If intellect is to be sharpened , one must be able to see the synthesis of the thumb and the forefinger. Spiritual education is different from religious education or even indoctrination. 

Hence while we are educating the students with a particular skill or a particular subject content , we need to correlate psychological impact of the content of the subject to that of philosophical realms  too, which eventually brings a harmony of thoughts , checking on the ego principle , making knowledge constructive rather than destructive. 

In general as a rule ,the youth tend to oppose the spiritual world , the result of which we do get see many a wandering and wasteful  mind. 

Let’s understand the need for integration through the varied subjects within a school system . 

When I teach the subject content of say Literature, prose or poetry,I also teach the era ,the environment, the social system prevailing then, and ask the students to contemplate and reflect on those times with the present times and therefore embark on thinking skills that helps in discriminating what is right and what is wrong , combining the psychological effect of a poetry with that of a philosophical outlook to the totality of the subject in hand.  

Referring to the poetic composition of Wordsworth: from the book , 100 selected poems , collectable edition , William Wordsworth, Classics : page 333,” Surprised by joy- impatient as the wind “composed1813-14, published in Poems ( 1815)

Surprised by joy- impatient as the Wind

I turned to share the transport - Oh with whom 

But Thee , deep buried in the silent tomb

that spot which no vicissitude can find ?

Love ,faithful love ,recalled thee to my mind-

But how could I forget thee ! - Through what power,

Even for the least division of an hour , 

Have I been so beguiled as to be blind 

To my most grievous loss ? - That thoughts return 

Was the worst pang that sorrow ever bore ,

Save one , one only ,when I stood forlorn,

Knowing my heart’s best treasure was no more ;

That neither present time nor years unborn

Could to my sight that heavenly face restore.

 

Read the poem, once, twice, thrice, reflect on the words that Wordsworth has composed , discuss on the psychological impact of losing a loved one , also relevant to the present times as we saw in Covid ,the pandemic, the silence and introspective mood on death as a concept to be understood, what did Plato , Socrates have to say on ‘ death’ , what did the Bhagawad Gita have to say , what is the principles  of life and death , what is mortality and immortality , what is a concrete evidence and what is an abstraction. 

These could be discussed upon and thereby through the philosophical understanding we remove the psychological fear of death , and dwell on soul consciousness .

Similarly one can understand any other subject ,be it physics ,chemistry, botany, geography and even music. 

Music education gives the meaning of philosophy of life and living , having a positive psychological effect on the learner, in tune with the higher self, be it a love ballad or a hymn or a chant, a non attached frame of mind that makes us exert to the highest beauty of the Universe and its manifestations , till we reach a non manifested state of mind, where desires are quelled, the restless mind is at ease and work is for work’s sake , with no ulterior motive , in a no gain, no loss state of mind , calm and tranquil. 

Through Physics , followed by the science of Geography, one can be inclined to both the knowledge of the subject content and the aesthetics surrounding these subjects . The adolescent mind can be a devil’s mind , it’s the job of the teacher to channelise the libidal energies that Freud often refers to , to a higher state of mind , in admiration of the earth and its resources that man capitalises upon. Therefore along with the intellect ,an inborn sensitivity is developed towards the environment, the universe and its constellations , its planets and planetary motions , the movement of time and speed , the gravitational forces .....the protective mountains, the landscape, the glaciers, the rivers, the seas , the oceans , the silt and the sandy  shores , that have provided many a civilisation to exist , with the flora and the fauna and so we refrain from taking advantage of the vast resources bestowed upon us .