Selly and Sint from West Papua right working with the teacher at Joglo Preschool, September 2022
After the Regional Interfaith Peace Training, Selly and Sint from West Papua continued their internship at the Joglo Preschool. They assist many children who are victims of conflict, particularly at the Holei Roo Orphanage in Sentani, Jayapura, West Papua. So they were glad to learn more about how to support children with various needs.
They arrived early, arranged learning activities around the playground, then greeted and played with children. After school, they joined the teacher’s meeting to share their experiences and observations.The small steps of building peace through greeting and making friends can be seen at Joglo. Especially at the beginning of the school year. The theme Building a Culture of Peace starts with the sub-themes Greeting and Friendship, then Community Agreements.
Sint said, “Every day I practice using short words in greeting children, and also using sign language, in order to communicate with children who are said to have special needs. It took me a few days to connect with them, and I needed to know their names in order to communicate. Over time I begin to feel I can interact well. One observation I have is that through daily habits, all children are able to interact and learn manners, including children who we say have special needs.”
Selly said, “I learned to see how teachers and children practice the Agreements for Place and Agreements for Play, by using short words that are repeated over and over again. The teacher consistently uses short words and interprets them in action, so that children can easily understand. I saw that the youngest child who was 2.8 years old and those with special needs were able to understand well. What’s interesting for me is that at the beginning the child is introduced to 2 or 3 agreements such as: “Pick one thing to play with.” or “Clean up.” Once the children learn to choose their own work and to clean up when they are finished before choosing another activity, then the teacher introduces other agreements.
“In most places children find it difficult to make a decision, to choose what to do, or to clean up themselves. They often leave the toys when finished, so adults have to clean up. Through learning this agreement, each child learns to recognize his or her needs and desires and take responsibility for meeting them. As an adult watching the children, I learned that I have to control my impulse to clean up right away, in order to leave room for the children’s developing responsibility. I am grateful that from the children, I can learn and reflect on my own life.”
This may seem like a small matter, but the shift in power and respect shown in building these habits is a foundation for a peaceful society, to heal from the wounds of war and develop capacities to be strong in the struggle for independence.