The most important thing we can do is to hear inside ourselves the sounds of the Earth crying. - Thich Naht Hahn
A few years ago, my upper elementary Montessori class spent a few days on Ocracoke Island on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, camping and having class on the beach. We learned about the Wright brothers and built and flew paper airplanes, studied coastal dune environments, learned about simile, metaphor, and onomatopoeia while writing poetry about the ocean. We gathered the huge seashells that are common on the North Carolina coast, built sand castles, and played in the waves. But the most poignant part of the trip was our final evening. We gathered at sunset on the beach and made s’mores and as it grew dark we invited the Council of All Beings to join us. What happened next among these 50 children was nothing short of amazing.
Montessori’s vision of Cosmic Education is to understand the interdependency of all life on earth and, indeed, the universe. Created in 1985 by Joanna Macy and John Seed, The Council of All Beings is a time for us humans to come together and take on the persona of non-human beings on earth. It is a reflection of Cosmic Education as it fosters compassion for the hardships facings other living things. Often, the hardships are caused by humans and the Council of All Beings gives voices to those who don’t have a voice.
