$1.00
Download, 15 pages

The Bahá'í writings identify moral training as the foundation of true education, and service as its heart. Just as the heart sustains life by circulating blood throughout the body, so the spirit of service must permeate the entire curriculum if our children and youth are to become active and capable participants in the building of a global civilization. This is a quest that transcends the restricted horizons of traditional curricula, textbooks, lectures and exams.

Opportunities for service should be provided not only for secondary and technical school students, but for all students beginning at the earliest levels. Educational institutions must create a climate where students can work together as a learning community, where helping each other is not called cheating, and where service to others is an integral part of the daily life and culture of the school. An end-of-semester service project or after-school club is not sufficient. Rather, service activities should be systematically integrated throughout the curriculum as a distinguishing feature of all Bahá'í schools.

This monograph considers trends affecting teaching and learning, considers the significance of service to mankind as a central organizing principle for our educational endeavors, and recommends practical strategies for systematically integrating service into the daily life and culture of our schools.