This past weekend, we welcomed the autumnal equinox in the Northern Hemisphere. For our first peace circle of the week, I read to the students about the beginning of fall and the harvest season. They each chose a few colors that reminded them of the season to sketch or write during the reading.
As we read, we reviewed the Latin translation of equinox, “equal night”. This is a time of balance of light and dark as we enter fall. Humans and other animals are embracing the end of the growing season by preserving, gathering and storing food. At the same time, we have new beginnings as we are back to school. This is an interesting balance of opposites.
While reflecting on the theme of balance, it’s important to remember to look at both sides of a problem in an effort to understand it more deeply. We can do this by asking questions like ‘why’ and ‘how’. Upper Elementary created their own rules for our community this year and put them into the form of a class constitution. We can recognize that rules are helpful to keep order and balance, protect and create expectations for our environment. Likewise, we can take time at the equinox to notice that the universe also follows rules like gravity, laws of motion and the orbit of the planets. All of these rules, whether at school or more broadly in the universe, provide structure. These rules may offer comfort by creating structure, yet at times, rules may feel unfair.
Our reading acknowledged that sadly, human-created rules/laws may be unjust. Not all people are protected or cared for in the same way. This is the foundation for our classroom discussions about our rules and expectations at school. When the students realize a guideline isn’t working well, they talk about it and make an adjustment/amendment. We want our students to respectfully question and share ideas and figure out how to improve their community. Then we want them to take that mindset into their neighborhood, city and beyond. We want them to be peacemakers and advocates for the good of others. This requires the ability to examine their world, ask questions and think how to make things better. After all, we are all connected. This led to a journal topic about what it means to be an advocate - for yourself, others or something you care about. It was a delight to read responses that included speaking up for myself, offering help to a friend and adopting a shelter pet.
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