“I pledge allegiance to the earth and to all life that it nourishes, all growing things, all species of animals and all races of people. I promise to protect all life on our planet, to live in harmony with nature and to share our resources justly, so that all people can live with dignity in good health and in peace.”
— Aline D. Wolf (Montessori Services)
Peace Education
The philosophy behind Montessori’s Peace Education stems from her lived experiences during the war in the 1930s. Her advocacy for peace emphasized education’s key role to subconsciously develop man’s “personality” and “raise humanity to the point of genuine progress” as the ultimate salvation of mankind.
Maria Montessori experienced her first existential awakening when she resided in India and later adapted Eastern philosophies on peace and consciousness into her writings and method. Montessori was an advocate for bringing peace through education and recognized children could have a positive effect on humanity’s spiritual evolution. She believed the primary role of education holds an immense power to re-educate humankind and establish peace beginning from a grassroots level.
At Casa Ranch, our Peace education is integrated into our daily curriculum beginning by reciting the “Pledge to the Earth” and “I Offer You Peace” every day in our community meeting. Peace corners & tables in Montessori environments are designed to provide a safe space where children who are overwhelmed with big emotions or facing conflicts with other students can find privacy, solitude, or invitation to come up with peaceful solutions by expression their feelings with others.
