September 21st may not be a date you recognize, but around the world and in our Montessori community, we look forward to celebrating the International Day of Peace on this day. Established by the United Nations in 1981, the International Day of Peace began as a way to promote a time for people worldwide to “honour a cessation of hostilities…and to otherwise commemorate the Day through education and public awareness on issues related to peace” ().
The UN’s theme for the International Day of Peace this year is “The Sustainable Development Goals: Building Blocks for Peace”. Youth from around the world have been invited to share via YouTube their video messages of peace with ideas related to this year’s theme. Solutions related to ending poverty and helping the environment are evident in the concerns of today’s youth. The videos can be viewed on the United Nations Peace Day 2016 YouTube Channel, and they include brief messages from young people representing many different nations.
To do our part to celebrate this special occasion, The Montessori Children’s Academy (MCA) plans to take part in a variety of activities leading up to September 21st. Each class will choose its own special way to celebrate. Some will be reading books about peace, making peacemaker necklaces, or learning how to say ‘peace’ in different languages, while others will recite peace poems or decorate symbols of peace. Then, on the big day, we will all participate in a worldwide event called Sing Peace Around the World. The goal of the project organizers is to have the song “Light a Candle for Peace” sung continuously over a 24 hour time period all around the globe. The singing will begin in New Zealand and end in Hawaii 24 hours later. Our designated time to sing “Light a Candle for Peace” in Chatham, Morristown, and Short Hills is 9:30AM. Please consider joining the endeavor–wherever you are at that time, take out the lyrics and sing along! To date, nearly 90,000 children from around the world are registered to participate in this event, including all of our MCA students. We hope the sounds of children singing for peace will echo across every land on every continent, and that it will reach into the hearts of all people in every corner of the world.
Of course, peace education and awareness is not something MCA recognizes only for one day or by singing just one song. It is an important component of the Montessori curriculum and an integral part of each and every day in all of our schools. Everything you find in a Montessori classroom has an intentional meaning and an underlying lesson and goal. For example, the manner in which Montessori classrooms are prepared aim to promote the development of self-discipline. The Montessori materials are designed to provide students with challenges that spark their critical thinking. There are countless opportunities in Montessori classrooms for creative problem solving. Montessori students are exposed to Cultural Studies, where they learn about people, places, and traditions from around the world, gaining a global awareness and appreciation for similarities and differences among people in all nations. The focus on ‘grace and courtesy’, as well as the modeling of respect by the adults in the classroom, helps children to, in turn, learn to exhibit grace, courtesy, and respect. These are all intentional features which are carefully woven into the fabric of Montessori education. Dr. Montessori developed her method of education to teach not only academic subjects, but also to instill important values in children. Montessori education is intended to help students learn how to work cooperatively and in harmony, to discover how to solve problems peacefully, and to find ways to promote peace in their interactions with others throughout their lives.
As Dr. Montessori said, “The child is capable of developing and giving us tangible proof of the possibility of a better humanity. He has shown us the true process of construction of the human being. We have seen children totally change as they acquire a love for things and as their sense of order, discipline, and self-control develops within them…. The child is both a hope and a promise for mankind” (Education and Peace). Maria Montessori knew the importance of education for the greater good of the world, and she insisted on providing children with many opportunities to learn and internalize their roles as peacemakers through educational experiences, which encompassed not only academics, but the development of responsibility and character as well. As she is well known to have stated, “Establishing lasting peace is the work of education; all politics can do is keep us out of war.” Dr. Montessori was nominated three times for the Nobel Peace Prize, and her advocacy for peace has made a lasting impression. We are proud to uphold her legacy for spreading peace throughout the world.
Below are the lyrics to “Light a Candle for Peace”.
Please feel free to share the song with others, and help us to promote peace in our schools, our neighborhoods, our towns, our nation, and all around the world. We wish everyone a meaningful International Day of Peace!
Light a Candle for Peace
by Shelley Murley
Light a candle for peace
Light a candle for love
Light a candle that shines all the way around the world
Light a candle for me
Light a candle for you
That our wish for world peace
Will one day come true!
(repeat)
Sing peace around the world
Sing peace around the world
Sing peace around the world
Sing peace around the world
Light a candle for peace
Light a candle for love
Light a candle that shines all the way around the world
Light a candle for me
Light a candle for you
That our wish for world peace
Will one day come true!
Sing peace around the world
Sing peace around the world
Sing peace around the world
Sing peace around the world
For more information about Montessori peace education and other peace initiatives, as well as to find children’s books about peace, check out the resources listed below, some of which were used as references in this article: