Cultivating Early Childhood Leaders: Prekindergarten Transitions to Beginnings Meeting For Worship Leadership

By Prekindergarten Teacher Kate Hilgen

Last week, the Kindergarten classes began attending Meeting For Worship with Grades 1-4, leaving the Prekindergarten classes to be the oldest children in the Beginnings early childhood worshiping community. Following our MFS tradition, the oldest members of the community sit on the facing benches. Since prekindergarten students have been sitting on the facing benches, they’ve been acting as role models in our early childhood unit. 

Every Tuesday morning, we gather together in the Meeting House for Worship. We enter quietly, readying ourselves to sit in silence and to quiet our minds. In the stillness, we open our hearts and minds to new insights, ideas, and guidance. Meeting for Worship begins each week with a query read by Preschool – Grade 5 Quakerism Teacher Sonia Guzman. As we sit in silence we reflect on the query, if anyone in the Meeting is moved to speak and share a message, they are welcome to stand and share their thoughts with the community. Afterward, we sit and reflect on the message. Over the past few weeks, students have been moved to speak and share messages. In class, we spend time preparing and discussing aspects of Meeting for Worship. This week we spoke about how it feels to sit in silence. See a few reflections from Lower School students below: 

“It makes me feel good and happy.” – Bellamy 

“When I sit in silence I feel calm and free like the ocean when I’m in it” . – Beatrice 

“It feels peaceful to me, calm and ready. Ready for the day.” – Maya