Monica Thomas

My name is Monica Thomas and I teach a grade 3-4 class in Edmonton. Incorporating peace practices is a way of doing life in the classroom. Peace in my classroom is evident in the everyday exchanges where respect and kindness take precedent over curriculum. Through my actions, I try to make every student feel they matter.

With the growing distractions moving homes away from spending time and showing love to family members, more than ever, youth today need to be a part of a group where egocentricity is gently discouraged. As children learn to forgive others for their mistakes, they learn to love and forgive themselves which is essential to living in peace. We need to love the marginalized students in our classrooms, so they leave depart with confidence that their actions matter.

When children become aware of the impact their behaviours have on a group, they become accountable for their actions and realize they have the power to make a difference. When this realization is made, it’s important that students have the freedom to respectfully demonstrate their ideas. Creativity flourishes when students know they can make a difference and they have the freedom to express themselves.

If you go to my story you will see my journey.

In 2019, students in my grade 5/6 class prepared a "Cyber Kindness Campaign" which promoted online kindness. Students made poems, raps, skits and songs that promoted kindness online. To protect children's privacy, the presentation cannot be shared in this space.

More from Monica:

• Encountering Gandhi
• Peace in the Classroom
• Cyber Kindness Campaign

Dorianne Martyniuk

Hi, my name is Dorianne Martyniuk and I am an assistant principal in an elementary school in Edmonton, Alberta Canada. For many years I’ve worked as a music teacher and continue to teach kindergarten music. I also work with ELL students on language acquisition and literacy.

In today’s world, we are facing a variety of challenges that being social interaction and communication. It is now, more than ever that we need positive dialogue and interactions so that humanity can thrive. We need to begin this process with children and facilitate ways of building relationships.

My goal in this process is to bring attention to staff and students as to how we speak to one another and develop positive relationships.

When speaking with colleagues, I stress the value of having open positive communication with parents and caregivers for the benefit of children

If you go to my story you will find out about me and my journey as an educator and the steps I am taking along side Gandhian pedagogy towards peaceful means in the school.

If you connect with what I have said I’d love to hear your story.

More from Dorianne:

• Journey to peace

Jess Sereda

Background

I am currently working as an elementary school counsellor in rural Alberta. As part of my counselling role, I teach Active Living, Character Education and Health. I use these opportunities to strengthen students’ physical and mental health. I am also the lead for our monthly Health Days where we look at innovative and engaging ways to teach kids about health and wellness using a conference-style format where the rotate through sessions of choice.

Why is this project important to you?

Applying Gandhi’s notions about nonviolence to areas in education which might be traditionally overlooked (Physical Education) is important to me. This project allows me to share ideas with other educators and help inspire people to look at their own lives and challenge themselves to see how ideas like ahimsa and sarvodaya might be applied.

What is your goal in this process?

My goal is to help teachers to start thinking about ways that they can shift their thinking around competition and lifelong physical activity. I also look forward to gaining inspiration from people doing great work in this area.

What might you say to colleagues about why this might be important to them?

Connection and collaboration is a driving force for change.

If you go to my story you find out about ...

My love for physical activity and movement and my own application of Gandhian principles in my practice (particularly in PE). I have included my capping project for reference, which had a strong focus on creating nonviolent PE spaces.

If you connect with what I have said I’d love to hear your story .

More from Jess:

• drive.google.com/a/share.epsb.ca/file/d/1WwIqjbrloK5wDno7EoLQs7jwVfFnEPe0/view?usp=sharing
• Banner: Identity and values

Implementation of Gandhian pedagogy

Simone Shirvell

Background

I am presently teaching in a year one classroom in a culturally diverse community. There are just under 300 students from Kindergarten to Grade Six with about 75% English Language Learners (ELL).

Why is this project important to me?

The idea of breaking down barriers between different groups of people as well as people and the natural world are the reasons that this project speaks to me as a teacher, learner and peace advocate.

Goal

My hope is to encourage connections between fellow educators who share my passion for removing barriers.

What might I say to a colleague?

Have you ever reflected upon how our attitudes towards creating caring peaceful communities is rooted in our classroom practice? When colleagues from my school come into my classroom they invariably comment on their “feelings” of calmness and peace. I respond by saying, “I am trying to create an environment that reflects my beliefs in what is important for nurturing caring, concerned and respectful individuals.”

If you go to my story ...

When you open up my story you will discover how I became the educator that I am today. I’ll share with you my journey towards peace, how I set up my classroom and some of the things that I do with my young students.

If you connect with my stories, I would love the opportunity to hear from you.

More resources from Simone:

• Developing peace in the classroom
• My peaceful classroom
• Additional ideas for developing a peaceful classroom

Kristi Mahood

My name is Kristi Mahood and I am currently teaching literacy intervention. I work with almost 70 students from grades 1-3 and 7-9 many of whom are English Language Learners and refugee students.

Why is this project important to you?

This project is important to me because it gives me a way to access and share ideas and resources on ways to better support and foster peaceful classrooms. If students feel safe and cared for they are better able to learn and if they can learn then there is a better chance for them to be able to fulfill their educational and life goals.

What is your goal in this process?

My goal is to offer ideas of ways to help connect and support students in your community.

What might you say to colleagues about why this might be important to them?

Our world is increasingly more connected and our classrooms seem to become increasingly more complex. I want tangible ideas on ways to teach and implement proponents for peaceful inclusion. If we are better able to support and understand one another then I feel we are able to face any problems that may come up together as one global community.

If you go to my story you will find out about....

My journey so far and ideas and ways I have tried to incorporate Gandhian Principles into community building activities in the classroom.

If you connect with what I have said I’d love to hear your story.

More from Kristi:

• Classroom Context
• Building peaceful classrooms and communities: Ideas for implementation

Reva Joshee

Hi, I’m Reva Joshee. In this photo you see me with one of my nieces, Danielle. My nieces and nephews are very important to me and it is for their future I became so deeply involved in education for peace.

I have taught at the University level for more than 25 years. My work is in the areas of education for peace, diversity in education and educational policy for peace and justice.

For me, this project started as a way to link two things I was passionate about, my work with amazing groups of teachers in Edmonton and Toronto and the Jai Jagat 2020 global peace march. Along the way, Jai Jagat started to become a movement for the Victory of the World. Meaning a desire to go beyond personal, parochial and national goals to really think about the future of the globe and all the beings who are here. I think education is a key part of this movement. That is why this project is important to me.

My goal in this process is to get educators thinking about the multiple ways in which we can make a difference in the world.

I hope this project gets educators all over the world thinking about how powerful we are as teachers and community members

If you go to my story you find out about my family and how they influenced me to learn more about Gandhiji. You will also learn a bit about my work at the post secondary level and how I try in particular to get my students to think more creatively.

If you connect with what I have said I’d love to hear your story.

More from Reva:

• Reva's approach
• Reva's practice

Why is this project important to you?

As a former graduate student of Reva Joshee’s, I went to India for the first time, visited Gandhi’s house. Travelling with Reva was especially meaningful because I knew her mother and father were so close to Gandhi and I was also travelling with one of my students as well, So I feel like we were passing the message of ahimsa across the generations. This project is a great way to connect a group of like-minded people in a practice of connection and kindness, something that is sorely lacking in the world right now. We all need to help our students--and each other-- learn compassion and breathe through the difficulties to make a positive difference in the world.

What might you say to colleagues about why this might be important to them?

Millions of people around the globe are currently having their lives turned upside down because of the COVID-19 pandemic, perhaps the most challenging crisis to face human society in decades. The divides and inequalities that are shaping our world are becoming even more exaggerated and leading to different outcomes for the most poor and the vulnerable around the world. There has never been a more important moment for us to help others, to help young students understand these inequalities, as well as these things that draw us all together, that make us all depend on each other, whether we like it or not. Projects like this one are so crucial for us to give kids and others positive ways to build ahimsa, to give them skills and practices to live in harmony with each other and the natural world, and fight these inequalities and injustices.

A couple of years ago, I was diagnosed with a chronic pain syndrome that was really debilitating and kept me in bed for months. It was a real challenge for me to learn to be kind and gentle with myself and my body, that I felt had failed me. After years of yoga and meditation, I delved much more deeply into developing a mindfulness meditation practice, learning to be gentle with my own body. It was a revelation and helped me literally get back on my feet. Now, try to build principles of peace, compassion and mindful practice into my teaching and work with students. Since then, I try to open each class I teach with a “mindful minute” and help students learn the principles of ahimsa with themselves, as well as their students.

Another thing that I have found very meaningful in my work with Jai Jagat is the way that the Jai Jagat marchers and youth workers build creative and artistic songs, paintings, theatre into all of their work. I try to do that with my teaching as well as trying to teach myself how to paint. Recently, I am working on a series of paintings about trees called BREATHE. As someone who is concerned about climate destruction, my paintings are a reminder that trees are the lungs of the planet. Not only are they beautiful, but we need trees to be able to survive. They are also reminders to us to breathe deeply. It has been my healing and should be central to the healing of our damaged planet. It seems ever more important now --in the middle of a global pandemic that is infecting our lungs-- to celebrate trees and practice ahimsa.