SCHOOL PERSONNEL DEVOTIONAL LABOR SPIRITUAL TRAINING SEMINAR HELD IN BRAZIL DRAWS 368 PEOPLE
Participants learning Educational Method
based on the Truth
Study of Seicho-No-Ie's Educational Method
In Brazil, a School Personnel Devotional Labor Spiritual Training Seminar sponsored by the School Personnel Section of the Lecturers’ Department was held at the South American Spiritual Training Center in Ibiuna, Sao Paulo from January 9 to 13. The number of participants was 368, including 67 first-timers.
This Seminar has been held once a year since 1984 during the school vacation before the start of the new year. The theme of this year’s Workshop was “Seicho-No-Ie’s Education—Dream, Plan, Realization.”
The lecturers were Rev. Olimpio Kitahara (Ordained Minister, Chief of the Lecturers’ Department, Brazil Mssionary Headquarters), Rev. Junji Miyaura (Ordained Minister, Chief of Production Department), and Rev. Sinji Takahashi (Ordained Minister, a director of the Brazil Missionary Headquarters), two Assistant Ministers and two Regional Lecturers.
The texts used were Seimei no Jisso (Truth of Life), Vol. 7 and Seikatsu to Ningen no Saiken (Rebuilding of Livelihood and Humanity) by Dr. Masaharu Taniguchi, Tanoshiku Ikiru tame ni (To Live Happily) by Rev. Seicho Taniguchi, and Shinko ni yoru Heiwa no Michi (Realizing Peace by Faith) by Rev. Masanobu Taniguchi. There were lectures including “Love Between Parent and Child” and “Environmental Education—Today’s Action Is Assurance for Future.” There was also a pedagogy workshop, where the participants selected four topics out of eight and studied on recycling, global warming, educational method, energy issue, and water resources, together with specialists in each field. Also the participants separated into eight groups by high school and college and had Q&A sessions.
The Seminar program also included devotional labor, Mind Purification Ceremony, Ancestor Memorial Service, and Shinsokan for Mutual Prayer.
During the case study, a case was presented from the Parana State, which had a high rate of dropouts and same grade repeaters. After a public school in the Parana adopted Seicho-No-Ie’s educational method, there were no dropouts for five consecutive years and also the number of students who had to repeat the same grade was lower than the State-wide average. The school was awarded the National School Management Model Award” by the State Government.
Comments received from the participants included: “I was able to gain a deeper understanding of Seicho-No-Ie’s educational method”; and “This was my first time to participate in the Seminar. I would like to continue with my study of Seicho-No-Ie.”
Rev. Marcos Rogerio Silvestri Vaz Pinto remarked,
Assistant Minister, Chief of School Personnel Department
“I believe that the participants will put Seicho-No-Ie’s educational method into practice when they return to their schools. I hope that from now on the School Personnel Department will work hard to hold an event which can respond to the members’ request.”