Wednesday’s Words of Wisdom (And Whimsy)
Posted on September 4, 2024 under Wednesday’s Words of Wisdom with no comments yet
Building blocks of education
ABCDEFG
HIJKLMNOP
QRS
TUV
WX, Y AND Z
Now I know my ABC’s,
Next time won’t you sing with me.
Children’s Nursery Rhyme
It all starts again tomorrow. School buses will be running. Anxious parents and anxious children. Teachers will be bracing for the onslaught. It’s not New Year’s Day but the beginning of a new school year feels like the actual start of a new year.
Getting back into a routine.
And substitute teachers like me, will be waiting for that first call. It is highly unlikely that that will occur tomorrow. A teacher would be hard pressed to argue that they are stressed out on the first day of school. I suppose stranger things have happened.
Why do we go to school?
It seems pretty obvious until you dig a little below the surface. A few times a year, when I’m substituting with a difficult class, I will ask them to stop what they’re doing and ask them that very question. I start by suggesting that many of them would rather be anywhere else. School is pure torture for many students.
The first two responses are the obvious ones:
“I’m in school because my parents tell me I have to go.”
“I’m in school to learn.”
I probe and I poke and gradually several themes emerge.
Learning the Pythagorean Theorem might be relevant to someone who wishes to pursue studies in math and science. However, for the rest of us, knowing that the square on the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the square of the other two sides might not be particularly useful to a lobster fisherman or a musician.
Is it necessary to study English literature, science, history and geography? It might not get you a job when you get out of school, university or trade school but that’s hardly the point. If your life depended on it, could you write three paragraphs on the war of 1812? Did dissecting that frog in grade 10 biology set you on the path of discovery.
Here is what I tell the students:
You go to school to learn how to think and problem solve. You learn how to follow instructions. You learn how to read, write and listen. You learn about teamwork and cooperation. You learn about mutual respect. You learn about failure and success. You learn about accepting responsibility for your actions. You learn how to forgive and forget. You learn about relationships.
In essence, school prepares you for life after school, arming you with information but more importantly, life skills.
And why, pray tell, does a 73-year-old still get excited about going to school?
Community.
I often chat with people who have recently retired. Many adapt quickly to retirement and can’t get the grin off their faces. Others find it much more difficult. Losing one’s community and one’s reason for getting out of bed can be extremely challenging. Staying connected might be one of the most important determinants of a happy retirement.
I am very fortunate. I like being in school with teachers and students. This is an important community for me. Many of my contemporaries are shedding friends at an alarming rate. I am gaining new friends.
I have my writing community. I don’t have millions of followers but enough who keep in touch with me to keep me engaged.
I (gasp) have my Facebook community. Most days, I keep threatening to close down my FB account for good but then I hear from an old schoolmate from 50 years ago and am glad that Facebook reconnected us.
Most organized religions are in decline. They were once a primary source of community. Churches, synagogues, mosques were all places that people gathered. Even if you weren’t particularly religious, you got to spend time with a group of friends, neighbors or acquaintances once a week.
Chatting online doesn’t feel quite the same.
And unlike the good old days, people rarely visit anymore and dropping in on someone unannounced is as rare as common sense in politics.
Find and keep your communities. Stay engaged. Stay active.
The ABC’s of life.
Always Bring Coffee!
Have a great weekend.
Comments