Sai Spiritual Education(SSE)

The objective of the SSE program is to bring out the latent divine qualities within each child. This program sow the seeds of Human Values at young age so that they live life to the fullest potential and share and contribute to the general welfare of the local and global community. The education wing focus on promoting character development in children using HIS teachings based on the five Human Values : Truth, Right Action, Peace, Love  and Non-Violence. We teach by way of story-telling, games, silent sitting, quotations and singing. Classes are conducted every Sunday 3 – 4pm at the Center in Sai Seva Sadan.

There are four broad tracks of learning imparted in Sai Spiritual Education.

National Culture & Spirituality	Lessons to be learnt from our country of residence (USA) and of origin (any immigrant origin such as India, Carribbean etc.)
Sai Culture & Spirituality	Culture and traditions as followed by Sai Baba’s institutions and organization.
Practical Spirituality	Applying Sai Baba’s message in a practical context in daily life.
Value Based Spirituality	Lessons learnt from teaching of the five human values, the unity of all religions, and the brotherhood of man.

SSE CLASSES

Each class adopts multiple strategies to demonstrate the lesson to the children. Taking the students through the cycle of Awareness –> Inspiration –> Experience –> Sharing. This provides for all around spiritual development.

Awareness	Raise awareness about a topic or principle e.g., unity of faiths. This can be accomplished by providing basic information, examples, and descriptive presentations.
Inspiration	Use Sai Baba’s personal example and that of other spiritual and social leaders, so the children may be inspired and motivated to try to do the same in their life as well.
Experiential	Activity based session allowing the students to experience the message in addition to hearing about it.
Sharing	An important part of the cycle is to give time for students to share what they have experienced. After becoming aware, being inspired to try, and experiencing for themselves, the final step of sharing helps reinforce the message.

SSE GROUPS

The typical structure or flow of the class is as follows:
▪ Opening prayers
▪ Silent Sitting
▪ Review of previous class
▪ Lesson plan for the day
▪ Q&A /Life Application /Assignment
▪ Om & 3 shanthis

Group 1 Objectives Ages 6 to 8	Group 2 Objectives Ages 9 to 11
Develop faith in and a relationship with God. Encourage respect for parents, teachers, others, and the environment. Foster self-esteem and self-discipline. Nurture truthfulness. Promote ceiling on desires. Cultivate a spirit of loving service to self, family, school, and others.	Demonstrate increasing integration of objectives from Group I. Foster the understanding of Divinity in all. Develop the faculty of discrimination. Promote the practice of placing a Ceiling on Desires. Foster understanding of the Unity of Faiths. Encourage the practice of selfless service.
Group 3 Objectives Ages 12 to 14	Group 4 Objectives Ages 15 to 17
Demonstrate increasing integration of objectives from Group II. Develop awareness for the Atmic reality. Strengthen moral living. Emphasize selfless service. Promote the practice of having a Ceiling on Desires. Foster a sense of one’s role in society. Facilitate learning to control negative emotions. Provide practice in applying Spiritual Principles to concerns and challenges faced in the wider community. Develop communication skills, in oral and written form, that reflect Spiritual Principles. Develop a spirit of mutual trust and love, especially with parents and peers.	Demonstrate increasing integration of objectives from Group III. Encourage self-motivation and regular routines in spiritual practice. Establish a sense of the interdependence of self and society; deepen an understanding of one’s role in and responsibility to society. Increase ability to make dharmic choices when facing moral dilemmas. Demonstrate human values by meeting life challenges with love, confidence, and understanding of others. Establish habits of non-waste of resources and continue all disciplines of the Ceiling on Desires program, including developing keen awareness of the effects one’s choices of media, companions, and activities. Deepening the practice of controlling negative emotions. Foster excellence in all endeavors without straying into egoistic competition. Apply all aspects of the curriculum, and develop awareness of self as exemplar, through leadership roles.  Provide increasing emphasis on selfless, loving service through participating in local and regional service projects and activities.  In addition, initiating service projects with age-group peers.

If you would like to know more about this program or have any queries, please contact the Edcuation Coordinator, Mona Saldhi at [email protected]