Zena Kavas – Biology and Occupations Teacher, High School
“Peace is what every human being is craving for, and it can be brought about by humanity through the child.” [1]
The main reference text for Dr. Maria Montessori’s philosophy of peace is a collection of essays and presentations she wrote during and around the period of WWII. This year, war and its devastating impact on communities dominates the news. And while (thankfully) we are not currently facing a world war, it can still feel overwhelming to the individual.
Celebrating Peace Day in our school community is a powerful reminder that peace begins with the child… and that whilst we can’t solve the misery in Ukraine or the Middle East, and we don’t have the ear of the world’s most influential leaders, we can teach our tamariki that by starting with ourselves, each of us is empowered to contribute to the bigger picture – by first practising peace from within.
“Establishing lasting peace is the work of education; all politics can do is keep
us out of war.” [2]
Montessori believed that peace begins with the child. For her, peace was not just the absence of war, but a way of living founded on respect, cooperation, and understanding. She saw education as a particularly powerful tool for building peace: children who grow up in an environment of dignity and responsibility naturally become adults who contribute to a peaceful society. And so,
“The child is both a hope and a promise for mankind.” [3]
Here at Wā Ora Montessori School, kaiako work to put these ideals into practice by:
- preparing an environment that is calm and ordered, where children can work independently and learn how to resolve conflicts peacefully using tools such as the Restorative Practice model;
- demonstrating to ākonga, through grace and courtesy lessons, how to treat one another with respect, kindness, and empathy;
- creating classrooms that operate as ‘mini-societies,’ where responsibility, care for others, and collaboration are the norm;
- factoring community service into our weekly timetable; and
- celebrating International Peace Day as a whole school community.
In other words, based on Montessori’s premise, peace is closely connected to inner harmony. Ākonga who feel respected, valued, and free to learn develop arohanui, self-control, empathy, and confidence. These qualities make peaceful living possible – in friendships, within families, in school communities, throughout towns and cities, across nations, and, hopefully, one day, around the entire world.
I invite you to join us for Peace Day on Friday 19th September, where we can come together as a community and, in the spirit of peace, reflect on our power as individuals to foster inner peace and by so doing, contribute to world peace.
“He aroha whakatō, he aroha puta mai.” [4]
If kindness is sown, then kindness is received.
Fostering love and kindness creates peace.
- Montessori, M. (1936). Speech in Geneva at the International Montessori Congress, later included in Education and Peace (1949).
- Montessori, M. (1949). Education and Peace. Theosophical Publishing House.
- Montessori, M. (1936). Speech in Geneva at the International Montessori Congress, later included in Education
and Peace (1949). - Pātaka. (n.d.). 4. Greetings. In 52 Weeks – Whakamanatia te Reo. Pātaka. Retrieved 09.09.2025, from https://pataka.ac.nz/52-weeks/4-greetings/
