“We followed the teachings of Hazrat Inayat Khan about energy. We balanced activity with rest and relaxation. And that went on all day.
“When there was play, it was chiefly free play, except there were always two teachers on that playground or yard, wherever we were. One watched one direction, and one the other. The children had freedom within a controlled environment. That, of course, is the crux of the whole Sufi education system: to control the environment. Set up an environment that is controlled, and allow total freedom of the child within that environment.
“That’s how it differs from Montessori schools. Montessori had learning tasks that were given to the child one after the other, in order. We do not do that, because our Seed Centers are made up of open learning centers. They were open space, like warehouse space or an auditorium that you started with and then built your centers around that. So there was an open circle where children would all come together, regardless of their developmental or age level. They’d all come to that circle of attunement in the morning. But beyond that, they went into their groups, into their own centers.
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