Highlights this Week
The crater of civilization in Tanzania
Singing ‘We are the World’ – Michael Jackson
Save the children in Tanzania
O’Brien School for the Maasai and Montessori
President Obama – Singing enriches cultural and emotional building blocks
Music Learning comes to Africa
Humankind has not woven the web of life.
We are but one thread within it.
Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves.
Chief Seattle
To all who read this article I challenge each and every one of you to do what we Montessorians do best, to show empathy and compassion, to reach out and assist, in bringing Montessori education into the lives of the children in the Maasai village in Africa.
On a recent trip to this wonderful continent I had the opportunity to visit some of the most beautiful scenery in the world. From climbing Kilimanjaro, safari trips to Lake Manyara and Serengeti eco system national parks, a visit to the Ngorongoro crater, know as the ‘cradle of Mankind’ – the beginnings of human life, I was amazed at the vastness of the land and the opulence of wildlife. Watching these animals in their natural habitat, they displayed the divine plan, the ability of all creatures to live together harmoniously just as mother-nature intended. The huge herds of zebra, gazelle and wildebeest roamed the vast planes of this beautiful crater the second largest in the world measuring 264 square kilometres, which locals say was the largest mountain in the world even above Mount Everest. The patience and concentration of the lion as she surveyed her prey the wildebeest, the cunningness of the black rhino as he refused to entertain us and cross to the water hole most certainly due to the scent of tourists and gasoline filled jeeps, the elegance of the giraffe and zebra amalgamating on the planes, the serenity of the hippo and elephant families as they grazed and feared us not, the monkeys who seemed to smile as they investigated each other’s fur for insects, baby monkey and mom who cuddled and caressed and fed, and the vultures and hyenas who waited hungrily, all worked together in painting an extensive lush landscape. The image brought me back to a time long ago when dinosaurs reigned, animals migrated in herds, and vegetation was plentiful. From the cheetah to the tiniest of insects all lived with purpose, a need for survival, and yet somehow succeeded in sustaining a balanced eco system.
For more highlights this week
Check in next week for the first in a series of music lesson plans for classroom teachers
Covering upcoming topics –
