In true Montessori form, the students of Montessori Community School celebrated the International Day of Peace today with our Silent Peace Walk. The International Day of Peace, sometimes unofficially known as World Peace Day, is observed annually on the 21st of September. It is dedicated to world peace and specifically the absence of war and violence. The day was first celebrated in 1982, and is kept by many nations, political groups, military groups, and peoples. In 2013, for the first time, the Day was dedicated by the Secretary-General of the United Nations to peace education, an obvious key beginning to peace for our world’s future.
To inaugurate the day, the United Nations Peace Bell is rung at UN Headquarters in New York City. The bell is cast from coins donated by children from around the world, and was a gift from the United Nations Association of Japan. There is an inscription on the side of the bell that reads, “Long live absolute world peace”.
Maria Montessori is well known for her advocacy of peace education and was quoted saying, “Education is the best weapon for peace.” She was nominated three times (1949, 1950 and 1951) for the Nobel Peace Prize and her legacy lives in the hearts of Montessori Schools world-wide.
At Montessori Community School we relish the opportunity to begin each new school year with an emphasis on Peace. Our Peace Curriculum is a valued and dynamic piece to our authentic Montessori curriculum. This year, in honor of International Day of Peace, our students and staff decorated prayer flags and then walked peacefully as a community around our campus and to the front of the school where the flags were hung to show the larger Utah community our continued commitment to inner, community, and world peace.
Students at Montessori Community School begin early on learning the tools for finding personal peace and the value of peaceful relationships when they are given a lesson on the use of a “peace table.” The peace table or shelf is an area in the classroom where books and pictures are found that educate the child, at the appropriate age level, about peace educators and other aspects that support their personal education. Oftentimes, you will also find activities that allow a child to turn inside themselves and teach meditation. Students also learn about peaceful conflict resolution. This is taught throughout our Grace and Courtesy lessons as children learn by example, are introduced to objects that act as a “talking stick”, and discussion is supported in class meetings.
We are honored to support Montessori in her desire to teach peace to children around the world and hope you will take the time to view the peace flags created by our students and staff that will remain on our campus.
“Averting war is the work of politicians; establishing peace is the work of education.”Maria Montessori