Part 1
My interest in playing with children brings me a daily call to extend kindness, generosity, acceptance and to let go of what I want. In 2008 I became acquainted with the Non Violence Project tools, making me aware that humans are creative, confident, capable and creative.
But the patterns of oppression that demean, point fingers, judge, elevate those who are considered intelligent and ignore those who are considered incapable are too strong. They continuously weaken me from being confident, capable and rising. So how can I gain the strength & self-awareness to break these patterns? This question pierces the heart even more sharply! It hurts because I sometimes feel like I have no strength.
When I felt big changes in my family through simple practices in life to recognize myself and bring out the good, I felt how difficult life was for others. The impulse to point out weaknesses in myself and others and belittle them still felt strong. However, a new awareness is starting to emerge, which is very good when applied to early childhood and includes families. Anxiety enveloped me, until finally I had the courage to leave my job as a teacher in a public school in an educational institution, and began to focus on practicing nonviolent tools with three children. What we do is ‘do and practice’! And I don’t know what the future will be like.
As the days go by, the number of families that join us increases, bringing with them the diversity of their children’s needs. In 2012 I decided to establish a school called Joglo (a traditional Javanese house). At our school, we practice peace with children and families, such as accepting children unconditionally, with respect, affection and support based on their stage of development. I wanted to share this approach more widely. Although at first I didn’t imagine that I would accompany children with special features such as ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder), hyperactivity, deaf-mute, speech delay, Cerebral Palsy, Down Syndrome. Although the school does not have teachers who specifically learn to accompany the children mentioned above, teachers are trained by Joglo. People providing this training include Rumah Damai and consultant Nadine Hoover, PhD with tools for living without violence in collaboration with child development materials. Two teachers and I continue to study child development and hone our skills.
For three years all of us have been learning to classify items. It turns out that it is not easy for us as adults to do this, because we have not been trained since childhood to classify. But the children’s progress and parents’ testimonials about their children’s progress make us enthusiastic to continue learning.
Changes in children’s good behavior are very visible to the people in their environment. Initially they were called naughty, stupid children but good changes have occurred. Now they are polite and can communicate well with their peers. This is what encourages some adults to find out about our school.
The tools for living without violence are not something that is far off the planet but it is real in our daily lives , the way we make peace with ourselves, others and nature. We are fortunate to have the opportunity to practice this approach with the children at Joglo – Rumah Damai. Where every moment builds gentleness, this creates meaningful relationships with ourselves, with others, and with our community.