Why address spiritual development in schools?
For many years it was considered dangerous for educators to address the question of spiritual development in schools. But after decades of headlines about “a generation at risk” we dare to do so: the void of spiritual guidance for teenagers is a contributing factor in the self-destructive and violent behavior plaguing our nation. For many young people, drugs, sex, gang violence, and even suicide may reflect a search for connection, mystery, and meaning as well as an escape from the pain of not having a genuine source of spiritual fulfillment. Only in recent years–in response to persistent violence in our inner cities and schoolyard massacres in small towns and suburbs–are educators and social scientists beginning to acknowledge the enormity of this spiritual void. Professor James Garborino, an expert on youth violence in Cornell University, speaks about “soul death” and the importance of kindling the “divine spark” in what he calls “lost boys.” The day after the Columbine massacre, h
