| “International Day of Peace is being observed today, September 21, 2022. This is the day that the United Nations (UN) invites all countries and people to honor cessation of hostilities during the day and raise important issues. The actual purpose of universal peace day is to foster acceptance by engaging all the people to make a commitment towards peace by remaining non-violent. This day is an ambition to remove all the differences amongst each other and build a culture of peace everywhere.” AMI/USA, 9/ 2022 Dr. Montessori expressed that, “…an education capable of saving humanity is no small undertaking.” We acknowledge that this undertaking is ongoing and requires our steadfast commitment to serving the natural development of each child and to addressing the social challenges of our time. Following our commitment to peace education, Jarrow celebrates, along with thousands of Montessori Schools around the world, the International Day of Peace. How do we build peace education into our daily lives? Our teachers actively foster, model and help children develop the language and skills within the framework of peace education by establishing a positive classroom atmosphere in which children work together in cooperative ways. Montessori teachers believe that a peaceful classroom helps to facilitate and instill attitudes, values, and knowledge that promote peace and non-violence through cooperative learning, conflict resolution, managing constructive dialogue around disagreements, and school mediation in an effort to create a peaceful school environment. Our aspiration for our students when they graduate is that they take these skills and beliefs into the world, and are leaders in social justice. Our Elementary classrooms engage in weekly structured peace council meetings which allow children to voice their opinions, discuss conflicts or misunderstandings and come to a resolution that works for the individual and classroom community. One of our Cypress students today shared (during our peace ceremony), “that our classrooms are like families and we must treat each other with kindness and respect.” We encourage you as families to explore some of these resources as a way to have important conversations on inclusion, anti-racism, and anti-bias. As the children reflected today in our Peace Ceremony, peace starts with each one of us. Resources: |
“These Books Can Help You Explain Racism and Protest to Your Kids.” The New York Times compilation of diverse books broken down by age group.
- Honoring Indigenous Peoples: 20 Recommended Reads from the New York Public Library provides an introduction to the rich and diverse heritage of fiction, nonfiction, history, poetry, memoir, and more written by and about Indigenous peoples in the United States.
- Looking for Excellent “Diverse” Books for Children? Embrace Race has compiled a list of children’s books with an eye toward diversity.
- Native American Children’s Book List. First Nations Development Institute compiled a recommended reading list for young people, broken down by age level. Also, 10 ways you can further your support of Native communities and literature.
26 Mini-Films for Exploring Race, Bias, and Identity with Students. A collection of short educational videos created by the New York Times. Includes teaching ideas, related readings, and student activities.