~ Why form teacher peace groups in our schools? ~
Teachers are confronted daily with the challenge of forming a group of diverse students into a peaceful cooperative classroom where everyone can learn and thrive. This is not easy to do in a world in which the media glorifies violence and nations settle differences by going to war.
While a teacher alone may be able to make a positive difference in the classroom, even more can happen when like-minded teachers come together to work as a cohesive group. Such a group can address broader issues such as bullying, racial, ethnic, religious and gender bias, and work at conflict resolution. When this happens, change spreads from the classroom to the school and from there to the home and the community.
How to form a teacher peace group in your school.
- Start with a passion.What problem or issue currently faces teachers in your school? Is it bullying, bias, or a willingness to ignore institutional racism?
- Gather like minds together.You may already know colleagues who share your passion. Invite them to join you in forming a group. Don’t hesitate to solicit members by putting a letter in colleagues’ mailboxes. Many times fellow teachers may believe they are alone in their beliefs. Click here for a sample letter you can copy and use. Letter-teacher-group-formation
- Meet regularly. Set up a time before or after school when the group can come together to discuss, share, carry out research, and make plans for activities to try. Here are some ideas:
Try a TPN activity in your classrooms
Carry out a teacher research project
Take action to solve a social problem
Sharing is Essential
Grow a Community of Peace.
Everyone wants a more peaceful world. It is important for teachers and students to share what they are doing. Spread the word about your group’s activities to the community and local newspapers and radio. Post on social media.
We love to share what you are doing so we can all learn from each other. To post a guest blog post about an activity or lesson your group is doing or has done or a lesson plan or a book review – click on PROJECT SUBMISSION and describe what you are doing. You can also attach photos as long as you have permission from those pictured to show on our website.
