Students promote peace
Grace Miller Elementary School is in the sixth year of implementing the "Peace Builders Program," a program designed to create an environment of peace and belonging.
Every week during the Friday Spirit Assembly, and every day in many classrooms, students recite the following pledge:
"I am a Peace Builder. I pledge:
To praise people,
To give up put-downs,
To seek wise people,
To notice and speak up about hurts I have caused,
To right wrongs,
To help others.
I will build peace at home, at school, and in my community each day."
The world many children are exposed to is one of conflict, sarcasm, and a negative sort of competition. The goal of the Peace Builders program is to give students the tools and strategies needed to make win-win choices while building positive social skills in an environment of respect. Teachers use lesson materials that focus on particular strategies as needed, and students have "words in their heads" to help shape their behavior.
The program has had such a profound effect, the occurrence of suspensions is half what it was when we first started the program, and discipline referrals are also down. When students get in trouble, the focus goes back to the principles of the program. Students are asked to analyze the problem and come up with a way to make it right.
Leave a comment