Los Angeles School Peace Class

Recently, I had the opportunity to guide a peace class with twenty-two 8th graders at one of Los Angeles ’ most caring Charter Schools. The school is located in a very challenging neighborhood and it is a battle, 24/7, for the teachers and principal to keep the children safe. I happened to visit during a week in which they were embroiled in the standardized testing required nationally by the No Child Left Behind act. Actually, as journalist Ann Hulbert points out in today’s Sunday NY Times, there is nothing standardized about the testing. Each state can devise their own protocols making it impossible to track results. Success rates are all over the place, from 77% failure rate in Florida to 4% in Wisconsin . But more important, this mandate seems to be having a negative effect on our kids.

The teacher working with me at the Charter School , an amazing woman who left a cushy teaching position at a private school to be with our more underprivileged angels, told me the tests created so much anxiety amongst the student body, many children simply would not come to school. On the other hand, when they heard they would be getting a peace class, based on “Where Peace Lives”, my first book about finding the Three Keys to peace, they came in droves. She also told me they had heard I would be giving out peace diplomas, acknowledging them as peacemakers, and that was something they really wanted.

What this showed me is that our global educational curriculum has to decide, once and for all, to place a value on what kind of human beings our children are and will become. With that in mind, I pose three questions for your consideration:

• Is learning how to resolve conflicts peacefully less important than a good grade on a math exam?


• Is learning tolerance less important than an English exam?


• Is confronting, in a positive format, our children’s three biggest challenges: gang violence, racial slurs/bullying and sexual discrimination, (Yes- this is shockingly true!!) less important than knowing who the 23rd President was?

For me, given the fact that we live in the most violent chapter of our human history, the answer is no. We can no longer afford the luxury to blame, judge or hate. It is time to face the truth that tolerance, acceptance and forgiveness are more learned traits than they are innate. Time, I believe, to learn how to get along.

Peace is a choice, at every age and in every circumstance. We can...no we MUST make a difference.

Debbie Robins

Producer/Author/Consultant

Where Peace Lives

Make peace your gift this year

http://www.WherePeaceLives.com

CLICK ON THE THREE KEYS TO SET PEACE FREE

Mothers-Let's Kick Some Peace Dust Today

Where Peace Lives wishes every mother around the world a happy Mother’s Day! We salute you for your unending love, compassion and promise of peace for our children. Peace is a choice, at every age. We can...no, we ARE making a difference.

We also salute Maria Shriver, first lady of our state of California- our ‘mother figure’! Maria...thank you for your endless commitment to improving our lives and the lives of our children.

We are humbled to share that Where Peace Lives ranked #4 on Amazon’s children’s best seller list last week, with only Harry Potter#1, Harry Potter #2 and Harry Potter#3 above us. We were also #2 in the nation on Barnes and Nobles best seller list, only second to Harry Potter. May our peace angel continue to fly with the wonderful wizards of J. K. Rowling’s phenomenal world.

Where Peace Lives poses a Mother’s Day challenge. Mothers of the world...(and father’s, we will be turning our attention/praise to you next month!) consider taking these three easy steps for peace:

#1: Read books to your children about the great peacemakers. Begin with Deepak Chopra’s new book, “Buddha: A Story of Enlightenment”. It’s incredible! Please consider Where Peace Lives too. Scholastic Publishing, one of the most important publishers of educational books for young people, has appropriate books for all age levels.

#2: Make ‘service’/volunteerism an ingrained part of your child’s life. When we serve others we find peace. It is also the greatest reference point for quickly building a young person’s self esteem.

#3: March into the principals office of your child’s school. Sit down and don’t get up until they agree to make Peace a class, at every grade level. Peace has to be right after English and just before history. Living in the most violent chapter of our human history, what is more important - how our children do on standardized test after standardized test or what kind of human beings they are and will become?

When we finally commit to study, learn and practice peace, our world will become a more peaceful place. Where Peace Lives is a call to action for children and adults alike to strengthen their peace muscle. TAKE THE WHERE PEACE LIVES JOURNEY TO CHANGE THE WORLD!

Peace Is a Muscle That Has To Be Strengthened

At a time when there has never been more violence on this planet, the question in the forefront of my mind is this: Are we doing enough as parents to support our children in becoming peacemakers? Why isn’t peace a class, in every school, at every grade level, in every classroom all over the world? We say we want a more peaceful world yet we place no real value on it. I recently had the privilege of teaching peace to over 200 young people in our Los Angeles public and charter schools. They had read advanced copies of my book, Where Peace Lives, and had a lot they wanted to share. Whether they were 8 or 18, their challenges were shockingly the same; gang violence, racial slurs/bullying and sexual discrimination. Our children are hungry to make a difference, desperate to affect their reality in a positive way, but they are unsure of how to do it. They have no formal class that teaches them how to resolve their differences, lead more courageously with their heart, or practice the sacred peace key --  forgiveness. Since peace is a muscle that has to be strengthened or else it grows weak, I believe it is our obligation to get peace into our classrooms so our children can study, learn and practice peace. Then, and only then, can we rest assured they will fulfill their divine destinies as peacemakers. If not now, when?

Choosing peace isn't easy, that's for sure.

Choosing peace isn't easy, that's for sure. It's a discipline, a muscle, that has to be practiced and strengthened every day. Someday's I give myself an A plus, other days a D minus.

DEBBIE ROBINS
Author, “Where Peace Lives”
Debbie Robins is the author of “Where Peace Lives,” a book of timeless wisdom for people of all ages. Debbie’s vision is to heighten global awareness that peace is a discipline, a choice, something we must study, learn and practice daily, to become good at it. It is a muscle that must be strengthened through our educational process to ensure a culture of peace. A successful executive career coach and co-founder of scoreBIG, a global consulting firm that inspires organizations to achieve their full potential, Debbie has created success by engaging her clients to attain their goals through the aligning power of vision and commitment to design high-trust environments fueled by dignity and respect. She encourages her individual and corporate clients to “make a difference and accept nothing less.” Walking her talk, she committed to make her own dream come true of writing her first book about the importance of “practicing peace.” Prior to her coaching career, Debbie was an accomplished TV and film producer with more than 20 years in the entertainment industry. She was president of Roland Joffe’s Warner Brothers company, Lightmotive, a vice president at Hollywood Pictures/a division of Walt Disney Entertainment, and a producing partner with director John McTiernan and Donna Dubrow. She produced “Calendar Girl,” “Amanda,” “The Right to Remain Silent,” “Challenger,” “Samaritan: The Mitch Snyder Story,” and “Boner the Dog.” While president of Lightmotive she oversaw production of, “Fat Man and Little Boy,” starring Paul Newman, John Cusack and Laura Dern. She has worked with such talent as Martin Sheen, Cicely Tyson, George Segal, Jason Priestley, Dennis Haysbert, Kieran Culkin, Laura San Giacomo, Amanda Plummer, Patrick Dempsey, Sandra Bernhardt, Robert Loggia, LL. Cool J, and more. These accomplishments established her solidly among the Hollywood elite. The inspiration to write “Where Peace Lives” led Debbie to study, learn and practice daily the teachings of some of the world’s great peacemakers: Mahatma Ghandi, Martin Luther King, Jesus Christ, Moses and Mohammad. Debbie is the first to remind us that, in her experience, choosing peace isn’t easy. It’s a conscious choice that takes tremendous thoughtfulness and clear intentions, but in the end, it’s worth it! Debbie is writing additional books about the ways we can grow ourselves and make the world an even better place. She is actively involved with City Hearts, an arts organization for at-risk youths, which will receive a portion of the proceeds from sales of her book. Debbie attended the prestigious Rockport Institute of Career Change and Counseling in Washington, D.C., hailed by Bill Clinton as a “pioneer in the field.” She holds a master’s degree in spiritual psychology from the University of Santa Monica, in California. Debbie’s vast experience and professionalism has helped her clients generate enormous success and she is recognized for her ability to facilitate unparalleled growth.Born and raised in New York City, where she was surrounded by literary legends and artists, Debbie graduated cum laude from Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio. She is the step-mom of Jacqueline and Alexandre de La Bouillerie. She currently lives in Los Angeles with her husband, film director and writer, Hubert de la Bouillerie, and her Bernese Mountain Dog, Ange, which means “angel” in French. Her second book in the series, “Where Happiness Lives,” is slated for publication in 2008.