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Teaching Young Children in Violent Times: Building a Peaceable Classroom

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This is a comprehensive book about creating a safe and productive classroom in an otherwise unpredictable world. Edited after the 9/11 attacks, the book opens with a discussion about violence in the media and at home and how young children are affected. From there, she addresses difficult issues that arise in the classroom, such as gunplay, and relates these issues to children's exposure to violence and media. Levin introduces guidelines to promote a healthy mini-society within the classroom which she calls the "Peaceable Classroom." These guidelines are not rigid, but ever evolving to meet the needs of children. She highlights the need for open dialogue between the children and teachers, something that can only be achieved if the children feel safe enough to speak. She does not advocate providing the children with adult-sized solutions to issues that arise in the classroom. Instead, she promotes an open forum between the children and teachers to arrive at the best solution to a problem. In addition, she discusses accepting children's thinking about tough issues while challenging their concepts about violence, sexism, and racism during open dialogue and through Piaget-like activities.

I believe that anyone would benefit from reading this book, but I particularly recommend it to anyone who has trouble dealing with violent pretend play or gunplay in the classroom. Levin demonstrates a realistic approach to dealing with such problems without banning them outright. She has clear examples of conversations and activities meant to encourage a safe community that are easy to follow and adaptable to a variety of situations. She does a wonderful job of shedding light on an issue that is more complex than meets the eye. This would also be a good place to start in creating a classroom community from scratch or when working in a school system where the children may have been exposed to violence in the home or surrounding community.

The background and developmental information provided in this book enhance its effectiveness as a source. The basic concepts can be adapted to older children. Teaching Young Children in Violent Times is a useful resource for creating a peaceful learning environment in your classroom. This is not an activity book. It is a practical "how to" book.