"We cannot achieve world harmony simply by attempting to unite all these adult people who are so different,"  said Maria Montessori, "but we can achieve it as we begin with the child who is not born with racial prejudices."

Many of Montessori's precepts were designed to cultivate peace-makers: mixed-age groups compelled older kids to mentor younger ones, students took responsibility for the care of the classroom, and community service was required.

The teacher in my son's preschool class follows the Reggio Emilia Approach, which was started by the parents of the villages around Reggio Emilia in Italy after World War II.

Ironically, this lively method of learning literally arose from the rubble of World War II. Sick of war, the citizens of the town of Reggio Emilia in northern Italy used the money from the sale of old tanks to invest in their future by building quality preschools. A young educator named Loris Malaguzzi was impressed by the community's commitment to its children and worked with the people to develop this child-honoring approach.

In this approach, teachers observe the children closely, noting what attracts their interest. They then improvise involved, long-term projects that draw the children in deeper. The kids come together and strategize; they work toward the next step of the project. From le wiki:

Regardless of their origins, successful projects are those that generate a sufficient amount of interest and uncertainty to provoke children's creative thinking and problem-solving and are open to different avenues of exploration. Because curriculum decisions are based on developmental and sociocultural concerns, small groups of children of varying abilities and interests, including those with special needs, work together on projects.

Projects begin with teachers observing and questioning children about the topic of interest. Based on children's responses, teachers introduce materials, questions, and opportunities that provoke children to further explore the topic. While some of these teacher provocations are anticipated, projects often move in unanticipated directions as a result of problems children identify. Thus, curriculum planning and implementation revolve around open-ended and often long-term projects that are based on the reciprocal nature of teacher-directed and child-initiated activity.

The people of Reggio Emilia believed that the best way to rebuild their war-torn town was to come together around the education of their youngest citizens. The education system they developed was based on maximum participation by the community; steering meetings were held in the evenings so all the working mothers and fathers could participate. Perhaps as a result of their wartime experience, these Italian citizens wanted to teach their children how to come together as one, to pursue interests and goals with spontenaiety and flexibility, and to draw upon their collective problem-solving abilities to maneuver around obstacles. This may not prevent war, as was Maria Montessori's hope, but it may give children the skills and fortitude to survive it.