This research explored the personal understanding of spirituality of 14 high school teachers and how their sense of spirituality influenced the ways in which they interacted with their students. Using the method of Qualitative Description, data were collected in individual interviews with each of the teachers and their responses were categorized. None of the participants was known by the researcher prior to the interview, including their spiritual or religious backgrounds or practices. In addition to the interviews, field notes and a reflective journal added to the understanding and the analyses of the data.
Teachers were able and willing to discuss their personal spirituality, how it related to religion, and how they navigated the mandates of the separation of church and state in the public high school setting. The major categories discovered in the conversations with the teachers regarding the ways spirituality influenced their teaching were in their relationships with students and in their acts and roles of nurturing. Within the major category of nurturing, teachers spoke about respect, kindness and caring, accountability, altruism, self-reflection, guidance, motivation, creating safety, counseling, modeling, openness, and compassion. Teachers also discussed their perceptions of calling to be teachers. An additional layer was discovered in the teachers’ responses related to caring for their students; it was not enough that teachers simply cared, but it was also important that students knew that they cared.
Among these participants, spirituality was described as an important and active part of their teaching; yet, teachers noted that the discussion of spirituality and public education was not something they experienced in teacher education or in their schools.
Several threads for further research are noted. One of the unintended limitations of the project was the demographic make-up of the participants. Further research could select participants with more diversity regarding race, ethnicity, and religious background. Another area to explore relates to the importance that students need to know that teachers care. This category revealed that some of the teachers in this study believed that many of their students’ home environs were lacking in guidance and support. This may merit further exploration.