Grade 6 Learns from Experts

On October 23 a two-member Conflict Transformation Team from the Henri Martyn Institute, Hyderbad, India, spoke with the grade 6 classes about valuing and respecting each other. Peter Shetler, who was the team’s host while it was in the Goshen area, and who teaches the sixth grade Digital Communication class, arranged for the visit. The sixth grade teachers have noted the considerable diversity represented in this year’s class and thought it might be useful to help them think about, value, and respect that diversity.

Team members Vijaya Sastry Meesala and Varghese Chakkummootil dialogued with students and helped them think about what they can do to foster peace and understanding in their classroom. Students suggested respect each other, listen to each other, and to give each other space.

In illustrating the values of diversity and unity, Varghese told the story of a fire sweeping through a jungle. All the animals ran to a lake for safety, abandoning their homes to the fire. However, they noticed that the hummingbird, the smallest of birds, was making many trips back and forth from the water to the burning forest. They asked the hummingbird what it was doing. They laughed at its response: “I’m carrying water one drop at a time to try and save my home.”

He used this story to illustrate, that each of us, no matter how small or insignificant we feel, must do what we can. Sixth-grader Evan Erlacher asked, “What if the others would help too?” Varghese replied, “Ahh, that is the second moral to the story. If we work together, we can accomplish more.”