Stillness in SchoolStillness in school
– St James provides for the spiritual, intellectual, and physical
development of every pupil
Article by Niloma Emmanuel
The philosophy of St James in the school’s own words
each life experience. We would be prepared with
is “to offer a distinctive education, uniting a philo-
the tools to accept life, deal with negative states al-
sophical approach to the development of essential life
most immediately, without allowing them to fully
skills with an emphasis upon academic excellence.
manifest. This is something that the team of the In-
Our aim is to allow a boy to grow gracefully into a
tegral Studies Academy aims to support in educa-
man of strength and good character, achieving at the
tion and surely something that we are all very
academic level more than he thinks is possible. Seeing
passionate about. In such context meeting, collab-
each person as sharing the same Divine spirit, the ethos
orating and even talking with likeminded people
encourages the evolution of respect, tolerance, under-
and educational institutions is a delight.
standing and knowledge of all religions and ensures
that all pupils and staff are treated with equality.”
St James Senior Boys is an independent school in
Ashford, Surrey (UK) where I was privileged to ob-
Born into this world as beings of pure love, we
serve lessons for two weeks as part of training to
spend our very early years fluidly living in the
become a teacher. At the time, the opportunity
present moment. As we get older, we learn the
arose through the magic of life, but I couldn’t have
“rules” of society and assimilate the patterns of the
chosen a better school for my first teaching experi-
adults a