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 […]
The first component is Cognitive. We must understand what bullying is so we can recognize it when we see it. The second component is Emotion. Unless our emotions are engaged, we will not be able to step beyond our own self-consciousness to take action for others. The key emotions are empathy – being able to […]
What is International Peace Day? The International Day of Peace, or as it is often titled, World Peace Day occurs on September 21st every year. This day is officially dedicated to world peace, and the elimination of war and violence. The day was established in 1981 by the United Nations as a way to bring world attention […]
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 […]
It is almost impossible to grow up. Most people just get older — Maya Angelou An essay by Tim Wolcott Empathy can be crushed Rancor for the ‘other’ has long been an effective tool of the Right to mobilize supporters. In their plans, empathy is to be avoided at all costs. Many adults, harboring unresolved anger and mistrust, […]
The Nuclear Threat Initiative sent me the following e-mail this morning: “Seventy-one years ago tomorrow, the city of Hiroshima was leveled by an awesome and gruesome new weapon: the atomic bomb. Three days later, Nagasaki faced the same fate. Today, the world has entered a new and potentially more dangerous era of nuclear risks. Consider […]
Post by Tim Wolcott I financially support and post pieces on independent media, because I believe mainstream media is part of how militarism remains entrenched in our society. So when I learned from a recent presentation by Kevin Martin, President of Peace Action National, that The Washington Post published January 18, 2016 an article by […]
Aunt Harriet’s Underground Railroad in the Sky by Faith Ringgold has been around a long time. It was first published in 1991 and won the Caldecott Award for its illustrations in 1992. Born a slave, Harriet Tubman escaped to freedom in 1847. That would have been heroic enough for anyone. But Harriet Tubman did not […]
The Story of Ruby Bridges by Robert Coles Through My Eyes by Ruby Bridges Six-year-old Ruby Bridges was the first black child to integrate an all-white public school in the south. Day after day, escorted by U.S. marshals and her mother, she braved spitting, hissing, cursing crowds of white people throwing things at her in […]
Oh, Freedom by Casey King and Linda Barrett Osborne with a forward by Rosa Parks Rosa Parks says, “To live is to have stories.” This is a book of stories about real people who participated in the Civil Rights Movement. The stories are told through interviews done by children. Each child interviews a person, often […]
A Teach Peace Now Hero Maria Montessori (1870-1952) is most often remembered for her contributions to the education of young children. However, she is also considered by many to be a founder of peace education. She believed that the root of peace lay in the education we give our children. Only when children are intentionally taught […]
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