Preschoolers teach their families ’still reflection’ concept
“Still Reflection” instruction has changed the manners of the youngsters at the Ever Green Pre-School in an unobtrusive manner. The children have learned to love the Earth, engage in environmental protection, and say nice things. In many cases, the kids’ behavior has worn off on their parents, helping to change their parents’ manners and, consequently, the climate within their households. Lin Shu-ling, the mother of one of the kindergarten students, says that she was quite surprised how the method her daughter has learned and practices has influenced and benefited the whole family.
Ever Green Pre-School principal Lee Yue-qing is a member of the Tzu-Chi Teachers Association. She initiated the “Still Reflection” program on each Tuesday morning eight years ago to promote the concept among the students. Lee says that the concept of still reflection has had enormous benefits for many people as well as helping them weather difficult situations since it was published 20 years ago. It also helps people change their manner of thinking and ways of going about things, and therefore gets rid of bad habits. To get a better effect, Lee says that it is important to let small children come in contact with this philosophy and manner of conducting oneself as early as possible.
The Tzu-Chi Teachers Association also has created a number of still reflection-based stories for students to learn, reiterate, think, reflect on and eventually put what they were taught into practice in the course of their everyday life.
In a scheduled Tuesday morning “principal storytelling” time, Lee told the nearly 100 students about the concept of “free bills” as teachers played out the story. The purpose is to let the students understand that everything that their parents do for them is done without expecting anything in return. As a result, the same concept could be applied to the students in terms of doing chores around the home.
A student’s mother, Lin Shu-ling says that the still reflection course has not only benefited her daughter, but has also been good for herself and her husband. Her elder son goes to the same school and has even taught his parents how to sort their trash and even checks if the practice has become a part of the daily routine of the entire family. In addition, in an effort to protect the environment, the family no longer buys water in plastic containers, Lin said.
Lin says that when her two children get into an argument, her son will no longer swear, but only say things like her daughter isn’t uttering nice “lotus flower” language. “Even the manner in which they bicker has become more refined,” she says.
Yang Ru-pin, another parent of a student at the school, says that her daughter became much more aware of the concepts of appreciation and sharing after attending the still reflection classes, and she will even urge people not to rely on air conditioning so much so as to help protect the environment. Yang said that the whole family has been influenced by how her daughter now acts.
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