Day 7 - Reflection

In today’s session, I have gained available insights on how to approach changing behaviour. The Common Factors Theory helped me understand that students’ motivation has a lot of influences such as emotional state, family, connections, or individual experiences.

The Willing, Able, Ready decision-making framework reminded me of meeting the students where they are and not where we think they should be.

Using the Look, Listen, Assess, Respons protocol is a way to understand behavior deeply. Recognizing that each action we take has an impact on our students we need to ensure that our responses promote respect and growth.

Day 7 - Daily Peace Action: Practicing Positive Affirmations

Today, I started my morning with positive affirmations: “I am calm’’, I will be patient’’, ‘’I am capable’’, “I am responsible and respectful’’. Repeating this helped me feel calm and confident as I began the day.

Starting the day with this positive and peaceful mindset, allowed me to approach challenges with patience and focus. In our classroom, I am planning to be consistent with our “Positive Affirmation” moment with my students and make it part of our daily morning routine. They can create or repeat affirmations like “I am kind” or “I am capable.” This practice will help them build self-esteem and start their day with positivity and intention.

Day 6 - Reflection

 

Learning about the Arousal - Relaxation Cycle and trust-security attachment made me see how essential it is to respond to the underlying needs behind students’ behaviour. If we focus on what the students may need at that moment, a quiet moment to self-regulate, a listening ear, or reassurance we can help to create an environment where students feel safe to express themself and encouraged to deal with challenges.  

The application of the activity ‘’Essential Connections’’ made me reflect on my own responses and actions in times when I lost connections. In mind with that, I understand that our role as educators is to acknowledge each child's values and perspectives and help them have a sense of belonging in our class and school community. On top of that, one of our most important roles as educators in some situations is to help students untie any lost connections and refind a sense of purpose and meaning. 

Day 6 - Daily Action: Practicing Self-Care

Today, I chose a peace action focused on self-care by taking 10 minutes to engage in an activity that nourishes my well-being. I decided to go for a walk outside to reset and recharge. I left my phone at home and allowed myself to take in the surroundings. This quiet time helped me to let go of any stress from the day. By the time I returned home, I felt more relaxed and prepared to approach the evening with a clear mind. 

By taking the time to care for my well-being, I’m better equipped to approach my teaching with patience, presence, and empathy. Teaching students the importance of self-care can empower them to manage their emotions and actions more peacefully.

I’d like to introduce a "quiet time" in the classroom, where students can choose a calming activity like reading, drawing, or practicing meditation. It will help them develop emotional awareness and coping skills, supporting a peaceful classroom atmosphere. 

Today’s self-care action reminded me that peace begins within. Taking these moments for myself nurtures my own sense of peace and helps me to model and promote a peaceful environment for my students. This is definitely something I want to keep practicing, for my own balance and for my students’ growth.

Day 5 - Reflection

Reflecting on today’s learning I am more aware of the role that supportive relationships have in helping children to deal with any challenges that they may face and build resilience. Positive experiences and nurturing relationships within the school environment help students overcome academic and personal challenges. Everybody from the school staff can have an impact on how students build their self-confidence, adapt to changes, and overcome difficulties. As educators, we can make a difference in children’s lives if we approach them with care and build a trusting relationship. The Positive Interaction Cycle class discussion made me reflect on how small actions like active listening, encouraging words, or calm responses can help build a sense of safety.

This module also helped me reflect on my personal and professional boundaries. Having clear and established boundaries represents a key point in relationships, including family, friends, and the school community. I believe that when we respect each other and understand the role that we play in others’ lives including our students is a healthy way towards meaningful relationships without crossing any borders and keeping the professional aspect. In practice, I plan to keep in mind ‘’ the essential connections’’ when it comes to building our classroom environment. The class needs to be a place where students are allowed to make mistakes, ask for support, take risks, and try again if they face any obstacles. 

Day 5- Daily Peace Action: Express Gratitude - Thankful Thursday

For this week’s Thankful Thursday, I wrote gratitude notes to my colleagues Ingy, Cedric, and Imrat. Each of them has been a wonderful presence in my professional life, and I want to acknowledge their kindness and support. Ingy has been an amazing buddy during many courses, and we’ve grown into wonderful friends. Cedric often offers me rides and is a great source of inspiration with his positive attitude. Imrat’s humor and thoughtfulness always bring joy to the workplace. These small acts of recognition can foster a positive environment, reflecting the core values of peace education—building connections, kindness, and mutual respect. This daily peace action aligns with the goals of peace education by promoting gratitude and positive relationships. Expressing thanks builds a sense of community, fosters mutual respect, and cultivates a supportive and inclusive atmosphere. By recognizing the good in others, we encourage empathy and help reduce conflict, key elements in creating a peaceful, harmonious learning and working environment. As a teacher, incorporating this practice of gratitude into my daily routine encourages mindfulness and emotional intelligence, which can also be extended to students. Encouraging them to express gratitude for one another would foster a classroom atmosphere rooted in respect and kindness.

Day 4 - Reflection

Reflecting on today’s activities has made me understand the role of developing emotional competence as an educator to create an inclusive and supporting learning environment. Understanding our role as educators and paying attention to how we approach and respond to children in our daily interactions with them play a crucial role in building a caring classroom, school, and community. I realize that being aware of my emotional responses and seeing situations from different perspectives can help me understand and support my students better. 

The Social Identities Awareness Activity was a nice way to apply reflective practice, analyze my own identity, and assumptions, and think of how these influence my teaching approach and relationships with family, friends, and within my work environment. 

The 6 Principles that we have discussed were mind-opening, as I didn't fully consider the impact that everyday events such as family issues, emotional state, moving to another country, city, or school as well as academic pressure can have on students. Understanding trauma‘s effect on learning and students’ progress highlights the importance of creating a class environment that supports students and helps them overcome those challenges. Other important points are the relationship-based environment where students feel safe, valued, and understood as well as the family’s involvement in the learning process. Connecting students to their cultural backgrounds as well as exposing them to different cultures and values provides opportunities to cultivate respect, acceptance, and understanding.  

Moving forward, I plan to practice meaningful and intentional relationship-building and approach interactions with a trauma-sensitive mindset, as well as incorporate activities that provide students with opportunities to show their strengths and explore their identities. 

 

Day 4 - Daily Peace Action: Active Listening

Today, I embraced active listening as my peace action. During a conversation with a student struggling with a task and managing his emotions, I resisted the urge to jump in with solutions. Instead, I focused on hearing his frustrations, validating his feelings, and encouraging him to share more. This made him feel valued and provided me with deeper insights to assist him better. By listening deeply, I created a space of trust and respect. It’s easy to get caught up in the role of “fixer,” especially as a teacher, but stepping back and allowing students to share without interruption promotes empathy and patience.

In my classroom, I plan to create a “Listening Circle” where each student has the opportunity to share while others listen with the same focus. It can be a weekly activity where we emphasize respecting and valuing each other's voices. I also think that by modeling active listening daily, I’ll be encouraging my students to develop this skill with each other. This peace action isn’t just about creating calm moments; it’s about building a classroom where everyone feels genuinely heard and respected, laying a foundation for a more empathetic and inclusive environment.

Today’s experience reminded me that small, intentional actions like this can make a big difference.

Day 3 - Reflection

Exploring the Peace Educator’s framework and principles has helped me build a clearer picture of how to facilitate and nurture peaceful classroom environments where students respect each other, collaborate, and show empathy. 

Looking at Galtung’s Violence Triangle made me understand that direct, structural, and cultural violence can exist in schools without our awareness or realization. 

I feel inspired by the practical strategies for addressing conflict and fostering inclusivity which I can adopt in my classroom. One of the main takeaways is the importance of modeling the peace principles in everyday situations and interactions.  

Day 3 - Daily Peace Action: Mindful Reflection

Today's daily peace action involved setting aside five minutes to reflect mindfully on my emotional state before the start of the day. I selected this action because I've been experiencing feelings of tiredness and being overwhelmed by my workload, and I hoped it would help me center myself and approach the day with a more balanced mindset.

In my journal, I documented my initial feelings upon waking—a blend of anxiety and exhaustion stemming from the anticipation of the day's tasks. I then found a quiet space, sitting comfortably, and closing my eyes to concentrate on my breath. I took slow breaths and deliberately released any tension I felt. During this time, I attempted to recognize any negative emotions and gently let them go, replacing them with thoughts of gratitude for the positive aspects of my job and life.

I am glad that I dedicated those five minutes to myself, as before meditation used to be a part of my daily routine. Pausing and reflecting allowed me to ground myself and approach my responsibilities more clearly. I need to reintegrate this practice into my personal life, and it could also be beneficial before entering the classroom. By managing my emotional state, I can create a more peaceful and focused learning environment for my students.

Today's daily peace action has been a valuable experience. It provided me with a tool to manage my stress and emotions and also inspired me to teach my students about self-regulation and emotional balance. I plan to continue this practice and explore ways to integrate it into my teaching to foster a more peaceful and mindful classroom atmosphere.

Day 3 - Peace Quotes

                                          

"When you make peace with yourself, you make peace with the world.”— Maha Ghosananda 

I like this quote because it speaks to the idea that inner peace is the foundation for harmony. A person at peace within can contribute positively to the world, with calm and understanding in their interactions.

“For the things we have to learn before we can do them, we learn by doing them, e.g. men become builders by building and lyre players by playing the lyre; so too we become just by doing just acts, temperate by doing temperate acts, brave by doing brave acts.” ― Aristotle

Aristotle’s words remind us that personal virtues are developed through practice. Whether it’s courage, justice, or kindness, we become who we are by consistently acting in ways that align with these qualities.

“Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.” — Desmond Tutu

This quote resonates with me because it underscores the power of small, consistent acts of kindness. It encourages people to take meaningful action, no matter how small, knowing that these efforts collectively create a larger positive impact.

Day 2 - Reflection

Reflecting on today’s learning, I feel more inspired and motivated to contribute to building learning communities that promote inner peace, respect, collaboration, and social justice. The 12 Pillars of Peace that we have explored today from nurturing emotional intelligence to understanding war behavior made me reflect on recognizing the value of adopting a student-centered curriculum in schools that helps students develop responsibility, compassion, and ethical growth. 

One takeaway was the importance of cultivating emotional intelligence and addressing fears. Looking at myself and identifying as a person with a fear of making mistakes or feeling anxious in different situations, I try to identify when students bring unspoken fears or anxieties into the classroom. Sometimes we get carried away by the pressure of curriculum and timelines and often tend to neglect those aspects that are crucial for students' development. By providing a safe space where students can develop inner peace and self-awareness we help students feel more grounded and ready to learn. 

Today’s learning has deepened my belief in the holistic approach to education where students gain knowledge and develop life skills such as empathy, resilience, and integrity. 

 

Day 2 - Daily Peace Action: Promote a Kindness Challenge

Today’s daily peace action has promoted a Kindness Challenge in my classroom.  I explained to the children that they would take turns naming positive and good things about each other. I have invited a child to stand up and encouraged the other children to name positive characteristics about that child. I have guided students with questions such as, “What is something positive about him/her? Is he/she kind? Is he/she a good friend?” I noticed that when students were encouraged to speak kindly about their peers, the room was filled with positive energy and a heightened sense of belonging. It strengthened their relationships with each other and fostered a supportive environment where everyone felt recognized and respected.

Reflecting on my experience with this daily peace action, I believe it is something I could incorporate into my personal life and teaching. I see the potential for this activity to become a routine part of our day—whether as a morning circle activity or as a way to close the day on a positive note. Regularly practicing kindness reinforces the values of peace education and helps students internalize the importance of compassion and respect.

Day 1 - Reflection

One of today’s key learning was reflecting on the importance of peace education as philosophy and a process. One of my teaching principles is that each student has to feel safe, valued, and equal with others to be able to express himself/herself, engage in the learning process, and grow into a responsible and ethical individual. For me as a learning facilitator, it is important to reflect on my daily teaching practices, my behavior, and my values as these shape the learning environment that I create for my students. 

The collaborative norms that we have addressed today: pausing, paraphrasing, pausing questions, putting ideas on the table, paying attention to self and others, providing data, and presuming positive intentions made me reflect and be more conscious of my responses and interactions in relationships with students. I believe that teacher-student relationships are part of the foundation of the learning process. Students need to feel that they are seen, heard, and understood and they should be given choices and autonomy in the class. These collaborative norms play an important role in daily interactions between teachers, students, parents, and other members of the school community as they help cultivate respect and acceptability. 

In my practice, I always try to stay approachable, use positive paraphrasing as well as asking open-ended questions to promote an inclusive environment and encourage students to share their ideas and opinions. 

I have enjoyed “The Chair Power” reflective activity that gave us the opportunity to analyze power. I have even shared this activity with my family in the evening after the course.

The quote “Character is what you are in the dark” by Dwight Lyman Moody made me reflect on the importance of having integrity and staying true to yourself and others. Our true nature is on the inside but at the same time, we can see someone’s real colours in times of struggle. 

Day 1 - Daily Peace Action: Offering Help

Early this morning, a girl from a KG class approached me. She couldn’t express herself verbally but showed me that one of her earrings was missing. I could see she was worried and searching for help.

I reassured her that we would look for the missing earring together. After a few minutes, we found it near the play area. She was so happy, smiled, and hugged me. Her reactions were heartwarming, and it reminded me of how even small gestures of help can make a big difference, especially when students feel unsure. This experience reinforced the importance of being attentive to non-verbal cues and offering support, even when words aren’t spoken. In the classroom, I’ll continue encouraging students to express themselves in various ways and support one another, helping to foster a nurturing, inclusive environment.