“Peace is what every human being is craving, and it can be brought by humanity through the child.”
-Maria Montessori
Montessori was a dedicated ambassador for peace and unity around the world. She believed strongly that education and children were essential to making these ideals a reality. World peace comes from the unity of inner peace and peace with others.
As Montessorians, we strive to help children reach inner peace and provide tools and guidance to address conflict in a healthy way. A peaceful co-existence doesn’t necessarily mean not making any waves, as conflict also provides opportunities to grow and learn. When children mature and understand the how and why of peace, they become equipped and empowered to be ambassadors of positive change.
Our Upper Elementary classes start off the year with a lesson about peace. The students discuss what peace looks like – respecting yourself and others, staying positive, taking time to help and understand each other, showing empathy and compassion, respecting the materials – and they all agree to help create this environment. This year, the peace lesson began with listening to the words of a song titled, “You and Me.” Some words and phrases from the song that stood out to the children were:
- Together we can change the world.
- Bold
- Brave
- It starts with you and me.
They talked about how kindness toward one another can start right here in our classrooms, and as a result, can create ripple effects which will help spread peace throughout the world. With the song as their inspiration, the Upper Elementary students of Valley Montessori School created artwork to represent peace and performed a creative dance to help spread Maria Montessori’s vision for humanity. Enjoy their brief video!