History

Mary S. Wright, a fourth grade teacher at the Rocky Hill School in East Greenwich, Rhode Island, USA, started "Go FOURTH" in September 2000. There are now schools in Romania, China, Russia, and Israel involved as well as others in the USA. The program was conceived by a fourth grade class responding to Mary's style of teaching about respect in the classroom. She has been developing her style of teaching in various settings for more than 25 years. She has been at Rocky Hill School in the fourth grade since 1992.

Mary and her class sent out e-mails to other fourth grade classes world wide in October 2001. Generated by the worldwide response to this, the schools organized a march for peace in March of 2002. The United Nations and People to People International became involved at this point . A teacher in China has become inspired by the program and has been instrumental in bringing it to a number of school districts in China. With a subsequent invitation from the ministry of education in Southern China, Rocky Hill School children, their parents, and some teachers are planning a trip to visit Mr. Wu, the school's Shaoguan's elementary school students and their families, and teachers, in China in January 2003. There will be a forum in which all present will be able to discuss the need for programs such as Go FOURTH in schools today.