Discuss the significance of the spirituality of the educator
Discuss the Significance of Spirituality for the Educator Before trying to determine the importance of spirituality for the educator I feel that it is necessary to first define what is meant by the term "spirituality". There are no clear definitions of spirituality, although in the past the word has often been associated with religion. It is important to note that spirituality is not the same as religion. In todays world new ideas of spirituality are being explored and expressed, there are accepted differences between spirituality and religiousness. Parker Palmer describes spirituality as "the ancient and abiding human quest for connectedness with something larger and more trustworthy than our egos- with our own souls with one another, with the words of history and nature, with the invisible winds of the spirit with the mystery of being alive." Spirituality is the essence of a persons being; it is who we are. Spirituality is different for each individual person. This idea can be seen by Robert Maloneys view of spirituality, he sees it as an "energising vision" and "the specific way a person is rooted in God … the specific way he or she relates to the created world" . Spirituality is an integration of mind, body and soul. ... Now that we have defined what spirituality is, the next question is how do we embrace our spirituality? Rolheiser, in his book Seeking Spirituality, describes four non-negotiable essential components in embracing or seeking ones spirituality. ... Prayer is essential to spirituality and should not be on our terms, only when we want something from God, it should be regular, communicative and personal.