These two questions have prompted the third and fourth graders and myself to go beyond reflecting on what we have learned in CE to discovering connections and integrating these lessons in our daily lives.
These past few weeks have been focused on building community. We have been playing several games and participating in various activities to lay the foundation for our community to flourish. When members of a community feel safe and respected, there is trust and freedom to be who we are. After learning these games, we allowed time for reflecting on what we had learned, and then ventured a step further to discover how all these lessons connect to a bigger picture -- relating with our world.
If you've been reading Mrs. Hussey's blogs, you may recall her mentioning the process of "inquiry." The questioning and collaborating aspects of inquiry play an important part in character development. This questioning process supports and nurtures each child in their own emotional, social, and spiritual development. As questions arise, each child searches within for that which is already known, and then is gently guided in a rich learning environment, allowing awareness to expand and insight to blossom. The seeds for growing a compassionate community are sown as members are encouraged to voice deep questions and listen to one another, and learn the process of collaborating in big or small groups.
Here are examples of individual reflections about the community building games that we played. Below each reflection is a response from a team member commenting on why this is important and why it matters to him/her.
"The Bean Bag game" --
(reflection) * You are trying to learn other people's names.
(connection) * I think this is important because we get to know people better. It helps when you have to tell them something important then you can call them by their name instead of "hey you." It shows respect.
"Yes, No, So-So" game --
(reflection) * You can learn other people's opinion.
(connection) * I think this matters because you learn what people dislike or like. It is important because if you learn what they like and if you like the same thing, then you could become friends.
"Who's the leader" game --
(reflection) * You learn to pay attention.
(connection) * I think this matters because you have to watch closely and pay attention. It is important because if you get used to something, things can change. You learn to change quickly.
We had lots of fun playing these games and we also learned more about respecting each other, acknowledging other people's opinions, and adjusting to change. Why does it matter? It matters because we all belong to our global community, and helping each other is what a compassionate human being is all about.
In fifth grade, questioning and collaborating are also crucial aspects in developing Peace Team. The history of Peace Team was shared with the students. Starting in 1994 at Epiphany School a handful of sixth grade students initiated its formation because they wanted to help other students before the start of school each morning and also during recess. They designed their own T-shirt so others would know who to go to for help, and met before school started, once a week, for "breakfast meetings." As you may have guessed, lots of questions popped up surrounding the origin (called the 1st force) and subsequent changes (called the 2nd force) of Peace Team. Throughout all the changes, our focus has remained the same-- to be of service. The question before us now is, "What new ways (called the 3rd force) can you think of for Peace Team to be of service?"
We will share more on the "3rd force" next week.
Have a great week, and "May the Force be with you!"
