As schoolchildren around the US know, Monday is set aside for the celebration of the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. Dr. King was a martyr for the cause of racial equality. He received the Nobel Peace Prize, not just for his beliefs, but for his methods of fighting for equality through non-violent resistance.
There are loads of lesson plans and projects available from a variety of sources to educate children about the man, his mission, and his methods. There are (thankfully) increasingly accessible resources to combat racism, ageism, sexism, creed-ism, income-ism and all the other -isms out there. Integral to Montessori education, and even more effective in the long run, are lessons, activities, and experiences that help us see ourselves and our shared humanity in every other person.
Peacemakers’ Legacy
The best way that we can honor Dr. King and our other peace heroes is to follow their lead: advocate and work for the most vulnerable through peaceful means. Great peace-warriors have long known that the only path to victory is working for justice for all and through acts of love and acceptance. As we all know, Montessori believed that the most effective way to change a culture from one that values political, economic, and military power to one that sees the value in every life is through the children:
“Establishing lasting peace is the work of education; all politics can do is keep us out of war.”
“If help and salvation are to come, they can only come from the children, for the children are the makers of men.”
“Acts of Love”
If we are to model peacemaking for and with the children, we can begin with the idea that, as Mother Theresa put it, “every act of love is a work of peace, no matter how small.”
We all act lovingly towards those who already love us. Courageous love is selfless love: committing an act of love towards someone with no expectation of being loved in return, towards strangers or even people that we know do not love us (yet).
Starting the Discussion
One way to initiate a fruitful discussion with the children is to brainstorm small things that we do to show selfless love to people we don’t really know: smile/chat with the checkout clerk at the grocery, open the door for someone, compliment someone who looks like they are having a hard day.
What about people in our school or classroom who aren’t necessarily our best friends? How can we show them selfless love? Can we think about acts of love as acts of service? Acts of respect? With that understanding, brainstorm small things that we do in the school to show each other (children and adults) love: invite someone who looks lonely to join in work or play; help someone who seems in need academically, socially or physically; pick up after someone else without complaining or drawing attention to our actions; listening patiently and attentively to someone just because they need us to listen.
If desired, show prescreened videos of people committing one or more acts of radical love such as the ones below. Discuss what those acts have in common. Two things that struck me were putting the needs of others ahead of the needs of self, and knowing that even small acts can have a big impact. In these videos, sometimes we see the reaction of the person or people benefitting from the act of love and sometimes we don’t, just like in life.
- Giving Spirit (assembling survival kits for the homeless) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqYaQqM326M&list=PLZdmq0GV_dGDFq_atYoFHuPPnorJnFxr2
- Random Acts of Kindness: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6HbPpnJL2A (There are 2 segments that seem to be gifting between friends and family which, while they are evocative, are less on-point. Stopping the video at 7:30 will avoid one of the two.)
If desired, extend the discussion to include acts of love towards non-humans including animals and Earth. (Please be aware, however, that Australia is not looking for mittens for koalas, a service project that has been getting a lot of buzz on the internet lately, particularly among educators.)
Reflection for children and adults: How can I courageously show love to someone with no expectation of being loved in return or being repaid? Do I know people who are vulnerable who might need an act of love even more than others? (People might be vulnerable because they look, sound, act, or believe differently, or because of circumstances like poverty, homelessness, physical or mental ability, or age.) How can I show that person courageous love? (NOTE: This reflection is focused on empowering each person to develop the habit of acting in courageous love rather than towards creating a service project. It could be opened up to include projects if desired.)
The Challenge
How long would it take to commit 100 acts of radical love?
I started my challenge this morning with what seems like a relatively inconsequential act of paying for the breakfast of the car behind me at Starbucks. Since I was long gone by the time she learned her tab was covered, I will never know what impact it had on her. I can only hope that it made as much of a difference to her as it did to me.
It is not enough to say, “We must not wage war.” It is necessary to love peace and sacrifice for it. We must concentrate not merely on the negative expulsion of war, but on the positive affirmation of peace.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
In the school district where I am now, schools are not closed on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which I find oddly disconcerting. But we took my favorite middle and elementary schools security guard out for dinner today with her husband and told them stories of Martin Luther King Jr. Day in Maryland, where I taught for 9 years. There, it was simply understood that not going to school that day meant participating in a service project of some kind or going to a fundraising concert honoring MLK Jr. I felt it was our turn to share a cultural custom.
thanks for taking the time to share your story, Jean! That embodies “being the change that we wish to see in the world!”
I love the idea of MLK Jr. day being set aside as a day of service. It has become just another 3-day weekend in so many ways. I wonder if anyone has promoted this in their school or classroom and found it successful. The hive-mind can be a wonderful thing!
Betsy – I always enjoy reading your blog!! I love your message! It would be great to see more opportunities for our students to help the communities around them. It is hard sometimes to find organizations that are willing to have our younger students help out.
Thank you, Amanda! I really appreciate you taking the time to comment!
It is true that organizations are (understandably) more cautious today about receiving and including children in their space. I find that people who deal with children in a public setting are very favorably impressed with Montessori children – their poise, their knowledge, and their self-awareness. One of my great joys is seeing a docent or other adult accustomed to dealing with groups of children let down their guard when they realize that they don’t have to be “steeled to the task” with our children.
When we find that opportunities for larger-scale service-learning are not as accessible to our children (which is more frequently true these days), sometimes, relationship-building before asking to visit can help. If you ultimately want to take your children to a food bank, for example, can you request that a representative come and speak to the class about their mission and how people help them? Perhaps once the visitor sees the passion and compassion that our children have for others and the respect with which they treat visitors, they will fall in love with our children and help find ways for them to make the difference that they want to be in the world. If not, it will still help the children be more aware of the needs of those around them, which is always time well spent!
If you find some that will allow your children to help, please keep us posted!