You know how it goes in a classroom when there's a conflict: "Well, she said..." , "Well, he did it first...", "Well, yeah, but they..."
Having had enough of that last week, I groped for a new solution. Saw my little crystal globe on my desk with the Ghandi quote from Galileo Leadership Academy (yep, class of '97-'99-first cohort-hold your applause!) and had a little discussion with the current participant in classroom conflict. My teaching point was that conflict resolution has to start with someone. Why not start with yourself?
My student was immensely impressed with the little blue globe and asked if she could keep it on her desk to remind her to always try to be the change she wishes to see in our class. Uh-nope!
Not wanting to lose momentum on this great teaching point, however, we came up with a great substitute! We moved our discussion to the teacher's computer, inserted a great tie-dye background onto a word document, (chosen by former conflictee), and typed in the simple yet powerful quote: "Let us be the change we want in the world." followed by credit to Ghandi. Cut the cards apart quickly, freehand, not missing a beat, and voila! Tape it to your desk.
It took about three seconds for these little cards to be the most popular item to hit Rainbow City in months. But there's a catch if you want one. You have to have the desire for peace in your heart, and you have to be willing to start the process yourself!
Will post the pdf later this week if you'd like to try this with your little peacemakers!
Retta
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