings with confidence, to be confident in acting on firm bel