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International Goals Committee
Update on pioneering and travel teaching goals
Priority 1 - Cyprus / Greece / Faroes
Priority 2 - Portugal / Malta / Yugoslavia
Many other countries are in need of pioneers
The call for pioneers and travel teachers being received from countries around the world is increasing as many countries try desperately to achieve their goals by the end of the Four Year Plan and some of these goals have to be achieved by Ridvan 1999.
To pioneer is becoming more and more difficult as in some countries it is virtually impossible to obtain jobs and the education of children needs careful consideration. Therefore we are seeking pioneers who are financially self-supporting although some financial help may be available depending on circumstances.
Countries requesting help
Faroes: need six adult pioneers
Cyprus: (see article opposite)
Greece: continuation of the IGC Operation Hercules
Portugal: as many pioneers as possible
Baltic States: if you like cold weather this is the spot for you
Malta: help requested
Yugoslavia: trying to form three local assemblies by Ridvan 1999 so that in the
year 2000 they can elect their National Spiritual Assembly Serbia and
Montenegro: pioneers urgently required
A steady stream of travel teachers is always needed.
Good! The IGC is seeking a steady stream of travel teachers. Please think of teaching in any of the above mentioned countries in the remaining few months of the Four Year Plan. Do you realise that when you travel teach abroad you are helping to achieve one of the goals set the UK by the Universal House of Justice? - So please let us know of your travels. Go on pick up the phone - it's Good to Talk! We are waiting for your call.
Pioneer Appeal for Cyprus - TOP PRIORITY
Cyprus is an island framed by the azure waters of the Mediterranean Sea, an island that was trodden by the footsteps of four devout followers of Baha'u'llah, Mirza Husayn entitled Mishkin Qalam, Aliy-i-Sayyah, Muhammad- Baqir-i-Qahvih-chi and Abdu'l-Ghaffar, who were separated from Baha'u'llah when he was exiled from Adrianople to Akka in 1868. Cyprus needs our help now.
The dedicated Baha'i community in Cyprus is very active in spreading the teachings of Baha'u'llah. Unfortunately, due to employment difficulties, some of the existing pioneers have had to leave. The Universal House of Justice, recalling the British Baha'i community's historic achievements in opening the island to the Cause of Baha'u'llah, has turned to us once again for critical assistance in advancing the fortunes of the Faith in South Cyprus. We are seeking those friends who can respond to this call.
I have recently spent seventeen days in Cyprus, travel teaching and assessing the possibilities for pioneering. The verdict is that to serve as a pioneer in Cyprus is going to be a CHALLENGE, for the simple reason that it is virtually impossible to get a job unless you are Cypriot and speak Greek. In addition, concerning families, the education of children needs to be carefully considered.
This means that pioneers should preferably be financially self-supporting although some funds are available. If YOU fall into this category please search your heart to see if you can offer your services and answer the call of the Universal House of Justice. Anyone who feels moved by this message should please call us NOW so that we can advise you and assess your chances of serving in Cyprus.
We also need a steady stream of travel teachers. If you are planning a holiday abroad this year, why not Cyprus? Baha'i visitors can be a terrific help and morale booster to the local friends and still have plenty of time for the beach and sightseeing. Please consider serving the Faith in this capacity, and contact us so that we can help you to be an effective teacher.
As there are both air and sea passages available from Cyprus to Haifa we would ask those going on pilgrimage to consider going via Cyprus and spending a while teaching there. Please consult with us if this is a possibility for you.
Can YOU answer the call of the Universal House of Justice and spread the Divine Fragrances? Act, act now and keep on acting... The contact address is below.
Edgar Boyett for the International Goals Committee
International Goals Committee - contact: Edgar Boyett 12 Lapwing Grove, Guildford, Surrey GU4 7DZ. Tel: 01483-568926 e-mail: 106131.1062@compuserve.com, www.warble.com/Bahai/Yea rOfService
Association of Baha'i Women
Women's groups - a real learning curve
We are so grateful to have this extremely valuable feedback from Christine in Wales regarding her experience in setting up, not just one, but several small women's groups in her area! Parts of the letter have been edited to fit. We're still hoping to hear from others out there!
Over the past few years I have been working with women in small groups as part of my own service. Since the beginning of the Four Year Plan, the aims of the groups have been personal transformation; development of spiritual qualities and talents that were latent; loving consultation; friendship; and wholehearted support and encouragement for each other. The groups have been very small, just two or three women who felt that they could and would like to work together in this way. There was an overlapping of the women and groups, i.e. some women were in more than one group and it soon became very obvious that some magic was at work. One group of three included a man. This was not intended but just happened.
Apart from myself, only two of the women were Baha'is. There was absolutely no hidden agenda on my part. These were women that I knew well, or a little, but knew that they had a spiritual belief, if not an outright deep faith.
The meetings started with prayers. Then there was loving and supportive consultation. Sometimes there was more than one theme, but always one common to all, and this would be the one that each felt a more urgent need to share. It was evident to every person that we were being guided, and once each group got off the ground, the bonds became very deep. There were times when individual problems or weak areas would begin to show up and the group became the strong support needed for each person that they did not have in quite the same spiritual and loving way elsewhere.
The last part of the time together was spent sharing food. To me the similarity to the Nineteen Day Feast was remarkable, and the way that we were all learning individually, plus what we learned from each other, seemed to turn the time into micro Training Institutes. If I considered them non-Baha'is then I was making a mental barrier between myself and them, which was not allowed. There had to be no ulterior motive, not even a positive one, such as hoping they would become interested in the Faith. Each time I was tempted and said or did anything with an ulterior motive, it backfired. Once that changed, things were running smoothly again.
Many other lessons were learned. Some groups did not do so well. There were certain individuals, for example, who had strong beliefs but also thought that they knew best, who could not adopt a learning attitude and who tried to evangelise; some who denied that they had problems that were affecting others and wanted to be the leader, the teacher or anything else inappropriate. They broke the rules, and it was a very painful and divisive experience, through which some learned, and some didn't.
One of the women has gone on to become a lay preacher in the Church of Wales. I was invited to attend a ceremony as her guest at a lunch table full of lay preachers, with their bishop sitting behind me, and with several already knowing a little about the Faith because of the woman who was in the group. That was a high spot.
I feel that to be part of these groups in the fullest of Baha'i spirit made them Baha'i in essence. It would have been difficult to ask these women to join a Baha'i group, for obvious reasons.
I thought you might like to hear about some of these experiences, and feel they could be fairly typical of what the friends might expect in their group work.
With love in His service, Christine Rees
Stop the "shake 'n vac" and put the spirit back!
Following on from the European Task Force for Women's "Courage to Action" initiative, Fidelma Meehan sparked off enthusiasm in Liverpool when she facilitated a meeting of Auxiliary Board member Farshid Taleb's Assistants. This has resulted in monthly gatherings at the Ernest Miller Centre where the Baha'i women come together in fellowship for a varied programme guaranteed to bond, inspire and raise the spirits.
Women's Work - the equality of men and women
As every Baha'i knows, integral to world peace is the establishment of the equality of men and women in our society. We have seen the eras of the suffragettes and women's emancipation into the world of work (brought about chiefly by the Second World War), the burn-the-bra epoch of the arch-feminist movement, and women's subsequent emergence into the world of politics and business. yet still we have not achieved peace, either within ourselves or externally. Why? The answer is a simple one; Women have used the methods of the world to try to bring about something that is essentially of spirit.
Having my ear to the groundswell of women's movements in this country, I'm aware of a perceptible change in their emphasis and a growing search for spiritual direction amongst women. A new feminism is struggling to give birth to itself out of the disillusionment of the old power struggles with men. But the questions remain as to how can they achieve this, and to whom can modern women look for guidance and role models?
The January Baha'i Journal UK printed a short profile of the Greatest Holy Leaf which presented women with a seemingly impossible ideal of feminine behaviour. Yet this is what we are being asked to do and where we must go. It is written of Bahiyyih Khanum that she lived with the "quiet awareness of the forces that operate ... she moved with the larger rhythm, the wider sweep". We women are being challenged to do just that. We must tune our inner ears to the larger rhythms, to the spiritual forces that operate slowly and inexorably towards the sanctification of our planet.
More and more opportunities are arising for women to come together to share and support each other in this work. The ABW and The European Task Force for Women have initiated groups at European, National, and local levels. Some people may be suspicious that women together are going to become more militant and assertive of their "rights" - the menfolk especially may be fearful; the twentieth century history of women's movements has prepared them for just that. However, what we are doing now is far from militant. What we women who are joining together are attempting to do is to love and support each other in reflecting those qualities of wisdom, trust and obedience which underlie all spiritual maturity.
As we progress spiritually our menfolk will benefit, partnerships will take on new dimensions and we shall become together, in complete equality, the noble creatures that Baha'u'llah tells us we are destined to be. Peace will be born.
Avril Jacques
Association of Baha'i Women, Secretary: Sally Dacey, Caisson House, Combe Hay, Bath BA2 7EF Tel: 01225 832454 Fax: 01225 339170 email (unchanged): sally@popoutmaps.com Jan Fixsen, Tel: 01491 613200 Valerie Henry, Tel: 0171 221 3859
Year of Service Desk
Calling all potential YOS volunteers - do you know ...
On a Year of Service you could be:
* tagging giant turtles
* visiting remote villages in Africa with your own translator
* teaching in primary, secondary and vocational schools
* building a Baha'i centre
* driving a mobile teaching van through the African bush
* translating to and from English
* dancing, singing and making music
* sleeping on mud floors
* working in Baha'i offices
* cleaning up
* laughing, sharing jokes and food
Service for the Visually Impaired Committee
Get the Journal by e-mail or on disk
Do you know of anyone who would benefit from getting Baha'i Journal UK by e-mail or on disk? Many people like to have an electronic version for reference or ease of reading or so that they can easily reproduce articles.
Currently there are over 200 regular subscribers from 52 countries including far flung places such as Kuala Lumpur, Namibia, Costa Rica, Estonia, Malaysia, Thailand and the Northern Mariana Islands as well as, of course, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada and almost every European country.
The Service for the Visually Impaired committee organises the electronic Journal which is freely available for everyone. For further details contact Robin Christopherson on e-mail: r.christopherson@bham.ac.uk or Tel: 01926 774453.
Baha'i Information Office
Guardian's Resting Place on BIO Webspace
A new section has been added to the Website relating to the Guardian's Resting Place (the site is part of the BIO Webspace). It gives information about the recent developments and shows pictures of the restored gates in their new position at the head of the avenue leading from the funeral chapel to the grave.
The site, which also gives directions for friends visiting the Guardian's Resting Place and the United Kingdom National Haziratu'l-Quds, can be found at: www.iol.ie/~isp/se/
Please send your press cuttings to BIO at the new address
The Baha'i Information Office needs to know what has been appearing about the Faith in the local and regional press throughout the country. We depend on you to send in your coverage. Please keep us up to date and remember we've moved to: Baha'i Information Office, Third Floor, Bridge House, 97-101 High Street, Tonbridge TN9 1DP. Tel: 01732 369694, Fax: 01732 569733 e-nsauk_nso@cix.compulink.co.uk
Towards classroom management
Help for non-professional teachers in Baha'i Community Schools
I have been a primary school teacher in Warwickshire for twenty-four years and a deputy head teacher for the last ten years. I am still moving towards classroom management. It is not that it's a long way to go, but there are as many different ways of teaching as there are individual teachers. But be assured God is on your side, and you may call directly upon Him often! "The education and training of children is among the most meritorious acts of humankind and draweth down the grace and favour of the All-Merciful, for education is the indispensable foundation of all human excellence and alloweth man to work his way to the heights of abiding glory." (1)
Each group of children, or class, has its own cohesion or not as the case may be. A crucial time with any class is the first time you meet them. They look towards the teacher for guidance, direction and the setting of good habits. This is also a time to exhibit a vital element to teaching and learning - enthusiasm. Enthusiasm is infectious. I once saw the Yorkshire gardener Geoffrey Smith talking on television about planting potatoes and I couldn't wait to get out and do the same. I only had a garden as big as a double bed and it was nine o clock at night. I don't think I even had any potatoes but he enthused so much about the task I had to do it as soon as possible. So with a new class, set the tone - be purposeful, be enthusiastic. Children will copy, even emulate, your every move if they think it is worth it. Then set the rules and put them on display. These can be discussed with the class. Aim f or positive ones, more do's rather than don t s. These are the ones currently on my classroom wall:
Children (and many adults) have great difficulty talking in turn, or talking too much or about irrelevant things. Be constantly courteous but apply the rules about when and how to talk. With a small group it may not be essential to have children put hands up to speak. With larger group, say twelve or more, it might be necessary, especially with younger children. If this is a rule then stick to it. Try and ignore bad behaviour and reward the good: in this case listen to the ones who have their hands up and ignore the ones who shout out.
See if you can go and see another person teach. As an observer you can analyse this complex process better from the sidelines. As to the content of lessons, first share the learning objectives with the children. Tell them clearly what you are going to expect them to learn that lesson. What are the skills, knowledge or understand going to be? For instance you might want them to know how compassionate Abdu'l-Baha was and of his life and deeds in Akka. They might relate similar stories of their own and so learn the skill of public speaking. Leave understanding for now. You don t have to do all three every time!
Having set out the learning objectives, set a pace for the lesson. Get on with it. It is very frustrating for pupils to be waiting for you to cut paper or find crayons when this should have been done beforehand. Maintain the pace of the lesson and expect a response of a high standard. This is often the most difficult decision. Is the child trying really hard to produce a page of indiscernible scribble or is he just messing about? Praise the work as often as you can - but only if it warrants praise. Children have a strong sense of justice and know very well if praise is deserved.
Vary the activities that you want the children to do to achieve those objectives. By all means talk to the whole class to start with, but let them get on with individual or group work as soon as possible. Vary the learning opportunities. Use writing exercises, stories, poetry, plays, reading, (maths?), painting, 3D artwork, drama, puppet making, etc.
Finally finish off the lesson with a clear ending. Give opportunities for the children to reflect, or report on what they have learnt.
All this work presupposes that you have planned the lessons well and are able to record significant progress through some process of assessment. This will probably be through your general observation of the responses and looking at the work done. But you might find it appropriate to test the children at the end of a set of lessons to clearly see if they have learned what you thought you taught them. Be ready for some surprises! This ongoing assessment gives you opportunities to take a "next step" with either each child or the whole class, to extend the work or repeat it to consolidate ideas that were only partially understood.
I have this quote from Abdu'l-Baha next to my desk at school: "Among the greatest of all services that can possibly be rendered by man to Almighty God is the education and training of children, young plants of the Abha Paradise, so that these children, fostered by grace in the way of salvation, growing like pearls of divine bounty in the shell of education, will one day bejewel the crown of abiding glory. It is, however, very difficult to undertake this service, even harder to succeed in it. I hope that thou wilt acquit thyself well in this most important of tasks, and successfully carry the day, and become an ensign of God's abounding grace"... (2)
John Neal
120 Higham Lane, Nuneaton, Warks CV11 6AX e-mail: