Tea for Teachers

About This Resource

Summary This activity, developed at the Middle Way School, guides students in the practice of offering in a fun and engaging way. Students learn about tea service and making offerings as a way to show respect, which can enhance the student-teacher relationship. The lesson builds an understanding of awareness, lineage, reciprocity, gratitude, and simple acts of kindness.

Age Range Early Education (ages 0-4), Middle/Junior High School (ages 13-15), Primary/Elementary School (ages 5-12), Secondary/High School (ages 16-19)

Contributor Middle Way Education

Topics beauty, ceremony, Generosity, humility, kalyanamitra, Mindfulness, offering, reverence, service, tea, turning the wheel of dharma

Details

Title: Tea for Teachers

Unit: Any/Taking our Seat

Grade Level: All

Duration: Initial 20-minute introduction; then 5 minutes once per week

Tags: Turning the wheel of the dharma, humility, beauty, tea, service, ceremony, reverence

Summary

This lesson was created at the Middle Way School of the Hudson Valley in 2021 and became incorporated into the weekly dharma assemblies. After students learned about tea, every week one student had a turn at bringing a cup of tea to their teacher before the story time began. This is a very popular ritual at the school.

Essential/Guiding Question(s):

Who teaches us? Why and how can we show our respect to our teachers?

And Then? Why is this important?

This lesson helps students develop a habit of respect for the process of receiving teachings, reciprocity, respect for elders. This eventually connects to the concept of lineage and the guru-shishya—learning from masters.

Lesson Objectives: Students will…

To continue reading the updated lesson, open this Google Doc