Peace in the Classroom

At our school we have a huge focus on Peace Education.  We have a peace table which features a peace maker of the month-  people we focus are Dali Lama, Black Elk or Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  We decorate the area with mandalas, singing bowls, lotus candles, and a zen garden etc. The students are free to use this area to just relax, to problem solve with a friend or if they have an interest in learning about various religions, symbols or our peace maker of the month.  I think this is often a concept that goes untouched in a public school system.  I believe that teaching the students in an age appropriate way about serious issues can instill a sense of empathy and compassion towards others from the past and future.  Just today a student asked me;  What did Anne Frank do to deserve to die?