In the hallway outside my office, facing me as I look out my door is a poster.  It has been laminated, mounted, and velcroed to the wall.  A child appears to be holding hands with others, perhaps part of a circle of friends.  His eyes and face indicate to me that he has “inner peace”.  Written on the poster (which has been laminated and mounted) are the words, “Teach Peace”.

I do not have a street name.  But I do have an online name.   It is “Peace”.  So when I see the poster I may first think that I am being encouraged to teach peace to the children.  Things like negotiating for a win-win solution; being kind to others; treating others the way we want to be treated; tempering our tempers by taking deep breaths; thinking before talking; forgiving others for real and imagined hurts; you know – the routine.

But leave it to my pun-loving, turned-around brain, to have another meaning pop out at me.  If my name is “Peace”, perhaps the child is being encouraged to teach me!

Teach me they do; in fact, probably every thing that I have learned that is of lasting value has come from the children.

On the occasion of the Thanksgiving Fiesta, they showed me clearly, and everyone else too, that there is only just so long that one can sit.  All of the studies and research done by wise adults has found that physical exercise and movement is not just nice, it is essential.   It affects how the children learn; they can even have adverse effects of lost “connections” necessary for cognitive growth if they are not allowed and encouraged to develop physically.

The kids could have told you that!  Indeed, expecting a child to do what they cannot do

leads to all kinds of trouble, none of which could be labeled as very peaceful.  Asking that a child be still, without moving, for any length of time falls in that category.

Assuring that our young students get enough physical exercise on cold, wet days is high on our agenda.  For children who are confined to close quarters and/or quartered within confines where others want them to be “quiet”, this is crucial.  For some, “going outside to play” may mean a narrow band of sidewalk near a busy street.

Bettie Witherspoon is a former executive director of Better Beginnings, which has provided affordable child care to the East Windsor/Hightstown area since 1967.