Mover Monday | Self-Awareness

Hey MTDubberz! Today's Mover Monday features PeaceMover, Alejandra Paucar and her experiences with our talented and passionate group of Junior PeaceMovers. With the help of Alejandra, these Junior PeaceMovers are on their way to make powerful impacts on their communities! 

One of my students, Sara, expressed how she understood the importance of empathy, but she also believed that people who are empathetic and seek to understand others can sometimes unintentionally make excuses for others in the event of unfavorable behavior. By making these excuses, this unfavorable behavior becomes a continuous cycle. She used a romantic relationship as an example: "Oh, he is probably stressed because of work" or "Oh, he is acting this way because he is under a lot of pressure.” She described empathy as a "slippery slope" that can end up hurting both parties.  

I was taken aback by her insight. It was a great point to explore as a group. I asked what the rest of the group thought and they agreed. I then asked the group what they thought was the purpose of empathy. They described empathy as the means to strengthen a community by putting yourself in one another's shoes and seeking to understand where the other person is coming from. I then added that empathy should not only be seen as a way to strengthen a community through compassion but also as a way to strengthen an individual through self-awareness. Empathy empowers a community to work together harmoniously and individuals to express themselves considerately - including speaking up for yourself if you feel your feelings are not being acknowledged even after you seek to understand another's feelings and circumstances. I was so happy that Sara shared her insight because it seemed to be an unspoken topic that all the girls had in mind.

Mover Monday | What does it mean to be different?

Hey MTDubberz! Today's Mover Monday comes from Gwendolyn Kelbly after a session at Brightwood Campus. Gwen's story features responses to the question: "What does it mean to be different?" As always, the kids came up with great answers:

In today's session, the kids gave some great answers to the question, "What does it mean to be different?"

One girl said, "Being different means that you have something that makes you special, and everybody else is special in their own way, and you can be special together."

Another student said, "You can like a person even if they are not the same as you."

Later on, a boy said to me (we all were supposed to jump when we liked one of my questions), "I like red. You don't. Maybe you can start liking red, and I can start liking pink and we can learn about each other."

What makes you different, MTDubberz? Let us know in the comments! And don't forget you can follow the blog by clicking "Join this site" on the sidebar. Thanks for stopping by and reading. Have an awesome week!

Mover Monday | Expressions of Empathy

Happy Monday, MTDubberz! We hope your weekend was amazing! Today's Mover Monday features another three stories from PeaceMovers' experiences in the classroom. Today's stories all feature moments of empathy and compassion from kids to one another and to their PeaceMover. These moments go to show you that empathy can be shown in even the smallest moments. Enjoy!

Mairead Dougherty (December 6, 2012, Halstead Academy): I asked the class what an agreement was and they all had great answers. One little boy's answer was, "An agreement is when you're dancing and your friend wants to do a jump and you want to do a turn, so you agree to combine them and do a jumping turn."

Denasha Bullock (January 29, 2013, Smothers Elementary w/ Literacy Lab): One student could not think of a dance move to lead us in a little exercise I did to keep them moving. The other students immediately tried to help her and make her feel comfortable. It was really wonderful to see.

Kate DiGerolamo (December 19, 2012, PS 87): Working with kids has always left me with alternating feelings of fulfillment and insecurity. Knowing that you are doing something that may positively change a child's life is incredibly rewarding, but not knowing if you are actually doing that doesn't always come easy. Working for Move This World has brought with it the same mix of satisfaction and anxiety for me. I want to think that my students are loving the program and benefitting from it as much as I do, but there are times when I'm not sure. Thankfully, there have been lots of little moments where I have been sure, and those are the moments that keep me going. One small moment in particular had a big impact for me during my first semester as a PeaceMover.

I was standing in the hallway with a line of kids waiting to go into the gym for their ShareOut, a show for their parents and friends to see what the kids learned in our sessions. It was a pretty hectic time and I was feeling a little bit nervous and stressed out as this was my first ShareOut, too. I was talking to two little girls at the end of the line and asking them how they felt. They told me they were excited and happy, and I admitted to them that I was feeling a little bit nervous. Then I looked at them and said, "Do you have any ideas about how I could calm down?" I wasn't really sure what kind of answer I was going to get. We had gone over all of the strategies for managing emotions in our classes, but I wasn't sure how well they would be able to remember them and apply them to real situations. One girl said, "Take three deep breaths!" Immediately the other said, "No, no, it's FIVE deep breaths!" They discussed this, settled on five deep breaths, and then took five deep breaths with me to help me calm down. I was so touched not only by the fact that they remembered one of the strategies, but also that they were so excited to help me, and so pleased when I thanked them and assured them that their strategy helped. And you know what? Taking those deep breaths really did make me feel better.

We need our kids to go back to SAFE schools

Today, I am in Baltimore to talk about a future filled with boosting self-confidence through the name pass; of sharing your favorite anger management strategy through creative movement; of choreographing a collaborative piece with fellow students you've never worked with before. Through our partnership with Baltimore City and Baltimore County Schools, we are charting a road ahead where students lead the way to peace.

This afternoon, while celebrating the first day of school and planning our September Global Training Summit,  we heard the news. Only hours into back-to-school, in lieu of school bells ringing, shots instead rung out, the sounds filling the cafeteria at Perry Hall High School -- the school where my own grandfather taught.

I have vivid memories standing in front of the Perry Hall tenth grade classroom where my grandpa was a teacher for more than two decades. I was twelve years old, and I was working the projector along with my ten-year old sister. We were leading a lesson on chemistry to teenagers eight years our seniors, using candy to bait them into paying attention to us. It was fun, though scary, to be a sixth grader in a position of leadership in a high school classroom. I loved the thrill. I felt supported by a wise grandfather by my side, a younger sister to assume the brunt of the laugher, and an empathetic classroom that welcomed us into their community straightaway. 

Now, 15 years later, it is sobering to be reminded of the immensity of our task within Dance 4 Peace. Looking at each other today, each of us silently recommitted to our mission. We know now, more than ever, that it will be hard work. But Dance 4 Peace makes the uphill battle lighthearted. We find release in sharing about tough subjects through our bodies' movement, and happiness in finding community through dance. As a member of the Baltimore community working to build safe communities and learning environments, we send D4Plove to the families and students of Perry Hall High School. 

- Sara Potler
Founder and CEO