For the past few weeks, we have been talking about the Quaker value of equality in community meeting. One query that has come up is, “Does equality always mean that people are treated the same? Does everyone have to get the same thing for it to be fair?” At the elementary age, students have a…
Reflection
Every day before snack and lunch, all classes engage in quiet reflection time. Usually, the topic for reflection has to do with the specific Quaker idea we have discussing during community meeting on Monday mornings, such as peace, integrity, community, etc. Sometimes, the reflection is more tailored to issues or topics that have come up…
Point of View
The books my students are reading now in their book groups are all chosen to reflect a theme of two cultures meeting, and either valuing one another or devaluing one another. In King of the Wind by Marguerite Henry, a prized Arabian stallion is sent as a gift to the King of France — but…
The Power of a Deadline
A couple of weeks ago, I noticed that the students’ progress on their all-about books was moving along much more slowly than I expected. I took a day or two to closely observe their progress and thought about strategies that might encourage them to try to get more down on the page during independent writing…
Reflecting on Integrity
Integrity is definitely the most difficult of the Quaker values to discuss with children. This is partly because while it’s about being good and doing the right thing, it’s particularly about trustworthiness and inner honesty, so that’s complex. It’s also, in some ways, more about intent than actions, which is likewise complicated to talk about…