~ Thanks to You ~ How often do you remember to say thanks? Being appreciated can make a huge difference in someone’s life. Saying thank you can let a friend, a family member, or even a stranger know that something they have done has been noticed and has meant something to you. “I would maintain […]
~ 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 […]
~ Giving More Than One Can Bear ~ What is an Altruist? Being an altruist is when we give of ourselves to someone even though it may require us to sacrifice more than we can afford, perhaps in some situations, even our lives. According to Kristen Renwick Monroe, people who display altruistic behaviors see themselves […]
Tiniest Teachers offer the Greatest Lesson The Greatest Lesson took me by surprise. Recently, I’ve been suffering compassion fatigue. Every Sunday I take a nursing home resident to church with me. It seems the helpful thing to do, and she always voices her gratitude as we leave the services. But I couldn’t shake the feeling […]
There is no time left for anything but to make peacework a dimension of our every waking activity.— Elise Boulding Lesson: Peace Journals Objective: To become aware of the role each one of us plays in creating a peaceful world and to record one’s thoughts about it. Peace journals can be kept by everyone. This is […]
Make a Difference “The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones that do.” Steve Jobs Real stories are often the most inspiring. In Paths to Peace, author Jane Zalben has selected 16 people she thinks have made a difference in the world. For each person, she gives […]
This is the season when we think about giving gifts to the people we care about. The following books take gift giving to a higher level and force us to think about what is truly a gift. Perhaps one of these book will prove the perfect gift for a child you love. Those Shoes by […]
In the United States, we hold Thanksgiving Day on the third Thursday in November. Many other countries also have days of thanksgiving that are an important part of their lives. Japan celebrates Kinrō Kansha no Hi on November 23rd when people give thanks for the work done throughout the year and the fruit of that labor. […]
Tomorrow people in the United States will be voting. The outcome of the election is unknown. But what is known is that, no matter which candidate wins whether they are are running for mayor, judgeship, senator, or president, there is one thing they need to do, and what we need to do every moment, every […]
Objective: To learn that many people have had the courage to stand up for what they believe and bring change in the world. Grade Level: Grade 3 and up Preparation Go to Better World Peace Calendar. Open each month and select people for the class to research. Make a list with each person’s birth date. If […]
Many people played a role in the Civil Rights Movement. She Stood for Freedom is a brand new children’s book that tells the story of Joan Trumpauer Mulholland. Although raised in the South and surrounded by segregation, Joan was angered by the unfair treatment of people because of the color of their skin. In 1960, despite […]
How do we develop more empathy? What does it look like? by Tim Wolcott Develop Empathy through Trust Empathy is grounded in mutual trust. James Baldwin called for faith in the “evidence of things not seen”. He believed we should live life with the assumption that a sense of decency might yet live in the […]
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