Dharma Rain - Dharma School Manual

Dharma School Manual

Structure and Administration

Relationship of Dharma School to the Larger Sangha

We find the children and youth do best when they have their own place at the Center and their own routines. Kids who can stay still and quiet are welcome at most Center activities (such as meditation, service, and classes), but most prefer to be with other kids and do things that are geared to them, their interests and their needs. It does not seem to bother them that they are doing something different than the adults, except when they are new to the dharma school and may resist being separated from their parents. Before long, though, the youngest kids bond with their teachers and the older kids find friends, and they hardly notice when the parents leave.

Sangha members gather to watch end-of-year skits.

Several times each year, all ages of kids are brought into the larger community for something special where the kids have special parts to play and are prepared ahead for the event. Wesak (the festival of the Buddha’s birth) and Segaki (the festival of the hungry ghosts) are annual special events where the kids join the adults. At the end of the dharma school year, in early June, each age group presents something to the adult sangha, such as a skit, a song, a dance or some artistic creations. The children and youth feel a sense of pride about their presentations, and the adult sangha enjoys the youthful energy and connection with the kids.

Preschoolers enact the story of Maya, mother of the Buddha.

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Roles of Parents and Teachers

Parents pay a small fee each year to help pay for infrastructure. Parent volunteers help with logistics, planning, feedback, and supplies. Snacks are provided by a rotating list of parents who sign up for the duty. Parents of younger kids attend the singing that comprises the first part of the dharma school day, and usually attend the kids’ ceremonies. Parents of pre-school and grade school kids may attend the age-specific classes if their children want them to be there.

Teacher volunteers are Zen students that come from the sangha and usually do not have children in dharma school. (If they do, they do not work with their own child’s group.) Our teachers are not usually trained or certified, just motivated. Ideally, each teacher goes through an apprenticeship period of one to several years during which they assist a more experienced teacher before they take on the primary role in leading a group. So far, we have recruited teachers from among those members who 1) have shown some interest in the kids when they have joined the adults for a social event or ceremony, 2) seem to have a handle on the basics of their own Buddhist training, and 3) have enough equanimity to avoid overreacting when the kids are “acting out.” We have been cautious with people we don’t know well who have been very eager or insistent about working with kids. We feel it is necessary to protect the children from any adult with intrusive issues.

Teachers work with a general syllabus that provides a theme for each school year. As often as once a month the “typical” dharma school schedule is preempted by one of our annual ceremonies run by and for the kids (see Kid-friendly Ceremonies), or a special event like the spring egg hunt. The teachers customize the lesson plan for each day, attempting to adapt to the individual students and the developmental stage of the class.

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