Vital Knowledge Software Inc. - Teacher's Corner

"Since wars begin in the minds of men,
it is in the minds of men that the defenses of peace must be constructed."

- UNESCO

Villages, towns, and cities across North America will pause on November 11 to remember the sacrifices of veterans of international conflicts. Their efforts have ensured we are able to live in a society that values peace and harmony. At times, however, their efforts are undermined with the constant threat to world peace we face today. In this month's newsletter we honor our war heroes by highlighting resources on the World Wide Web to commemorate Remembrance Day, Veterans Day, and our quest for peace.

Our American neighbors are also celebrating Thanksgiving on November 28. In Canada we celebrated Thanksgiving in October and highlighted resources in last month's newsletter. We offer those same resources this month for our closest friends and strongest allies.

In addition to this newsletter, keep checking Vital Picks. We have been highlighting resources teachers will find useful for the classroom. We have also been highlighting accomplishments of teachers and urge you to nominate teachers for our Vital Award.

Join us at our discussion board. Current threads include Harry Potter, discipline at school, student drug use, Boston Public, and using the Internet as a tool for plagiarism. We'd love to hear your thoughts on these and other issues!

Don't forget to visit our new resource links! Visitors may now search for resources based on the grade level and subject they teach. We've included the best we can find on the World Wide Web. We will continue to add more and welcome any sites you may wish to submit.

Prayer of Saint Francis

Lord, let me be an instrument of thy Peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
And where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may
not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand
to be loved, as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

- St. Francis of Assisi

World peace will be obtained when members of our global community accept each other with tolerance, understanding, compassion, and goodwill. By coming to understand and accept each other we will become empathetic to the needs of all humanity. The following Web sites contain resources for educators to teach these concepts to their students:

Among the many quality resources found at PBS, you will benefit from their Global Connection on the Middle East. Scan a timeline of Middle East history, explore various themes of the region, find probing questions for your students to investigate, and more!

An understanding of our history allows us to appreciate where we are today. Facing History and Ourselves contains resources for students, teachers, and parents to better understand "legacies of prejudice and discrimination, resilience and courage". This resource will be particularly useful to high school teachers.

Perhaps no other event in the history of man teaches us about the need for tolerance more than the Holocaust. Visit the Simon Wiesenthal Museum of Tolerance to find great resources on this subject.

The Peace Corps World Wise Schools is an educational program that encourages students to discover themselves, others, and the world. It contains great resources for teachers and students.

We have all heard the phrase that peace begins at home. Visit Learning Peace to find resources on anger management, conflict resolution, positive discipline and much more. When we are at peace with ourselves and those closest to us, we are much more likely to be at peace with others.

Rather than bring you an inspiring story in this month's newsletters, we have accumulated a number of quotes that are sure to instill an inspiration for world peace. They certainly give us reason to pause and reflect.

"When we say 'War is over if you want it,' we mean that if everyone demanded peace instead of another TV set, we'd have peace." - John Lennon

"In peace there's nothing so becomes a man as modest stillness and humility." - William Shakespeare

"When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace." - Jimi Hendrix

"You can't hold a man down without staying down with him." - Brooker T. Washington

"I believe in the religion of Islam. I believe in Allah and peace." - Muhammad Ali

"If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other." - Mother Teresa

"When we feel love and kindness toward others, it not only makes others feel loved and cared for, but it helps us also to develop inner happiness and peace." - Dalai Lama

"How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world." - Anne Frank

Visit the following Web sites to find resources for commemorating Remembrance Day and Veterans Day with your students.

The Learning Network has resources that can be implemented in a variety of subject areas.

The Educator's Tool Kit has identified numerous resource links for Canadian teachers to use in the classroom. Canoe also has great resources, and you will be sure to love this We Remember activity book.

Education World also has several suggestions for classroom activities to honor our war veterans.

At the beginning of this newsletter we presented the poem In Flander's Fields written by John McCrae. Find out more about this Canadian hero by visiting the historic McCrae House. Find out more about Flander's Field by visiting the In Flander's Field Museum.

Like other months of the year, November has special days to celebrate. We have identified some below with Web sites you can visit to find resources to mark them in your classroom.

Let's start with Thanksgiving. While we have already celebrated it in Canada, our American neighbors celebrate it on November 28. ChildFun has a variety of resources for celebrating Thanksgiving as does Kids Domain, TeacherVision, ABC Teach, and Workshop Quest.

Muslims will begin the fast of Ramadan on November 6. Visit Ramadan on the Net to find the story of Ramadan, a brief look at the Islam faith, greeting cards, a message from President Bush, a holiday message board, and more. You can find other resources at Submission, Ramadan for Teachers, and About.

Hanukkah begins on November 30. We will feature several Hanukkah sites in our December newsletter, but you may wish to get a head start by visiting Billy Bear, Not Just for Kids, or ChildFun.

Perhaps every day should be National Young Reader's Day, but it will be officially celebrated on November 17. We've identified several sites students may wish to visit to find information about great books to read!

Surf into Read Across America. Not only do they recommend great books to read, but also reading tips, book challenges, literacy grants and more!

Dawn of Day Quarterly is a publisher of young authors. Visit their site and join the club!

A wise old gentleman retired and purchased a modest home near a junior high school. He spent the first few weeks of his retirement in peace and contentment.

Then a new school year began. The very next afternoon three young boys full of youthful after-school enthusiasm came down his street beating merrily on every trashcan they encountered. The crashing percussion continued day after day, until finally the wise old man decided it was time to take some action.

The next afternoon, he walked out to meet the young percussionists as they banged their way down the street. Stopping them, he said, "You kids are a lot of fun. I like to see you express your exuberance like that. I used to do the same thing when I was your age. Will you do me a favor? I'll give you each two dollars if you'll promise to come around every day and do your thing."

The kids were elated and continued to do a bang-up job on the trashcans. A few days later, the wily retiree approached them again as they drummed their way down the street.

"Look," he said, "I haven't received my Social Security (Pension) check yet, so I'm not going to be able to give you more than 25 cents. Will that be okay?"

"A lousy quarter?" the drum leader exclaimed. "If you think we're going to waste our time beating these cans around for a quarter, you're nuts! No way, mister. We quit!"