CLASSES

Click here for a larger imagePreschool Group

The youngest group is for 3 to 6 year olds.  This group does their meditation separately, setting up their altar and having a few minutes of quiet before moving into the activities for the day.  After meditation is usually something active and physical, some yoga stretching for a few minutes, then there is often a story or a craft project.  This can be tied to the day’s lesson, i.e., acting out the movements of various animals can precede a lesson about kindness to animals, or making sock puppets can provide characters for acting out a Jataka tale, but the important thing is to release some energy and acknowledge their youthful nature, while maintaining some behavior guidelines like sharing and not hitting.


Primary School Boys Group, Grades 1-5

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The boys group meditates on their own, doing a chanting practice along with quiet meditation facing a wall.  They learn the rhythm instruments and chant a Fudo ceremony, modified from the one the adult sangha does on Saturdays.  Fudo is “The Immovable One,” a fierce bodhisattva who embodies resolution and determination, and fits well for this group.  We provide an environment that is largely male, activity and task-driven, and fairly physical.  Sometimes there is discussion or a story, often there is a project of some sort - making a bird house, or a statue, or bookmarks or deconstructing an organ!

Primary School Girls, Grades 1-5

Click here for a larger image After meditation, the girls group meets by themselves with female teachers.  This group is verbal and content focused; listening to stories is a consistent activity, as are various arts and craft projects.  They discuss the theme and teaching for the day in relation to the activity and to their daily lives.  We place particular emphasis on how they relate to each other -- being generous with objects, time and attention.  Participants in this group need to be developmentally ready to handle themselves in a discussion that will touch on social issues and values.



Middle School Group

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Both boys and girls in sixth through eighth grades meet together.  They are given higher standards and more direct Dharma teaching.  They are asking abstract questions and have more choice in the content of their classes.  These kids need to discuss their issues, and they need teachers who will process with them without pushing for conclusions.  With this age group, working with right speech is very relevant; as is showing respect, finding commonalities, and learning how to be close to one another even if they might not be friends in other contexts.  The discussions are often personal, dealing with concrete examples from school and family life.  It takes a lot of effort for the kids to maintain the level of maturity and responsibility that is encouraged, but there is still ample time for silliness.



Click here for a larger imageHigh School Group

More so than the middle school group, this is closer to the flavor of a process group in some ways.  The teachers facilitate the discussion, and can take a teaching role when necessary, but step back when possible so that the kids can stretch more.  We maintain confidentiality in these discussions to create a safe space.  At this age they are beginning to make the transition to the adult world.  Formal sanzen with one of the priests is offered sometimes, and three teens have taken the precepts as lay Buddhists in the last 3 years (we require them to be 16 before taking adult Jukai).  Two students have also done a ceremony of entering the zendo as an adult after their graduation from high school.  For a Still Point article by a high school student, click here.

Click here for a larger imageDharma School also has a special-needs teen who has been in the program for around 10 years.  He has a one-on-one class that focuses on music and Buddhism after participating in the full morning service with the adult sangha with his chaperone. For a Still Point article on this, click here.