POLICE ASSOCIATION OF NOVA SCOTIA 63 signed by students, teachers, and officials and must be accompanied by an agreed-upon plan on how the school will strive to be safer and more caring. Based on my early experiences with Peaceful Schools International in Canada and now also in other countries, I believe that the time has come for us all to reexamine the priorities of what we teach and learn in school. We must be sure that our curriculum reflects the realities of contemporary challenges and opportunities. If it does not, our schools will never become the safe and caring places they should be. As concerned parents and teachers, we can initiate the process by doing the following: • Press those in charge of designing classroom subjects and content, and those who mandate what is essential to the educational development of our children, to include peace education. • Ensure that these same, often anonymous, officials spend sufficient time in classrooms and talk with students and teachers so that what is designed and what is directed meet the challenges of contemporary society. • Encourage these officials to talk with and consult members of the wider community: parents and all others who care about our educational system and its influence on community and nation building. • Deal directly with violence in our schools and not try to pretend it does not exist. It is equally important to consult with and seek advice from those who deal with violence everyday in our towns and cities: the police. Many schools now have Police Liaison Officers (PLO) who have offices on site. Others have access to a PLO on a part-time basis. While regrettable, police presence may be required to cope with the violence. Welltrained police officers are convinced that violence can be prevented and will cooperate with students and officials to achieve that goal. • Prepare a coherent, funded plan for professional development for all who work in our schools. Each member of the educational community must be given opportunities to remain current with the latest developments and methods of peace education. This ensures that all teachers are adequately prepared to help students “live well together.” • Obtain adequate resources, and create both formal and informal networks through which educators can support one another. • Ensure elected officials in the education ministries recognize that peace education must be an essential part of the school curriculum. I have long been an advocate of the need to infuse peace education into daily life in classrooms and schools. I still believe this to be the best approach. Think of the results that could be achieved if peace education were a system-wide requirement. We would have safer schools and, by logical extension, safer communities and countries. • Anticipate the arguments that will be advanced against such suggestions, and be able to counter them with a common sense approach and with specific, concrete examples. For instance, to meet the objection that peace education is too costly, we can cite Dr. Peter Jaffe, a Canadian psychologist and researcher, who has suggested that a five percent surcharge on any violent video game sold would adequately fund the resources schools need to educate for peace. He points out that approximately 94 percent of all video games are of a violent nature. continued...
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