Level: Community—Peace Principle: Cooperation

This week’s featured story came in from Johns Creek, GA, USA:

My husband has been an educator in some capacity for almost 40 years.  For 30+ years he  served as a middle school band instructor, dedicated to improving the lives of others through music.  He has also taught Math, English, Judaic courses at our synagogue, given singing lessons and shared his passion for history.  The impact my husband has on our three children continues to bear fruit each and every day.

So when I asked him to share a story about a time he promoted peace, naturally he referred to his years of experience as a public school teacher.  He didn’t give a specific example, but rather referred to over-arching values he employed throughout his career.

Working in the public school system, you are exposed to students and teachers from a variety of backgrounds.  The relationships you form with and the impact you have on, most importantly the students, are reflections of these diverse culture.  In a band each section plays an important role.  Not every section can be featured at every moment, and woodwinds, brass, and percussion  must learn to balance each other in order to convey the message of each musical work.

I had the same task in working with my students.  Making them all feel important and part of the group not only impacted their musical talent but their development as individuals.  I did this mainly by establishing the same expectations for everyone.  I then offered extra help to anyone who wanted; giving them the tools to reach the expectations.

An important part of this process was then showing the finished product to the community, particularly the parents of the students in the band.  After a concert, what the parents left with was a good feeling.  Having noticed that their children were part of a larger diverse group who worked together and accomplished something great.

The unique contributions of each student were necessary to the success of the product.

What better way to promote peace than to enhance our future by lifting up our children and encouraging them to embrace their unique talents, day by day, Peace X Peace.

-Jessie Herman, Johns Creek, GA, USA