The Peace and the Promise

The Peace and the Promise

Every morning of my teaching career, our school day started with a moment of silence and the Pledge to the Flag — a moment of peace and a moment of promise. 

Getting a bunch of excited children settled for a busy day is a difficult task; getting them to stand silently for a long moment is doubly tough. At our first morning meeting, I’d ask my second graders to tell me about the moment of silence.

“It’s a time when we stand up without talking,” was the usual consensus. 

I asked them what they could do while standing and not talking. After a few suggestions about breathing, wiggling, or looking around, some student would always say, “We can think.”

“What can we think about?”

 Answers ran from favorite games to family pets to plans for the weekend. 

“Could we use the time to think about a goal we might have, something we were thankful for, or some way we could help someone?” 

Before I finished the question, hands were waving.

“I want to finish all my work on time,” said one.

“I can help my mom with my baby brother. He’s a mess,” said another.

“I am thankful for my best friend,” said a third.

One after another, the ideas flowed. So many wonderful plans for such a short moment of quiet: a time of reflection; a time of planning; a time of thanksgiving. 

After making a list of our great ideas, we’d talk about the Pledge to the Flag. I explained that a pledge is a promise. The flag is a symbol of our country — a country united by a mutual respect for its citizens’ right to freedom (liberty) and fairness (justice). Children understand promises — they know you have to keep them. They understand fairness — giving each person an equal share.

Liberty was discussed a length. What freedoms do we have in your family? What freedoms do you have in this class? In this school? In your community? In our country? Each question brought more questions, more answers, and more understanding. When we pledge together, we promise to stand up for one another with a common purpose.

Finally, we connected the moment of silence with our pledge. During our quiet moments, we can make plans; we can remember good times; we can be thankful. After we think about good things for ourselves, we pledge to make good things available to everyone — liberty and justice for all. Our moment of peace leads to our moment of promise.

While my students stood in peace and promised to stand for one another in purpose, I studied each little face wondering what they were thinking and where they would go. What great things would they do? Would they fulfill the promise of their lives? Would they help others?

It was a great way to start each day. It is what every child needs and every child deserves — peace and a promise.