RAISING CONSCIOUS KIDS
REVIEW & INTERVIEW
World Peace and Other
4th-Grade Achievements
I
by John Hunter
t’s difficult to write
about this book without getting a bit emotional. It is a joy to
discover an individual
with such deep compassion for the world
and most especially for its children that he has dedicated his
life to teaching. John Hunter has been nurturing young
minds for over 35 years - leading
them down the path of discovery not only of what the world is
made of, but more importantly
what they are made of. Through
the medium of the World Peace
Game that he developed, he invites children to discover the real complexity and
intertwining relationships among the problems
besetting humanity. By having them play through
a multitude of different scenarios and problems he
has put them on their mettle, not only to solve the
world’s crises but to make sure that the solution
provides a benefit for all participants.
John’s story as a young peace activist in the 60s
turned elementary school teacher is a very human one. What lifts it to another plane is the humility with which he undertakes his responsibility
of molding character and teaching critical thinking. Never coming from the position of power or
arrogance, he creates the space within which the
children are able to discover the win-win solutions
that will have a lasting influence on the person
they become.
It is a delight to read the stories of the individual
children as they experience different facets of the
game and of themselves. There is shy, stuttering
37 | NEW CONSCIOUSNESS REVIEW
Pablo, who suddenly rises to
new heights as he “gets” it all,
understands it all. There is the
bully whose reign of arrogance
is interrupted by a determined
succession of tiny and timid defenders of truth and justice.
While this is a story of pedagogy
at its highest, most enlightened
form, it is also a series of life lessons and re-affirmations of what
is truly important in life that will
hit home for every reader. It is
only mildly astonishing that
John Hunter and his children
were invited several times to the
Pentagon to meet with generals
who questioned them in detail
about how they would deal with various issues
confronting the military.
I’m not surprised that the book was turned into a
movie nor that the movie and the book have catapulted John Hunter into the national limelight. I
am so pleased that others have recognized the importance of what he is doing to exemplify the best
in education, and have been sponsoring his evangelical talks and master classes across the country.
He has so much wisdom, and shares it with such
grace.
Reviewed by Miriam Knight
LISTEN TO THE INTERVIEW