There is something refreshing about starting a new year. It is a chance to look back over the past and resolve to step out in a new direction. New Year’s Day is one of the oldest holidays celebrated. Worldwide people gather with family, eat special foods, make noise, toast each other, and resolve to […]
A New Year’s Resolution: Teach Your Kids About Giving
By Dr. Joan Koster This is the time of year when children think about gifts. Gifts they dream of. Gifts they want. Gifts they will be getting. Gifts they’ve gotten. But isn’t it also the season of giving? Children naturally want to give to others. Research by Warneken and Tomasello (2006) demonstrated that children as […]
Another Song for Christmas
By Joan Koster You may be familiar with Stevie Wonder’s Song Someday at Christmas. Here is version you may not have seen. The war in East Congo has been going on for over twenty years and is being fought over copper, tin, and coltane (tantalite) – over 24 trillion dollars worth – all important components of your smartphones […]
A Christmas Carol for the World
There can be no peace on earth until we are at peace with the earth. Please join in singing this song with your students, your neighbors, your friends, your relatives, and your children. Then take action. Save the Whales Save the Rainforest Save the Polar Bears Save the Elephants Plastic in our Oceans Ban Fracking […]
How Diversity Works
If we wanted to build a flying car, we would look for people with a diversity of experience – engineers, designers, technicians, mechanics, cost analysts, etc. But would we also look for social diversity? Would having people from different ethnic backgrounds, races, religions, genders, and sexual orientations help us build a better flying car? So […]
Restorative Justice – The Time is Now
By Tim Wolcott We are all builders: either of justice and peace or of injustice and war. Given the choice, most attempt to create harmony and equity in the world. However, many have no choice at all in this matter. They are allowed little agency. These are students in many of our primary and secondary […]
What are you doing for International Peace Day?
This coming Sunday, September 21, is the 33rd International Day of Peace. Established in 1981 by the United Nations the Day of Peace was intended as a time for us to strengthen our commitment to peace. In 2001 the United Nations established this day to be an annual day for non-violence and cease-fire. There are […]
A Stick for Peace
A book review by Tim Wolcott As I enter the faculty room, the cacophony of simultaneous conversation around the lunch table buoys my weary spirit. Soon however, I feel frustrated as to where and how to engage in the discussion. I wish I could discern the tenor or gist of what’s being said by listening […]
Cooperation is Tricky
Working cooperatively has been shown to be a highly effective teaching strategy in the classroom. Results from numerous research studies have shown improvement in academic performance, behavior, motivation, attendance, thinking skills, and peer relationships with those who are different from them. According to Roger and David Johnson of the Cooperative Learning Center, an effective cooperative […]
A Resolution for Peace
It’s a new year. Following in the tradition of the ancient Babylonians and Romans, it is time to make those pesky resolutions. What will you resolve to improve this coming year? Research by Richard Weisman on Quirkology has shown that the failure rate is 88%. However, when men set small goals such as losing 10 […]
The Gift of Mindfulness
A recent study done by the New York University College of Nursing found that after only 4 months of mindfulness training incarcerated boys between the ages of 16 and 18 improved their ability to pay attention and deal with social situations in positive way. This is the largest study yet on the effect of mindfulness training […]
Nelson Mandela: A Life from which to Learn
“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” Nelson Mandela Nelson Mandela has passed from this world leaving it a better place for having lived and fought for freedom and peace. He stands as a model for us all as a person who saw injustice and dedicated […]
