Remembrance Day Peace Packet for teachers - Mennonite Central ...

Remembrance Day Peace Packet for teachers 

November 2010 

® 

Mennonite 

Central 

Committee 

Canada

Remembrance Day Peace Packet 

for Teachers 

Dear Teacher, 

Remembrance Day is an annual occasion when our country invites us to remember and honour 

the men and women who have served, and continue to serve, through the Canadian Forces. 

Mennonite Central Committee is the relief, development and peace organization of Mennonite 

and Brethren in Christ churches in Canada. Mennonites and Brethren in Christ are considered 

‘historic peace churches’ who resist participation in war and military service. 

Each year, at Remembrance Day, MCC provides a packet of materials to supporting churches 

across the country to help them observe Peace Sunday. Peace Sunday is an occasion when 

congregations remind themselves of the biblical call to be people of peace and to resist war and 

violence. 

Over the years, a number of public school teachers have contacted MCC for ideas to help them 

plan Remembrance Day observances in their schools. These teachers are looking for ideas that 

will encourage remembrance of all those who suffer through war, that promote nonviolent 

peacemaking, and that instil empathy and a sense of common humanity with others, even 

enemies. This simple packet is an attempt to provide some suggestions. 

In this packet you will find suggestions from teachers who have experimented with alternative 

Remembrance Day observances in their schools. You will find a list of pertinent MCC resources. 

You will also find suggestions for books and for audio-visuals available through a variety of 

Mennonite resource centres. 

We hope that you will find this resource useful. We would appreciate your feedback, as well as 

your own suggestions for incorporation into an expanded teacher’s resource next year. 

For a world at peace, 

Esther Epp-Tiessen 

Peace Program Coordinator 

MCC Canada 

peace@mennonitecc.ca 

Remembrance Day Peace Packet for Teachers 1

Table of Contents 

1. Suggestions from Teachers 

2. MCC Resources 

3. Books and audio-visuals resources from Mennonite Church Canada 

Resource Centre 

4. Audio-visuals resources from Mennonite and Brethren in Christ 

Resource Centre 

5. Websites 


1. Suggestions from Teachers 

A Ceremony of Remembrance, Maple High School, Toronto, Ontario, by Jeff Taylor 

Good morning Maple staff and students. Each year on the 11 th day of the 11 th month at the 11 th hour 

Canadians mark the moment when the First World War mercifully came to a close, releasing more than 

half a million Canadians from military service, and leaving more than 60,000 dead in Europe. Canadians 

traditionally remember fallen soldiers from all wars at this time. Now we will remember them in a brief 

ceremony. 

We begin with the reading of the famous poem by Canadian soldier and doctor, Lieutenant Colonel John 

McCrae, “In Flanders Fields.” 


[very brief pause] 

We remember Lt. John McCrae, soldier, poet and healer: a physician enraged by the madness of what 

was then the world’s most deadly war ever, he could not then see any other way but to ask us to take 

up his quarrel with his enemy. Now freed from bonds of time and space, now seeing all things clearly, 

perhaps he would ask us to take up an even brighter torch, to battle an even more deadly foe: to take 

up the torch of peace, to do battle with all that separates brother from brother, sister from sister. 

We remember John McCrea and all Canadian boys and men who served in battle in the face of great 

danger and fear. We remember their lives, and also the lives of German boys and Japanese men: we 

remember that their lives were cut short by the ignorance, hate, and foolishness of those on all sides 

who sent them into battle. We remember who they were and who they might have become. 

We remember, as well, all who faced battle unarmed: innocent civilians on all sides and in all places and 

in all times who have suffered and died undeservedly. We remember those who faced social scorn and 

prison as peacemakers – whose only weapon was the radical idea that all lives are equally precious; and 

that all violence represents a failure of human imagination ‐‐ a triumph of fear over reason, of doubt 

over faith. We remember the innocent lost to war. 

We remember those still living but caught in the vortex of war even now: children taken from their 

mothers’ arms and forced into battle. We remember those who, in good faith, serve as UN 

peacekeepers around the world. May they and those they guard be kept safe. We remember Canadian 

men and women in extreme peril in Afghanistan: may they and all the people of Afghanistan be kept 

safe and soon know peace. 

We are grateful to live in a free democracy and we remember all who have suffered as soldiers, as 

peacemakers, and as innocent victims of war, hoping to make and keep Canada free and at peace. 

We remember all those dead and now in danger, armed and unarmed, and we hope for their peace, for 

peace for our country, and for peace for our shared world. 

Let us now stand out of respect for those we remember. 

[very brief pause] 

Now, in silence, we remember . . . 

[about 30 seconds of silence] 

[recording of The Last Post] 

This concludes our ceremony of remembrance. 


2. MCC Resources 

MCC has many peace resources. For Remembrance Day, we list only a few. You are encouraged 

to consult the following websites for additional suggestions: 

http://canada.mcc.org/peace/resources 

http://www.tng-secure.com/scripts/mcc/catalog/ (resources available for loan) 

http://secure.mcc.org/mccstore/index.phpmain_page=index&cPath=5 (resources available 

for purchase) 

A. Peace buttons : “to remember is to work for peace” 

Over twenty years ago, a group of Mennonites in Ontario developed the idea for this button. 

This button was created for the purpose of offering a positive peace message during 

Remembrance Day season. Wear it together with or instead of a poppy. 

B. “I remember” 

This 3-minute video invites viewers to remember all people who are harmed by war. 

C. “Je me souviens….I remember….” 

This is a document about victims of war: refugees, orphaned children, abused women and girls, 

separated families, people who are hungry, etc. Use this material to talk about the devastating 

impact of war and the importance of finding alternatives to war. 

D. “Peace is a choice… At each small turn choose peace.” 

This colourful postcard identifies 10 practices that represent choosing peace: speaking truth, 

valuing diversity, imagining a peaceful world.” Order from MCC store 

E. “Is it time to choose your own adventure” 

This 12-page zine for teenagers identifies ten things to think about before enlisting. Order from 

MCC Canada or MCC Ontario 

F. “Down by the riverside” 

This 3-minute video responds to that old song "Study War No More" (Gonna lay down my 

sword and shield down by the riverside and study war no more). Great song, but it begs the 


question: If we're not going to study war, then what WILL we study This video is a response to 

the question. 

G. “The guts of peacemaking” 

This 3‐minute video takes the vantage point of a helicopter pilot who finds the guts of 

peacemaking. Students at Rockway Mennonite Collegiate in Kitchener, Ontario helped to make 

this video. 

H. “Choosing a career in the military” 

This 3‐minute video captures two people talking about military training and what it is about. 

The viewer wondering what military training is all about. Then an idea emerges about 

alternatives to violence. Students at Conrad Grebel University College in Waterloo, Ontario 

helped to make this video. 

I. “Peace Parts Toolkit” 

This toolkit strives to introduce to the breadth of MCC's work in justice and peace‐building. It 

includes five‐lesson curricula for youth/adults and for children. Available to own or borrow 

from your nearest MCC Office or try the online store. 


3. Books and audio‐visuals available for loan through Mennonite 

Church Canada Resource Centre 

The following list of materials has been prepared by Arlyn Friesen Epp, director of the 

Mennonite Church Canada Resource Centre, Winnipeg, Manitoba. 

For the complete listing of peace resources at Mennonite Church Canada Resource Centre, click 

here. (Loan policy and fees apply.) 

A. Children’s Picture Books (elementary age) 

Let’s Make a Garden by Tamara Awad Lobe, Herald Press, 1995. Brown beans from Mexico 

grow beside an orange tree from Swaziland, as boys and girls from 11 nations make a garden. 

Xiau Liu from China brings rice, Nirmala from India offers spices, and Hans from Holland 

provides bright red tulips. Creative illustrations bring alive this story of hope. 

Enemy Pie by Derek Munson and Tara Calahan King, Chronicle Books, 2000. In this funny yet 

endearing story, one little boy learns an effective recipe for turning a best enemy into a best 

friend. With charming illustrations that bring to life the difficulties and ultimate rewards of 

making new friends, Enemy Pie serves up a sweet lesson in friendship. 

If You Choose Not to Hit: A Dozen Skills that Make Kids Powerful Problem‐Solvers by Kathy 

Beckwith and Carol Henderson, Educational Media, 2001. Children can learn a better way of 

problem solving if they are encouraged to do it, shown how to do it, and see that it really 

works. In this delightfully illustrated book, elementary age children will find other kids who deal 

effectively with real‐life, challenging scenarios. 

And to Think that We Thought that We’d Never Be Friends by Mary Ann Hoberman and Kevin 

Hawkes, Crown Publishers, 1999. In rhyming verse that's a deliberate homage to Dr. Seuss, 

poet and picture book author Mary Ann Hoberman takes on quarreling and its consequences, 

and shows how turning fighters into friends leads to greater peace. 

The Golden Rule by Ilene Cooper and Gabi Swiatkowska, Abrams Books for Young Readers, 

2007. The Golden Rule can be found in all the world's religions and in every culture. It's easy to 

say and to remember, but what does it really mean And how can you live by it Ilene Cooper's 

universal story, with rich, evocative paintings by Gabi Swiatkowska captures the importance 

and rewards of a rule that is simple yet not always easy to follow. 

Potatoes, Potatoes by Anita Lobel, Greenwillow Books, 2004. There was once an old woman 

who had a potato farm and two hardworking, loving sons. But one day one son ran away to the 

army of the east; the other son joined the army of the west. Anita Lobel tells a powerful story 


of two brothers who become enemies at war, and their wise mother whose cleverness turns 

fighting into peace. 

Playing War by Kathy Beckwith and Lea Lyon, Tilbury House, 2005. One hot summer day Luke 

and his friends decide to play their favourite game of war, using sticks for guns and pine cones 

for bombs and grenades. When a new child in the neighborhood hesitates to join in and then 

tells them he has been in a real war in the country where he used to live, the other children 

start to see their game in a new light. 

What if the Zebras Lost Their Stripes By John Reitano and William Haines, Paulist Press, 1998. 

If the zebras lost their stripes and became different from one another, some white and some 

black, would they turn and fight each other and stop living life as loving friends Both 

entertaining and eye‐opening, the book allows all readers‐young and old alike‐to imagine the 

possibilities of a world without prejudice. 

Feathers and Fools by Mem Fox and Nicholas Wilton, Voyager Books, 2000. A poignant story 

that highlights the arbitrariness of perceived differences that lead to fear, and the real 

possibilities of friendship, based on shared commonalities. 

The Sun and the Wind retold by Cornelia Lehn, Faith and Life Press, 1983. An Aesop fable 

retold by Cornelia Lehn in simple language. What is more powerful, the force of the wind or the 

warmth of the sun 

Say Something by Peggy Moss and Lea Lyon, Tilbury House, 2004. At this school, there are 

some children who push and tease and bully. Sometimes they hurt other kids by just ignoring 

them. The girl in this story sees it happening, but she would never do these mean things herself. 

Then one day something happens that shows her that being a silent bystander isn’t enough. 

Will she take some steps on her own to help another kid 

I Can Show You I Care: Compassionate Touch for Children by Susan Cotta and Gregory 

Crawford, North Atlantic Books, 2003.This illustrated children's book attempts to give children a 

sense of control and hope by empowering them with a simple act of kindness: gentle touch ‐ a 

safe, compassionate touch. This touch, innate to many of us, has been largely ignored and even 

forbidden in some schools and health care settings. This lack of touch is changing children: they, 

like all of us, need touch to survive. This kind of touch is a key to eliminating violence in the 

home, schools, on the streets, and yes, in the world. 

B. Resources for Older Children (Upper elementary‐middle school) 

Plant a Seed of Peace by Rebecca Seiling and Brooke Rothshank, Herald Press, 2007. Fortythree 

delightfully illustrated stories of peacemakers from today and the past will capture the 

imagination of children of all ages. They tell of people whose lives point to something beyond 


themselves‐‐a transforming faith in God. Readers learn how to put their faith into action so 

they too can grow a better world. 

Peaceful Heroes by Jonah Winter and Sean Addy, Scholastic, 2009. Why is "hero" a word so 

often reserved for warriors who fight with guns and weapons to defend their people 

Renowned picture book biographer Jonah Winter writes a series of remarkable stories about 

the bravest people history has known who are willing to die for a cause, but never to kill for a 

cause. 

Alia’s Mission: Saving the Books of Iraq by Mark Alan Stamaty, Random House, 2004. Inspired 

by a true story, Alia's Mission is the dramatic account of Alia Muhammad Baker, the chief 

librarian of the Central Library in Basra, Iraq, who undertook a mission of epic proportions. Told 

in dramatic graphic‐novel panels by renowned cartoonist Mark Alan Stamaty, Alia's Mission 

celebrates the importance of books and the freedom to read while examining the impact of war 

on a country and its people. 

Three Wishes Palestinian and Israeli Children Speak by Deborah Ellis, Groundwood Books, 

2004. The war in the Middle East has been going on for so long, and in so many forms, that it 

often seems as if it will continue forever. But war, like almost everything else humans do, is a 

choice. The children in this book talk about how the choices other people have made have 

affected their lives. 

C. Resources for Teachers 

Hope Indeed! Remarkable Stories of Peacemakers by N. Gerald Shenk, Good Books, 2008. 

Hope Indeed! is his collection of stories of stunningly ordinary people behaving with 

extraordinary hope. 

The Little Book of Restorative Discipline for Schools by Lorraine Stutzman Amstutz and Judy H. 

Mullet, Good Books, 2005. Two educators offer applications and models of restorative justice 

applied to the school classroom and cafeteria. Among them are class meetings for 5th graders; 

reintegration of 7th and 8th graders who were suspended; circle processes, which offer space 

for all voices to be heard, and also calm tensions that are building; and community 

conferencing when trouble shapes up between students and neighbors. 

The Bully, the Bullied, and the Bystander: From Pre‐School to High School – How Parents and 

Teachers can help Break the Cycle of Violence by Barbara Coloroso, HarperCollins, 2002. Some 

bullying victims have fought back with violence that has shattered entire communities; others 

have committed suicide; many more suffer in silence, their lives a constant round of emotional 

and physical pain. This book gives parents, caregivers, educators ‐ and, most of all, kids ‐ the 

tools they need to break this devastating cycle of violence. 


Children and War, Children and Peace: Through Innocent Eyes by Project Peacemakers, 2001. 

A curricula for teachers including worksheets, overhead transparencies, simulation game, 

poster and a video "Through Innocent Eyes." The video tells the stories of children caught in the 

brutal reality of adult warfare. At the same time, another story is also told: story of hope and 

renewal, of people actively working to build peace and justice. 

Fostering Friendships: A Study Guide to Iraq – For Elementary and Middle School Teachers by 

American Friends Service Committee, 2000. This study guide is an attempt to provide teachers 

with some tools to use in teaching about Iraq, the Middle East, and peacemaking. The aim is to 

humanize a people that has been dehumanized by war, the continuing sanctions, the media, 

and the stereotypes of Arabs that exist in this country. 

Raising Peaceful Children in a Violent World by Nancy Lee Cecil, Lura Media, 1995. An action 

book for parents and teachers who want to end violence and create a safe, peaceful 

environment for children ‐ in the home, in school, and in the community. Brimming with 

creative suggestions and down‐to‐earth examples for teaching children to become 

peacemakers. 

Go with Peace: Enriching the Lives of Children through the Pursuit of Peace for All by Kelly 

Guinan, Kind Regards, 2005. A comprehensive collection of exercises for children to build 

feelings of inner peace and also to build their skills for making peace with others. This book has 

a great deal to offer teachers and parents. 


4. Audio-visuals available for loan through the Mennonite 

and Brethren in Christ Resource Centre 

The following list of DVDs has been prepared by Christine Derstine, manager / librarian 

of the Mennonite and Brethren in Christ Resource Centre (MBICRC), Kitchener, Ontario. 

Mennonite and Brethren in Christ Resource Centre 

50 Kent Ave., Kitchener, ON, N2G 3R1 

519-745-8458 x.225 

For the complete listing of peace resources at MBICRC, click here. View subject category 

on right hand column. (Loan policy and fees apply.) 

A. Videos for Senior High School Students 

(Teachers should preview DVD before showing it to their classes.) 

Force More Powerful. A six part documentary series concerning one of the 20th 

century's most important and least-known stories - how nonviolent power overcame 

oppression and authoritarian rule. The DVD includes stories from six different countries: 

South Africa, USA, India, Denmark, Poland and Chile. (154 minutes) 

Confronting the Truth. This film shows how countries which have experienced massive 

human rights violations have created official, independent bodies known as truth 

commissions. Since 1983, truth commissions have been established in over 20 

countries, in all parts of the world. Confronting the Truth documents the work of truth 

commissions in South Africa, Peru, East Timor, and Morocco. Taking testimony from 

victims and perpetrators, and conducting detailed investigations; truth commissions 

create a historical record of abuses that have often remained secret. They identify 

patterns of abuse, structural and institutional weaknesses, societal and cultural 

problems, and weak legal systems that made the violations possible. To remedy these 

faults, they recommend governmental, societal and legal reforms to address the pain of 

the past, to safeguard human rights and due process, and to ensure that the horror will 

not be repeated. (73 minutes) 

Bringing Down a Dictator. In the year 2000, Slobodan Milosevic fought to hold power 

in Yugoslavia. He controlled an army, the police force, and most of the news media. But 

he underestimated his opponents, a group of students who attacked the regime with 

ridicule, rock music, and a willingness to be arrested. The students were the beginning 

of a human rights and pro-democracy movement which seized parliament and 

extradited Milosevic for war crimes. The courage of hundreds of thousands of Serbs led 

to non-violent change. (56 minutes) 


Encounter Point. This documentary tells the story of an Israeli settler, a Palestinian exprisoner, 

a bereaved Israeli mother and a wounded Palestinian bereaved brother who 

risk their safety and public standing to press for an end to the conflict. These people 

participate in the Forum for Bereaved Israeli and Palestinian Families, a grassroots peace 

effort. The work of the Forum is to explain the complex situation working for 

nonviolence and peace and is not interested in taking sides. (52 minutes) 

Pray the Devil Back to Hell. This film is the extraordinary story of a small band of 

Liberian women who – armed only with white T-shirts and the courage of their 

convictions – came together in the midst of a bloody civil war, took on the warlords, and 

brought peace to their shattered country as peace talks faced collapse. The women of 

Liberia – Christian and Muslims united – formed a thin but unshakable white line 

between the opposing forces, and successfully demanded an end to the fighting. Faced 

with eviction, they invoked the most powerful weapon in their arsenal – threatening to 

remove their clothes. It worked. The women of Liberia are living proof that moral 

courage and non-violent resistance can succeed, even where the best efforts of 

traditional diplomacy have failed to being lost to historical. Pray the Devil Back to Hell 

reconstructs the moment through interviews, archival footage and striking images of 

contemporary Liberia. (72 minutes) 


5. Websites 

A. Alternative Service 

Conscientious objectors (COs) are individuals, who because of convictions related to religion or 

conscience, refuse to participate in war. This web site focuses on conscientious objectors and 

the alternative service they performed in Canada during World War II. It suggests that COs 

deserve to be remembered for the way in which they demonstrated an alternative to war. 

The website is designed for use in classrooms across Canada. It uses original records, also 

known as primary sources, such as pictures, tape recordings, movies, letters, journals, and 

documents not otherwise available in libraries. The digitization of this unique material makes it 

accessible to a wide range of people. Each section of the website includes specific classroom 

suggestions for teachers. Alternativeservice.ca is a project of the Mennonite Heritage Centre in 

Winnipeg, Canada. 

B. People Power 

People Power is a video game about politics, about strategy and about social change. As a 

leader of a popular movement you resist adversaries who control the police, the army and 

bureaucracy, even the media. Your “weapons” are your strategic skill and ingenuity. People 

Power is a game, as well as an opportunity to join a community of others who want to learn 

about civil resistance and nonviolent strategies.

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