A Letter from the Montessori Family Alliance Director
“Preventing war is the work of politicians, establishing lasting peace is the work of educators.” —Maria Montessori
Dear Friends and Members,
In light of the recent school tragedy in Parkland, FL, and because Montessorians are called to be peacemakers and peace educators, we want to affirm the world-changing work that you do every day with the children and families in your school. The students you serve will change the world and become the peacemakers of the future.
Like many of us, who are feeling it is time for action and advocacy, we encourage you to look beyond the environment of your classroom to find ways in which to become involved in the community, state, or national dialogues on this vital issue.
In looking at the challenge of gun violence, there are a number of areas that Montessori teachers, school leaders, and parents can have a voice and lend a hand. Here are just a few:
♣ Increasing the safety and security of
our campuses
♣ Communicating the issue to children in
a developmentally-attuned and
emotionally-safe manner
♣ Becoming aware of current legislation
and the complexity of the issue
♣ Advocating for legislation that will
create safer schools and communities
♣ Utilizing your vote to bring about change
and encouraging others to do the same
♣ Addressing the issue of accessibility
and safe storage of guns
♣ Creating community forums to discuss
the issues respectfully and responsibly
♣ Speaking out with your views, ideas, concerns and questions. The IMC “Courage to Speak” initiative is a forum designed to encourage meaningful dialogue. We’ll be accepting your written (150-word limit) and video (2-minute limit) submissions at kathyleitch@montessori.org. See more about this in Montessori Leadership magazine.
In the Montessori classroom, we guide students to use what they have learned to serve others, to contribute to their communities, to make a difference in the world. We guide young people to view problems as opportunities for learning, community building, and transformative solution-making. In alignment with our philosophy of learning, we encourage all Montessorians to become informed and get involved in helping our society find solutions to the problem of gun violence.
The Montessori Foundation and the International Montessori Council stand ready to provide support and resources for networking like-minded people and providing a respectful forum for inquiry, discussion, and advocacy.
Again, thank you for helping make our planet peaceful, equitable, and sustainable through your work with the citizens of the future.
Lorna McGrath
Montessori Family Alliance Director
IMC School Accreditation Director
Senior Consultant, The Montessori Foundation
Tomorrow’s Child/ April 2018/ pg 5
