Francisco Gomez de Matos has been a regular contributor to HLT mag - ( Publications, Poems, Lesson ideas, or Letters to the Editor sections, e.g. July 2007, April 2013, August 2014, December 2019 just to list a few. 

He has made great contributions to peace education, and you can read about his work and his impact in HLT here. Now he has generously agreed to share his whole book with HLT readers.              

 

                       

In the new edition of this beautifully illustrated book, you will find inspiring ideas for your classes on Global issues, Citizenship and Peace. In the introduction to the book late R. B. Kaplan- Emeritus Professor, Applied Linguistics: USC Los Angeles, talks about the book, jokingly imitating Francisco’s style:

I write to introduce an important contribution

which permits the teaching of a rather new solution.

It serves to promote academic evolution

as well as to limit unnecessary pollution.

The author it is my pleasure to present

has used rhyming lines of verse, pleasant,

to add new ideas and to cement

new ways of expressing his intent.

He urges the need to act with every kind of dignity--

to urge the need for economic dignity,

social dignity, political dignity, cultural dignity,

linguistic dignity, and yes, even environmental dignity.

He promotes non-killing as a central thought;

of this kind of teaching he is the astronaut.

Language is the ship that carries what is taught,

so that there can be no blind spot.

Read the verses offered here

with interest and with attention austere;

know the author whose name is below.

It is my friend Francisco!

This e-book is the outcome of a collection of posters created for ABA, Recife, Brazil. They were produced from 2011 - early 2023, with the cooperation of ABA Design Center Under the creative coordination of Ane Cleide. The posters have been grouped into 10 themes: pedagogy and teaching, peace, dignity, human rights, non-killing, positiveness, creativity, innovation, English, spirituality, and miscellaneous.

  

I have quite a few favourite poems-posters like the examples below. I suppose I like them so much as I can immediately see an activity or lesson built around them. I am sure you will be inspired in the same way…

You can download the book at the bottom of this webpage. Enjoy!

And Francisco… Happy 90^th Birthday soon. May your creative juices never stop to flow.