Monday was the International Day of Peace, and the specials teachers at Park Elementary School decided to make it, well, special.
“People tend to think of (physical education) just as kids running around, or kids in art making pretty pictures,” said Deb Jackson, Park’s art teacher. “But we are working together to make them more meaningful.”
In addition to Jackson, the specials team includes music teacher Jean Owens, PE teacher Cindy Keresey and technology teacher Scott Emrich.
Peace Day started with a conversation about “being the change” and learning about nonviolence advocates such as Mahatma Gandhi. Then, the fifth-graders got to work.
They learned two songs – “Peace I Ask of You, O River,” a traditional camp song, and John Lennon’s “Give Peace a Chance.” The physical education portion entailed being out and about in the neighborhood while caroling with the songs.
In art class, students wrote peace messages on 90 pinwheels. Students made many of the pinwheels with their parents during Park’s open house last week. Several fifth-graders came in during recess to help finish the remaining pinwheels, Jackson said.
“They used lyrics from the songs and quotes like Lennon’s famous quote ‘Peace is not something you wish for, it’s something you make, something you do, something you are and something you give away,’” she said. “Some wrote personal messages, like, ‘I wish peace for your family and friends and hope good things happen for you.’”
The biggest challenge was getting signed permission slips for students to leave campus, Jackson said.
Other grades at Park looked on the upperclassmen with envy.
“The fourth-graders were really upset they didn’t get to participate,” she said. “Maybe next year we’ll include more grades.”
Jackson had previously marked World Peace Day, as it’s also known, while teaching at Needham Elementary School.
“I still remember we had one pinwheel left, and we saw a man getting out of a van and gave it to him,” she said, “He had tears in his eyes and asked for a hug, so I gave him one. Two days later, we got a bouquet of flowers and a card that said, ‘You don’t know how much I needed that.’”
On Monday, PE teacher Keresey had a similar experience, Owens said, giving a pinwheel to a man who had tears in his eyes.
“These children are our future,” Owens said, “and we want them to know a little thing can make a difference.”
But they also want them to learn another lesson their teachers are enjoying by working together.
“We also want them to understand that change collectively takes all of us working together,” Jackson said. “And just reaching out, having some empathy, understanding other people’s perspectives, is an important lesson.”
abutler@durangoherald.com
