A new spirit in the school, thanks to the cube of love…

I work as an English teacher in a school in Cairo. The pupils are mostly Muslims, and from very well off families. I began my job just before Ramadan, and as a first activity with my new classes, I suggested putting up decorations suited to the season. The other teachers, mainly Muslim, were very struck because they knew I was a Christian. Through this small gesture a very nice atmosphere of friendship was created among us, and while we put up the decorations in the class, it became clear that the most important rule was to love one another.

The best result in the class. In one class there was a child who suffered from autism. He was often distracted, and found it hard to join in. Although he was ten years old, he couldn’t write, and everything had to be repeated for him. His mother was very worried and didn’t know what else to do, not having found a school that could take him. I tried to spend time with him during break times, playing, talking and encouraging him to study more at home. He was normally very serious and reserved, but one day he came in to class and gave me a big hug, exclaiming, “I love you, Sir!”. During the end of term exam I saw him take up his pencil confidently, and write down the answers to all the questions quickly and correctly. His was the best result of all!

Pupils, parents, colleagues, all involved in a “game”. Each pupil, feeling loved in a special way, responded by making more effort during the lessons, doing their homework as well as they could, and voluntarily taking more work home. In class, whenever anyone finished their exercise, he or she offered to help someone else, making a kind of “game” among them.  I began to receive lots of letters and phone calls from parents, thanking me for the way I look after their children, and often sharing personal situations with me. At break times I get asked by other teachers for advice on my educational methods, and this leads to a deep sharing with each one.

At the end of the school year, a big surprise. At the prize giving, I received “teacher of the year”, for “the new spirit that gave new light to teaching” that many teachers now ask me about and want to copy. My latest practice was to introduce a daily rule for my two classes using “the cube of love”. Each morning we throw it, and one of the pupils explains (in English) how to live the rule of the day. In their weekly test they have to write about their experience of putting into practice the different rules on the cube. One day I came into class and found 22 letters on my desk. Twenty two experiences which, on their own initiative, they wanted to share with me. Be the first to love, love everyone, love your enemy… during lessons, at break time, in the school bus… I took them to the school principal.  At the end of the morning all the teachers were called together for a special meeting. “This school needs a new spirit”, said the principal, “and this cube is the way to obtain it. From next term onwards, education using the cube of love will be introduced into all the classes”. Now each morning the teachers arrive with the cube under their arm, presenting “the art of loving” to everyone.

The atmosphere in the school is changing, not just among the pupils, but also among the teachers and the whole administrative and teaching staff.

(B. S. – Egypt)