Diane said:
“Twice every year, in the week that teachers and parents are meeting for conferences, assistants and specialists get together to plan a special week for the young people — immersed in a study or topic outside of the curriculum plans for that year. The lead teachers envy them that opportunity at times…”
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Jeri describes what our students did during the week this way:
Tammy, Kate and I combined the two 5/6 classes in a large group and we explored the theme of “Peace and Inclusion on Purpose.” The week included a range of activities designed to help the kids better understand the roots of conflict, cooperation, perspective, mediation and peace. We used stories, games, literature, building activities, movement, role playing, art and reflection to connect the kids to these concepts.
The kids worked together on several interesting and often fun activities that required cooperation and (sometimes silent) communication skills:
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Active Listening exercises
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Building marshmallow towers with toothpicks
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In pairs and then growing teams, using just one finger each to lift a wooden block from the ground into the air and walk across a designated space
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Understanding different perspectives/sides: what does each side need or want, and what are they feeling
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Lining up in various orders, silently, while standing on a log
We even had the group critically examine their own games that they play every day at choice: All Campus Tag, Foursquare, Capture the Flag and Suey. They worked together in smaller groups to identify the conflicts that come up in these games regularly. They then played two of the games and came back to discuss the conflicts that came up, how they developed, and how they might have been resolved.
As part of our conflict and mediation focus, we took a trip on Wednesday to the National Liberty Museum. (By participating in an educational research study about children’s understanding of the concept of liberty, we were granted free admission to the museum.) The National Liberty Museum is dedicated to freedom, liberty, diversity and inclusion, as well as good character, civic responsibility, leadership and peaceful conflict resolution. “Our primary art form is glass art, as it makes the point that freedom is as fragile as glass…”
The students really enjoyed the trip and many commented on the glass sculptures, especially the central piece, The Flame of Liberty by world-renowned glass artist Dale Chihuly. Other highlights were the freedom video, the Jellybean Kids, the Hall of Heroes, and the Heroes of 911 Memorial walls in the stairways.
And lastly, the children created some truly beautiful art pieces, their Visions of Peace, that will become a Peace Quilt. Please look for it hanging in the office soon!
