Five years ago when I started my first interfaith parent group I was also moving into a new classroom at school because of a remodeling project at Canterbury School. In my classroom I wanted to have a piece of artwork that would represent the faith communities at our school. Canterbury School is an independent school and the school is founded on Christian principles. Even though the school has been founded on Christian principles we have many different faiths at our school. With the help of my interfaith parent group and Maria Kirkland, an artist and art teacher at Canterbury School, a piece of artwork was created. A picture of the artwork is on the right side of this blog. The artwork has 9 squares. Each square represents a different religion at our school. The artwork is to represent that we are different in our theologies but we are united in our community. There is a hidden picture in the artwork to represent our common community. Throughout all nine squares there is a dove and an olive branch. It is difficult to see the dove and the branch in a reproduction. It is a beautiful work of art that is a statement for who we are at Canterbury School.
Since the artwork has been in my room I start each school year by having the students look at the artwork, explaining we are a school based on Christian principles but we have many students of different faiths at our school, and we are different. We talk about symbols and we identify and name each of the symbols on the work of art. Finally, there is the wonderful discovery of the hidden picture. My students love the artwork. They love to see ‘their’ symbol and they love the hidden picture.
It is in communities that the true lessons of the hidden picture are discovered. There are nine squares because we do have different theologies. In a community that practices hospitality one-with-another we feel safe to honestly acknowledge our differences. We are not compromising our own beliefs by acknowledging our differences. But we can not stop there. The squares are obvious. It is the hidden picture that we must strive for. Even though we have different theologies we do live in a common community, we have a common ethic and we need each other to work for the common good. My hope is that some day that picture won’t be hidden.
2 comments:
I really have just a question I thought about this teacher I had in 7th grade she bought me a yearbook this one year she was named Ramona Fisher I'm 18 now. I was wondering if you could be her she taught at McLaughlin Middle School in Lake Wales, Florida.
Hi Brandy, I am not the Ramona Fisher who you are looking for. She sounds like a great teacher if she bought you a yearbook and you are trying to find her. Best wishes.
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