3 Good Things: A romp to school, resilient eagles and responsive rats.
I’ve spent the morning at a local elementary school, listening as my kids (ages 4 and 5) talked about the first day of school, and what they were learning and how the school day was unfolding. It was a day just like any other on a typical Friday in our district.
Then, I turned it around to look at the students, sitting in front of me and wondering why I was sitting in a crowded room of 50 other people. Who are these kids? Where are they from? What do they hope to learn at this school on this particular day?
It was a good question. Why aren’t adults asking these questions? Why aren’t we as parents and teachers spending more time getting to know our students before they come into our lives as full-fledged citizens rather than students?
I had an answer, but it started with the weather. This day, the weather was great, but the forecast was not. When the warm front hit, we experienced a lot of rain, thunder, lightning, and wind all within a 20-minute period, from Friday evening to Saturday morning. It was a full-fledged storm and it brought it to a close just as I arrived.
But, that storm didn’t last long. In the blink of an eye, it was gone and I could look forward to what was to come. What I saw, and what I didn’t see, was an ordinary school day in a very ordinary school. Kids were smiling, laughing and playing a bit of soccer before the bell rang. What a change compared to what I’d seen last month when there was virtually no laughter, no conversation or chatter.
I’ve been to other schools that haven’t been in a storm, but this was just the latest example of a real difference between summer and school. Summertime is a time to relax, to play and to do things a little differently than you do during school hours. It is a time that allows kids to be kids.
I’m not sure I could say the same thing after I see