Teaching for Peace in a World That Keeps Choosing War

I was born in Lebanon, in a region where conflict became part of our daily life. Not just any conflict, but the kind that turns into war that brings destruction, pain, and loss.

Over time, I began to notice something we are rarely taught how to resolve a conflict.

Conflict resolution is not instinctive: it is learned. And yet, it is often missing from our school curricula. We teach students how to read, write, calculate, and analyze, but how often do we explicitly teach them how to listen with empathy, how to manage emotions, how to disagree respectfully, or how to find common ground?

In the language of the IB, these are not extras. These are Approaches to Learning (ATL) skills. In a world shaped by conflict, these are not optional. They are essential.

In my work with educators, I feel grateful to be part of the IB community. The IB mission reminds us that we aim to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect.

This mission comes alive through the Learner Profile.
What does it mean, for example, to be:

• Caring in times of war?
• Open-minded when perspectives are deeply divided?
• Principled when faced with injustice?
• Balanced when the world around us feels unstable?

These attributes are not posters on a wall. They are lived experiences, especially in moments of crisis.

And yet, I often find myself asking: how do we truly live this mission in our schools? How do we move from words to action?

We need more schools that believe in this mission. We also need more clarity and intentionality in how we teach for peace. The PYP framework already offers us powerful entry points:

• Through concepts like responsibility, perspective, and connection
• Through transdisciplinary learning (sharing the planet: rights, responsibilities and dignity of all pathways to just, peaceful and reimagined futures) that helps students see beyond boundaries
• Through student agency, empowering learners to take action

But are we using these opportunities deeply enough?

Because peace is not only about the absence of war. Peace is also about what happens within us.

How do we deal with our inner conflicts?
How do we manage fear, anger, frustration, or grief?

These are deeply connected to self-management skills particularly emotional regulation and mindfulness. They are also at the heart of being a reflective learner.

And yet, for many of us, this was rarely explicitly taught at school.

This is where education must evolve.

During times of war, the role of schools becomes even more critical. Yes, schools can remain open. Yes, learning can continue. But perhaps the question is not whether we continue learning, but what we choose to prioritize.

Do students really need another grammar lesson in the middle of a crisis?
Is this the moment to focus on multiplication tables?

Or is this the moment to focus on what it means to be human?

The PYP emphasizes that learning is contextual and meaningful. During times of conflict, this means creating space for students to:

• express their thoughts and emotions
• ask difficult questions
• explore multiple perspectives
• connect learning to real-life situations

This is where communication skills, thinking skills, and social skills come together.

Students need to learn that they are not passive observers. They can take any action guided by empathy and understanding.

Two years ago, I wrote about these questions in my blogs, including “I Have the Right to Live” and “Close the Schools, We Have Failed.” Today, I find myself returning to the same reflections because the reality around us has not changed enough.

Maybe this is the work of our generation:
to keep questioning,
to keep reflecting,
and to keep aligning education with humanity.

Because if education does not help us develop the skills, attitudes, and values to live together peacefully

then we must ask ourselves:

Are we truly educating… or are we missing what matters most?