STATEMENT OF DIVERSITY
Grounded in the Montessori philosophy, in particular its peace mission and recognition of fundamental needs, the BHMS community acknowledges the intrinsic dignity of every person and our joyful connection with and responsibility to each other across identifiers, beyond nations and borders, and through time. We are a community that stands for equity and social justice, namely we strive for equitable access to political, economic, and social rights and opportunities. Our commitment to diversity is actively and intentionally undertaken by every community member: to be aware of ourselves and each other, to take care of our community – local and global – and to name and oppose inequity and injustice when it is present.
​
For these reasons, we recognize and welcome diversity in our community. Among the many identifiers that contribute to our diversity and that affect our experiences are age, ability, ethnicity, family composition, gender identity and expression, learning differences, race, culture, religion, sexuality, and socio-economic status.
​
BHMS supports community members in their growth and awareness of their own multifaceted identities and the diversity of identity in the world around them. Our community embraces these ongoing efforts, confident that we each have a valuable role to play in making a positive difference in society, both inside and outside the classroom.
BHMS STATEMENT OF DIVERSITY VIDEO
MONTESSORI PEACE MISSION
​
​
"An education capable of saving humanity is no small undertaking."
​
-Maria Montessori, from Education and Peace
​
​
Montessori’s peace mission is the global outcome of her method, which extends far beyond our academic content benchmarks. This work is not passive, a mere hope for the absence of difficult conflict and war. This is bold work that seeks to reconstruct society into an interdependent world in which all humans, not just the self, community, or country, are the beneficiaries of our efforts for justice.
Maria Montessori wrote that our peace work begins and ends with students understanding themselves. It is through discovering other people and their stories that children begin to understand themselves. It is through discovering the way society functions for themselves and others that children begin to develop empathy and make their own plans for constructing a better world. Maria Montessori wrote that this is monumental work. The universally equalizing outcomes of her peace mission make it an essential component of the diversity mission at Brooklyn Heights Montessori School.
