Download Formation of socio-cultural competencies through religious

Annales Universitatis Apulensis. Series Paedagogica-Psychologica
FORMATION OF SOCIO-CULTURAL COMPETENCIES
THROUGH RELIGIOUS EDUCATION IN BULGARIAN
KINDERGARTEN
Liana GALABOVA
Sofia University „Saint Kliment Ohridski”, Bulgaria
Abstract: Religious education in contemporary Bulgarian kindergartens is
organised as an optional additional pedagogical activity for 6-7 old preschoolers.
Integration of elements of religious knowledge and culture into main course of Bulgarian
preschool education is usually related to moral upbringing and children's celebrations of
national holidays. Introduction of age-appropriate material and activities related to religious
traditions and tolerance corresponds to secular and diverse environment of Bulgarian
educational system and to attitudes of local society as a whole. Normative documentation
regulating kindergarten education allows presence of traditional values and folk feasts
mainly in regard of development of initial social and cultural skills. Particular local
programs for preschool education that vary in their focus and style of working with children
also provide opportunity of enrichment and creativity, including perceptions of phenomena
related to religion and spirituality. Preschool teachers of religion are called and trained to
work together with children, educators, families, religious communities, administration,
human-rights activists, as well as possible. Therefore, pedagogical art in the sphere of
religious education consist in: combining patriotic and intercultural education in cultural
sphere; encouraging both children’s self-approval and empathy in regard of individual
needs and collective demands and expectations. Along those efforts there come a number of
questions and tensions that require specific approach and yet more effective
communication. Practical experience in experimental and regular preschool activities
related to religion in Bulgarian kindergarten conditions, show that balance between
confessional and neutral approaches make religious education compatible, live and
appropriate part of educational processes and of priorities oriented to recent child and future
society. Preschool religious education becomes factor of formation of children's sociocultural competencies if involvement of religious and spiritual values in secular education
helps children to grow up: healthy, happy, oriented, communicative, kind, ethical,
informed, educated, confident, competitive, proactive and willing to cooperate and
improve.
Keywords: religious education, sociocultural competence, children,
kindergarten, identity.
In many countries around the world, traditional religious education is
significant factor of shaping local cultural identity and condition for sustenance of
social peace - directly or indirectly, actually or supposedly, justly or
stereotypically, purposefully or occasionally. Twenty years already, states
historically belonging to Orthodox Christian religious group, regulate religious
education in traditional national way, and there is a lot of critique on the relation of
that fact to social justice. Along processes of Post-Communist democratisation and
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Annales Universitatis Apulensis. Series Paedagogica-Psychologica
Euro-integration, education combines cultural approach of educating about
religious heritage with intercultural training in order to consider minority's rights.
Raising the awareness of human rights and freedoms responds to the mixed
character of children's groups as small societies at schools and kindergartens. Still
religious organisations, both minor and major, but especially the traditional
Orthodox churches, had regained public space and recognition as compensation for
communist repressions. Meanwhile religious education became indicator of how
religious communities serve their society and how people and state need them,
according to the level of the revival of their traditional role and actual ability to
deserve recent position during social changes, and along national movements and
emancipation of small states from big socialist unions. Therefore even catechism
accidentally occurring in contemporary secular environment, still could easily go
together with regarding of the increasing variety of origin and attitudes of every
individual person involved in contemporary educational system in general. That
situation challenges recent decision-makers, and turns the work of teachers and
researchers into an interesting and rewarding process aimed at reducing social
tensions during transition by development of individual personalities. In result,
what is now central to education is how to manage information, understanding, and
motivation, including what was recovered, and what was ignored from the past, in
order to provide impact on children's personal development and social skills. This
paper, based on my experience as teacher and researcher in the field of religious
education, discusses how educational technologies, communication, empathy,
example, and environment in education can lead to character improvement - as in
any field of preschool training, so in the fields related to religion and spirituality
for children.
In Bulgaria there is religious education in kindergartens yet from the time
of the beginning of social changes at the end of the 90s. Children's activities related
to Orthodox Christian (and yet more rarely to Muslim) faith and heritage in
contemporary Bulgarian kindergartens is organised as ability of providing optional
additional pedagogical moments for 5-7 old preschoolers. Although it is not at all
popular and widespread practice in Bulgaria, to teach religion to preschoolers – or
more precisely, to communicate information and values to children in appropriate
manner, and in order to achieve available goals, there is interesting local
experience having let to valuable outcomes. Improvement of education at its first
level was initiated by the process of returning of ethnographic or folklore feast in
kindergarten curriculum in the late 80s.
By that time, many European states with Catholic and Protestant Christian
population were reconsidering their methods of teaching religion together with
countries without confessional training at public educational units of all levels –
from kindergarten to university, and finally came to the idea of non-confessional
religious education. In pedagogy, didactics as theory of education, and education as
process of teaching and upbringing have to reconsider their direction and character
and to shift knowledge integration from questions like: who, what, when, and how,
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Annales Universitatis Apulensis. Series Paedagogica-Psychologica
to questions like: why and how1. Educators have to give priority to philosophical
issue of understanding: why? instead to practical issues of approach: how?, which
had been given priority by now2. While pedagogical studies went through
democratisation, many countries developed educational policies regarding value
formation in order to face moral crisis of globalised society, and of their own
country. Morals, values, and spirituality started gaining back some of their primary
significance in education worldwide, but there was special need for that in
countries that had suffered through certain period of ruling atheist ideology.
The idea of religious education as part of children's training in citizenship3
was meeting children's necessities in globalised world, migrating between areas
with different religious tradition, and families with various beliefs. The idea of
comparative religious education gained interest in Bulgarian public space in regard
of long tradition of coexistence of Bulgarian Muslim and Jewish religious groups,
and of smaller Catholic, and Protestant communities, and especially of widespread
theosophy, and in regard of new and rare adepts of new religious movements. Nonconfessional approach to religious education of preschoolers came from the variety
of teachers' and parents' beliefs, from the awareness to respond to real situation,
and from the competence to resolve the complexity of new situations. That trend
went together with recognition of Orthodox church and spirituality, as leading
religious place and belief to belong, although not actively for most of local people.
Along the years there appeared limited, but appropriate and valuable
methodological literature and training in the field of both types of religious
education. Kindergarten teachers, newly educated theologians, scholars and
decision makers in the field of education started realising the necessity of practical
implementation of some kind of moral and cultural education, even though it never
became as visible as in other countries, where religious education is organised on
more regular basis. For ordinary people inside our country, Bulgarian religious
education seems non-existing, and only desired, and possible. Based on my
comparative research on religious education in Orthodox area and on international
documentation regulating education about religion and beliefs in general, I prefer
to determine our policy on religious education as diplomatic. Local educational and
1
VASSILEVA, EMILIA (2010), Personally oriented education process. Website of
Association of primary school teachers 2010, http://irispv.net/main.php?page=biblio/loop.lbi (Access 12 Sept 2010, 13:13), (In Bulgarian).
2
HUITT, WILLIAM (2004), Moral and character development, Website of Educational
Psychology Interactive. Valdosta, GA: Valdosta State University,
http://www.edpsycinteractive.org/morchr/morchr.html, (through:
http://www.edpsycinteractive.org/materials/elecfile.html, Readings on educational
psychology, Moral Development, and Character Education, Overview) (Access 12 Sept
2010, 11:08).
3
CHIDESTER, DAVID, (2002) Global citizenship, cultural citizenship and world religions
in religion education, Cape Town, Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) Publishers,
http://www.hsrcpress.ac.za/product.php?cat=21&freedownload=1&productid=197
6, (Access through downloading 12 Sept 2010, 12:31).
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religious authorities pursued their various objectives, but their obligation did not
allow religious freedom to come into conflict with children's rights (right of
education), neither with the rights of parent (right to educate their children
according to their world-views) as international agreements had been
recommending4. So to say, local authorities allowed people to opt for education
that will promote traditional culture, and let them choose on individual basis, if
education related to religion will be appropriate for their children, also with regard
of particular form, place, focus, and manner of such training.
Integration of elements of religious knowledge and culture into the main
course of Bulgarian preschool education is usually related to moral upbringing and
children celebrations of national holidays. When parents and teachers had been
asked to specify their expectations from religious education, they provided rich
variety of answers, interpretations, opinions, suggestions, ideas, insights, critique,
and demands, which we as teachers had to follow; they also shared different kind
of interests, personal memories, philosophies, ideologies, and stereotypes, that we
had to have in mind. That is why, since 1996, when first official experimental
program of Christian religious education reached Bulgarian kindergartens, neither
the concept, nor the public vision of that activity was not defined ultimately, and
together with methodological instructions remained opened to changes and
development. Preschool age had been included in all local documentation and
organisation regulations concerning religious education in public schools in general
– as Religion-Christianity and Religion-Islam. The idea of separate program of
religious education for preparatory kindergarten group did not receive proper
institutionalisation, although there was timely provision of clear and thorough
didactic and methodical literature5 and authorised training programs as well. Still
there are kindergartens, which host children classes of religion, and many others
who sometimes invite specialists and religious representatives on special occasions,
with the agreement of parents, and mostly in case that they have available
professional.
Meanwhile, there are some developments, new ideas, appeals, and
regulations, which improve the whole situation of teaching about religions and
beliefs in Bulgaria. Practically, up until now, regular teachers and kindergarten
units choose how to represent religion to children, according to the values that they
share with parents. Specialists and religious people feel commitment to do that
more intensively, purposefully, and also professionally while they generally follow
the rules of educational space and curriculum, and respond particular situation
occurring in a specific children's group and kindergarten time and moment.
4
ODIHR - ADVISORY COUNCIL OF EXPERTS ON FREEDOM OF RELIGION OR
BELIEF (2007), Toledo guiding principles on teaching about religions and beliefs in public
schools, Warsaw, OSCE/ODIHR, www.oslocoalition.org/documents/toledo_guidelines.pdf
(Access 12 Sept 2010, 12:45).
5
VASSILEVA, EMILIA (1999), Religious education of preschool children. Teacher's
manual, Sofia, Sviat2001, (In Bulgarian).
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Annales Universitatis Apulensis. Series Paedagogica-Psychologica
Teachers of religion as well as regular kindergarten teachers have opportunity to
improvise, and adjust their work to same rules and conditions, but they also have
the obligation to improve religious education, and to add to the available teaching
materials.
In secular environment of contemporary education in Bulgaria, formation
of children's sociocultural competence through religious education in kindergarten
consist in combination of: humanist morality related to social skills, folklore festive
competence related to cultural orientation of children, and religious competence in
specific form and measure that could reach children' attention, feelings, and mind.
Based on my experience as teacher, I found that in kindergarten, there is no chance
to achieve, neither spiritual or faith competence, nor to obtain specific religious
knowledge, as adults understand it. From the perspective of pastoral care, where
child is instructed in faith very early, and where priest, relatives or godparents find
the way to children spirituality, many people find kindergarten religious education
incomplete and not enough spiritual, and presence of religion ennobling. „Being
present in this period in the daily life, both public and private, religion will be
assimilated later on as a united whole along with the other teachings and skills, as a
constitutive element of human life. Neither the Christian thinkers nor the Church
Fathers exclude this age from their writings, recommending to parents that they are
careful to educate their children from the earliest age, because then their soul can
be easily shaped, taking on the first outlines of the virtues that will emerge later.” 6
In my opinion, the two tendencies can be used to serve child development. Church
schools can seek for that mission people who combine piety with pedagogical
training and not to juxtapose the two directions.
„Spiritual-moral upbringing is an element of whole child upbringing.”7
That is what plays role at the threshold of the transition “from moral realism to
moral relativism8”, from moral knowledge to moral behaviour9 and along
overcoming of natural children's egocentrism through upbringing in moral
behaviour based on children's' empathy.10
In work with children on religion, on the one hand, there is an objective
need of learning some factual information, on the other hand, it is far more
6
SANDU, DAN (2007), The formative character of religious education at pre-school level.
In: Religion between Church, State and Society, eds. Irimie Marga, Gerald G. Sander, and
Dan Sandu, pp. 175-187, SMOEI, 5, Hamburg, Verlag Dr. Kovach; Website of Dan Sandu,
http://www.dansandu.ro/pdf/carti/the-formative-character.pdf, pp.-12, p. 7 (Access 12 Sept
2010, 11:00).
7
VASSILEVA, EMILIA (2009), Spiritual-moral development of pupil, Sofia, Farago, p.
69, (In Bulgarian).
8
VASSILEVA, EMILIA (2009), Spiritual-moral development of pupil, Sofia, Farago, p.
64, (In Bulgarian).
9
VASSILEVA, EMILIA (2009), Spiritual-moral development of pupil, Sofia, Farago, p.
118, (In Bulgarian).
10
VASSILEVA, EMILIA (2009), Spiritual-moral development of pupil, Sofia, Farago, p.
63-65, (In Bulgarian).
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Annales Universitatis Apulensis. Series Paedagogica-Psychologica
important to give children orientation corresponding to the world they live in, than
to ask them to know something strange and not making sense to them and their
parents, which is quite a difficulty. In children's case we can also afford to relate
fabulous world with biblical and with the space of agiographical religious literature
in order to grasp children's attention and assure understanding and memorising. It
also better to use than to oppose the existing clichés, stereotypes, patterns, habits,
non-church and foreign festive traditions that teachers and relatives know and
children like, in order to achieve educational goals without problems.
It is a challenge to introduce a saint person and a saint life story, life
choices and deeds, of course, in a very simple, clear, and joyful manner, and then
to explain if those heroes are alive or dead, or if that really happened, what grown
up preschoolers would usually ask. For some colleagues it is hard to be silent about
martyrdom, and about the scale of Christ's passions, especially when kids have
seen the whole story on a film, or they have been told about it by someone else,
properly or not. The goal of kindergarten teacher in that task is to provide basis for
future assessment and understanding of religious messages, which at early age have
to be at least translated to children; the task in kindergarten is not to inspire child
for church affiliation, because that is not a problem of children socialisation and its
organisation by upbringing. That is parents' role to bring their child to church, and
their choice.
It would be badly late to judge about the tactlessness, or the propriety of
our work from actual real effect of what we say and demonstrate, on children's
mind - if teacher would orient her or his methods according to the real reaction of
preschoolers or their regular teachers, mistakes may become fact. That is why it is
also important to invite colleagues and parents with us in order to prevent
misunderstanding and burdening with information. We could discuss some simple
things about traditions together, because sometimes children like to listen at adults
and try to grasp as much as possible from their conversation. In child's life, there is
need of external, additional information, impression, and influence that could
contribute to children's world. There is also need of providing understanding and
infusing of inner life of children with positive attitude to themselves and to the
others. In that respect, teachers own philosophy, world-view and lifestyle may not
be displayed; children may not be asked to identify themselves, as well as any
religious rituals as prayer may be left for extra-kindergarten activities with family.
It is considered pedagogical practice to leave aside something from what we have
planned for our time with children in order to follow the direction of their interest
and mood, and sometimes prefer playing with them to learning, or watching film to
discussing with them what had been done inappropriately that day.
Religious “classes” attended by 6-7 year old children, one or twice a week,
or occasionally are an
intermediate form between practising a religion in
kindergarten and teaching about religion and tolerance. That is why teacher of
religion have to combine her or his own views with certain neutrality towards
children; for many colleagues it is quite a challenge, and there is a temptation to
prefer to teach only several children of religious parents, than to give up
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Annales Universitatis Apulensis. Series Paedagogica-Psychologica
straightforwardness and start improving psychologically and recovering morally,
which is necessary to everyone. One more difficulty with religiousness of teachers
is that it is not an easy task for any believer to accept that in children's literature
Bible is being retold and illustrated in various manner, and often in contrast with
Orthodox vision on biblical story. From the strict perspective of our faith, we are
naturally inclined to tell children the whole story of saint's life and even assert its
truthfulness; fortunately there is no enough time to do that in kindergarten
conditions. From humanitarian perspective, it is enough to illustrate our very short
story about the saint with beautiful, big enough, and bright enough icon, than to tell
them about saints' childhood, or about other children in saint's life, or something
simple that children could easily understand and feel, and not necessarily expect
them to remember surely the name of the saint and his or her country of origin,
neither to relate the name to particular sacred story. Than it is easy to recall that
story by displaying of same picture icon, or drawing of ourselves, and if it is
possible – a figure, or an object that will fix children's attention and support their
wish to learn and feel while playing, acting, making, exploring.
Moreover children are not always inclined to believe everything, and
usually they verify any information with their parents, regular teachers
grandparents, brothers and sisters, and kindergarten mates. That is, in my opinion,
one of the most favourable conditions of kindergarten religious education – that
responsible teacher can be sure in leading role of parents and regular teachers in
child mind, and always redirect difficult questions to family, where child will
receive the answer completely proper for the parents. It is a mission of teacher to
sustain positive image of kid's family by all available means, including instruction
in virtues. Teacher of religion must always uplift parents' and teachers' authority
(not authoritative approach that could scare children) and assert their dignity by all
means. At the same time, there is one more natural temptation for teachers
belonging to religious community - to disregard religions of others - but children's
righteousness may not stand that. „Respect for freedom of religion or belief is
taught not only by curricular offerings, but often even more importantly by
example.”11 When teacher of religion have to work with regular teacher of different
religion, confession, community, and level or manner of spirituality, it is hard task
to excuse or understand other's religious feeling, convictions, beliefs, world-view
or lifestyle, much harder than not to notice the weaknesses, sins, or evil in the
others, which is a high Christian virtue.
Practically, in children's group sometimes, it is a must to focus on Lord
Jesus Christ and Holly Scripture if there is an Evangelical Christian, on the Most
Holly Theotokos, on Church traditions and Pontifical authority, if there is a
11
ODIHR - ADVISORY COUNCIL OF EXPERTS ON FREEDOM OF RELIGION OR
BELIEF (2007), Toledo guiding principles on teaching about religions and beliefs in public
schools, Warsaw, OSCE/ODIHR,
www.oslocoalition.org/documents/toledo_guidelines.pdf, p. 47, (Access 12 Sept 2010,
12:45).
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Annales Universitatis Apulensis. Series Paedagogica-Psychologica
Catholic Christian, and on national saints and Holly Fathers, if there is an Orthodox
Christian; if a child, or an adult demonstrates or simply shares certain type of well
informed or passionate religiosity. Muslim and Jewish believers, as well as
Buddhist, and other eastern for us religious people and representatives of new
religious movements and of mentioned and other Christian denominations can
relate or not their faith to other than Bulgarian ethnic or national heritage or
belonging, while Roma can point at their traditions, Theosophists at their
philosophy and way of life, and atheists - at their emancipation. Those values may
be different from ours, and even conflicting, but that situation soul not affect
children at all. As much as we know other religions, so well we could value the
virtues of the others. Still I do not think that it is ethical to ask about matters of
difference, for example, in a mixed group it is not appropriate to as about namedays, because some children may not have such. If the other person shares, and
children are happily involved in such display of personality, and there is a wish of
engaging whole the group in some traditions, it would be appropriate and
preferable to respond as positively as possible.
Introduction of age-appropriate material and activities related to religious
traditions and tolerance corresponds to secular and diverse environment of
Bulgarian educational system and local society as a whole. That situation may
seem familiar, or strange to other colleagues, and it is not common for all the
country – it is individual. Several particular local programs for preschool education
that vary in their focus and style of working with children also provide opportunity
of innovation and creativity, including perceptions of phenomena related to
religion and spirituality. In the preparatory kindergarten group, religious education
is natural part of program direction: „Social World“, which is dealing with
identification of child as person, member of group, family, community, and culture.
Assignment of teachers of religion is to integrate their work as smoothly as
possible in kindergarten life with its activities and in the entire system of education
and training. Therefore the strive to create a specific space and atmosphere for
religion classes should not exceed the diligence for adjusting of additional
materials to the principles, guidelines and specific conditions of pre-school
education. Mutual respect of professional competencies of teachers and good
interrelations among adults, as an example of mature sociocultural competence are
more effective of all educational implications.12
Preschool teachers of religion are called and trained to work together with
children, educators, families, religious communities, administration, human-rights
activists, as well as possible. As teachers, so other stakeholders in education, have
right to be demanding and strict, as well as they have commitment to be helpful
and understanding. Moreover, religious education is an eligible activity in
kindergarten and hence - yet more subjected to market principles of competition.
12
HUITT, WILLIAM (2004), Moral and character development, In: Educational
Psychology Interactive. Valdosta, GA: Valdosta State University,
http://www.edpsycinteractive.org/topics/morchr/morchr.html (Access 12 Sept 2010, 11:08)
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Annales Universitatis Apulensis. Series Paedagogica-Psychologica
That situation does not contrast with moral and spiritual principles, because the
attraction to children's activities related to religion has high secular and public
value too. Although parents do not expect direct results from religious education in
upbringing, society demands education based on public value agreement, which in
some cases supposes favourable effect of teaching values and morals through
religion.13 In Bulgaria that effect could be achieved after a shift of youth policy
from practical goals of education and issues of adolescents in risk to issues of their
development and of turning public understanding to their life14, and while resolving
minorities' issues, not to focus only on ethnic dimension and on risk, but rather on
development and cultural issues. „Socialisation is not a mechanical imposition of
values, norms, and ready social forms of behaviour to the individual. The
individual who is socialised is also a subject in learning of new forms of
behaviour.”15As person, child has also cultural and spiritual needs, which had to be
met by adults. Benefits of religious education of children is not mainly for us
adults, but it is an investment in personal development of child, which upon
adolescence, could result in church affiliation and righteous way of life leading to
salvation, which is also not mainly our responsibility.
Therefore, pedagogical art in the sphere of religious education consist in:
combining patriotic and intercultural education in cultural sphere; encouraging
both children’s self-approval and empathy in regard of individual needs and
collective demands and expectations. Children have to learn how to be themselves
while communicating with the others. Kindergarten is the place, where little
citizens start perceiving that basic principle while belonging for the first time to
social unit different from their families. Children's group is the space, where
individual learns how to organise human feelings and way of life according to
social ethics, and to avoid hypocrisy and dual life, but to sustain inner order and
happiness.
Celebration of traditional holidays in the preparatory group becomes
central element of training and educational work on building social skills and
habits, namely because it consolidates little individuals to achieve particular
common goals that matter to their family as much as to their kindergarten. On the
other hand, religious and folk feasts provide transmission of values and virtues
among generations and ages to the extend of fighting political ideology and
historical stereotypes. Pedagogical interaction involving religion is also committed
to promote positive emotional attitude of children associated with celebration of
13
HUITT, WILLIAM (2004), Moral and character development, In: Educational
Psychology Interactive. Valdosta, GA: Valdosta State University,
http://www.edpsycinteractive.org/topics/morchr/morchr.html (Access 12 Sept 2010, 11:08)
14
MARINOVA, EMILIA (2006), Moral and socialisation of children and adolescents in
Bulgaria, Institute of philosophical studies – Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia, Faber,
http://www.philosophybulgaria.org/books/Moral_i_socializacia_na_detcata_i_mladejite_v_
Bulgaria.pdf (Access 12 Sept 2010, 12:42), (In Bulgarian).
15
KOSTOVA, PENKA (2009) Value formation and development of children. (Theoretical
and managerial aspects.) Veliko Tarnovo, University Press, p. 56, (In Bulgarian).
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holidays, and to contribute to the development of active approach to local cultural
events and children's expression of preference, attitude, and respect. Feeling of
cultural belonging is to teach child in the accomplishment of self identification and
self esteem.
Along those efforts there come a number of questions and tensions that
require specific approach and effective communication. Religious practice often
seems to relate mainly to the church holiday traditions in the folk calendar – what
we do, where we go, what we eat, how we dress, and very often – how Bulgarian
people did all that in the past. Teachers should not neglect that material perspective
on celebration - it is more clear and visible to children as well as to whole society.
In order to approach values, morals, ethics, spirituality, and virtue, adults have to
start from more achievable side of matters, and it is instructive for children to relate
both sides of the events. Moreover, folk customs and civic holidays involve much
more universal values and virtues related to religious part of our culture than we
could observe prima facie. And it is a matter of interpretation to teach children to
find links among cultures through kindness. Appropriate climate of peaceful
coexistence that we need so much in contemporary conditions, is defined by
researchers not only as information, tolerance, respect, and kindness to the others,
but closer to children's ideas of friendship and initial ability of deep understanding
of the neighbour, something like a basis of valuing others righteously, in
humanitarian way. “Tolerance supposes respect to difference, without a wish to
“shape” the other, the different, according to image and likeness of yourself”.16
Along with national - ethnocultural identity, children today are called upon to
develop early skills for intercultural communication and full partnership with
children from diverse ethnic backgrounds.
The application of the results achieved in this area exceeds the time and
spatial boundaries of the school environment. Sometimes children learn that lesson
at home and transfer their experience to school, sometimes in opposite, they learn
in society how to deal with diversity at home, and how to utilise personal freedom
to change world-view, lifestyle, and beliefs. That is why, practical experience in
experimental and regular preschool activities related to religion in Bulgarian
kindergarten conditions show that balance between confessional and neutral
approaches make religious education compatible, live and appropriate part of
educational processes and priorities oriented to recent child and future society.
Primary task of the experts in the field of religious pedagogy is
development of children's general knowledge in a slight system including religious
realities in the context of universal values.
Children's lives abound with opportunities for a combination of various
elements of socialization and culture, useful for the construction of complete
personalities. In that way moral and ethical dimensions of teaching religion
16
GANEVA, ZORNITSA (2009), Development of ethnic stereotypes during childhood,
Valdex OOD, Sofia, p. 97, (In Bulgarian).
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participate in forming the foundations for social and cultural competence as prior
goal of recent education oriented to child and its future society.
Church is not only a building, priesthood is not just a profession, devotion
is not just church attendance or life at a beautiful remote place, neither feasts,
rituals, nor deeds, worlds, morality, empathy, devotedness are only gestures
provoked by occasional feelings, or attitude to the world, choice of world-view,
belonging to family, school, state, lifestyle, aesthetics, goodness, and love, and
commitment are not just an obligation, mood, or something superficial, even when
they are rare in our lives. Variety of forms that display spirituality and faith are not
only means to achieve character development, value orientation and behaviour.
And finally, that is not just a way to sustain any national or cultural identity, social
order, prosperity or peace. At least that is not heart and essence of divine matters.
Theology, religious studies and all human sciences as well as art may explain and
interpret religion much more spiritually and profoundly, and religious life may
demonstrate further. Still for children religion is practically what they can grasp
through perception and understand via good explanation of adults and by proper
conditions of spiritual life. Morality can be taught as competence, provided that
there are proper conditions and methods, but not without live experience, and only
its actual dimension can be approved empirically17. “Once having felt the
beneficial influence of good action on the others, child feels complacence, which
directly strengthens the motivation of children to do good.”18 We, ordinary teachers
have the humble and everyday task, at first not to harm others' religious feelings, if
any, at second to provide positive perspective on morality, and at third, to increase
cultural and social awareness of children at their young years in order to assist their
teachers and parents: to prevent children from destructive elements in social
environment; to assure children's optimal character development by motivation and
good examples. Let us not forget that sincerity and purity of children' soul has been
given by Lord Jesus Christ as an example for adults.
Preschool religious education becomes factor of formation of children's
socio-cultural competencies if involvement of religious and spiritual values in
secular education helps children to grow up: healthy, happy, oriented,
communicative, kind, ethical, informed, educated, confident, competitive,
proactive and willing to cooperate and improve. Religious culture does not play
visible role in Bulgarian kindergarten, still spirituality is part if inner life of many
people, and nowadays we are free do display our world-view and lifestyle in
public. Religion exceed margins of subculture only if it takes part in our
socialisation and culturalisation, which are mission of kindergarten and education
LIND, GEORG (2009), Can morality be taught – is it a competence? Website of
Konstanz University, http://www.uni-konstanz.de/ag-moral/kurse/conference-texts/Lind2009_Can%20morality%20be%20taught_Symposium.pdf, pp. 1-18, p. 6, (Access 12 Sept
2010, 10:57).
18
VASSILEVA, EMILIA (2009), Spiritual-moral development of pupil, Sofia, Farago, p.
118, (In Bulgarian).
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Annales Universitatis Apulensis. Series Paedagogica-Psychologica
in general. Therefore formation of simple ideas related to visible and invisible
elements of religious life still occurs in that favourable space and meets a variety of
urgent social and individual demands. In my opinion, preschool age is appropriate
time and kindergarten is suitable space for education about religion, if only we
understand the need to follow the rules and principles of that period of human life
and that institution, its subculture and working principles. Complex educational
conditions, as well as particular situation and developments in Bulgaria make the
implementation of education related to religion possible only within the framework
of social value agreement, international documentation, and ability to distinguish
and harmonise them. In order to prepare children to develop their personality and
improve the world on their way to the future, we had to give them live example
how to keep starting from our own inner world – world-view, life choice, attitudes,
ethics, goals, achievements, and values.
Literature
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GANEVA, ZORNITSA (2009), Development of ethnic stereotypes during childhood,
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