Exercise in Sensitivity: Future Teachers Taught to Tune in to Cultural, Religious Diversity

April 7, 2007

Author: Jean Gordon

Source: The Clarion-Ledger

http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070407/FEAT04/704070307/1022/feat04

Inside a Jackson State University classroom, Tony Bland slipped off his shoes, climbed on top of the teacher's desk and folded his legs into a lotus position.

Gently joining his hands at his lap, Bland sat upright, closed his eyes and said nothing.

After a few quiet moments he said, "I do this for about 30 minutes a day. That's at the core of what Zen Buddhism is about."

Demonstrating how Zen Buddhists practice meditation is just one of the lessons in Buddy Fish's class for future teachers. Fish aims to prepare students for America's religiously diverse landscape, where students come from all faiths.