Moment of Silence

Meeting for Worship is the heart of Quakerism and the center of spiritual focus for AFS. Quakers believe there is “that of God” in each person. The belief is that each individual can steer himself or herself toward one’s own truth and that silence is the manner in which this process can take place. In our Kindergarten classroom, we have been talking about what it means to be in a “moment of silence” and how to think of it in a positive way.  We want the children to expect it and gradually become comfortable with it.  It is an opportunity for not only shared silence, but for reflection as well. As we gather in silence, Kindergartners learn to listen to their own thoughts, and if they so feel the need to share, they may rise and do so. During one of our many conversations, we asked the Kindergartners what does a “moment of silence” mean to you? ....

GK: “It’s the nice thing to do. It’s peaceful.”

Cara:  “Helps us relax our body.”

Matthias: “Moment of silence makes you happy and makes you very peaceful.”

Sania: “You’re completely quiet and thinking.”

Jason: “It’s peaceful and it makes people happy.”

Luc: “Love.”

Saniya: “AFS is where everybody makes friends and if somebody is doing something wrong, somebody tells them.

 .... and, after sharing silence, we asked the Kindergartners what thoughts they were having during their moment of silence and some responses were:

Hayden: “Having friends and helping the earth.”

Sameerah: “Being peaceful”

Saniya: “I was thinking the earth and nobody was talking and hitting.”

Cara: “Sharing friendship.”

Sania: “It was feeling peaceful. It feel good when I breathe.”

GK: “I felt peaceful and quiet.”

Oliver: “It felt friends.”

Matthias: “It felt soft.”

Neil: “Peaceful.”

Sameerah: “It felt quiet.”

It is experiences like these that strengthen us in our lives and our relationships with others. It nurtures the bonds of our community.

We also share a moment of silence before we eat snack and lunch. We light candles, and the moment the candle touches the table, the children know that it is time to rest their hands on their laps and become silent. We tell them that the reason for sharing these moments of silence is to give us a sense of calm. First, we begin by taking a deep breath and think about what it is to settle our bodies. This helps us focus our attention in order to create an opportunity to experience the presence. It can harmonize us with those around us.