Back to school
13/09/16 05:25
It seems like it has come up quickly, but “back to school” is in full swing. August 31 was the first day for students in our local school district, so they’ve had a couple of weeks to adjust to their schedules and get into the routine. The bus that waits on the corner as I’m driving to work has the same driver as last year, so we started out waving to each other on the first day.
Cinnamon Hill, the preschool that occupies our building, has added a second session on Tuesdays and Thursdays, bringing total enrollment to 99 3- and 4-year old students. There were a few tears as students experienced being left by parents last week, but those quickly fade to the gentle sounds of children learning and playing together. I take great delight in working in the building with the children. Their presence adds a gentle and powerful reminder why we do the work that we do. From time to time I get to listen to exchanges between students and teachers as I walk around the building. The brilliant minds and quick thinking of the preschoolers usually brings a smile to my face.
Out in Washington, yesterday was the first day of school for our grandson who is enrolled in a five-day-a-week, “all day” kindergarten this year. Our daughter-in-law sent pictures of him boarding the school bus for his first day of school with a wave and no look back over his shoulder. He is ready for this new experience and his parents did an excellent job of preparing him.
From my perspective, his school is big. My kindergarten might have had 15 or 16 students. We had no public kindergarten in our town and many children didn’t participate in the program. The private kindergarten met in the morning only. Our grandson’s school is at full capacity, with five kindergarten classes of 25 students each. That’s 125 5-year-olds to keep sorted out and heading in the right direction. First day must have been a workout for the adults who meet the buses and keep the kid traffic flowing in the right directions. They were well prepared with color-coded name tags issued in advance of the first day.
The “full day” program isn’t as long a day as older students study. Our grandson is finished with class at 2:30 pm and home shortly afterward, so there is some time for him to unwind and play with his sister before dinner and bedtime routines.His parents have some flexibility in their work schedules and have arranged them so that he is able to leave from and return to home rather than having to go to day care after school.
I was a bit surprised how emotional his going off to school was for me. I’m sure that if I had been his father, watching him climb up the steps into the big yellow bus would have left a lump in my throat. Just looking at the pictures had its impact. When our kids were that age, we lived within easy walking distance of the school and the departure into the building was pretty direct. We saw them in the hands of their teachers before we had to say good bye and we were there when they emerged from the building.
Our grandson is a veteran of two years of public school pre-school programs, so is not intimidated by the crush of other children and busyness of the school building. This year’s classes are at a different campus than his previous years, but having a new school is just part of the excitement for him.
His two-year-old sister isn’t old enough for preschool yet, but she is well into the business of imitation. She donned a backpack to walk him to the bus stop for his first day of school. She will be ready when her turn comes.
The work of our schools is critical to our society and culture. It sometimes surprises me how little support our schools and teachers receive. Listening to political rhetoric, you might believe that school rank pretty low on the priority list of policy makers. The funding of prisons seems to take precedence over schools in the South Dakota legislature most years. Some politicians are so opposed to taxes that they speak as if every tax is a burden and should be eliminated. I know it sounds a bit counter-cultural, but I think there is joy is some of the things that our taxes do and education is one of those sources of joy. I spend plenty of money in each year that yields little pleasure or joy of acquisition. I pay to have the oil changed in my car. I have a car before and I have the same car afterward. There is little joy of ownership in an oil change. I buy groceries and then eat them and buy some more. But our school yield intelligent, caring and well-adjusted children who bring hope and idealism to the entire community. I look at the high school graduates each year with a sense of awe. Their education is a far better use of funds than some of the discretionary purchases I make. I have a shoe box filled with charging devices for electronic gear that I once really wanted and now no longer use. Most of those devices became obsolete within a few years of their purchase. (I know I should just throw those things away, but that is a different blog entirely.) I don’t have the same emotional attachment to those devices as I have for the youth who have grown up in our church and graduate from high school each year. I’ll be paying attention to where they are going long after my electronic devices have been recycled and a new generation has replaced them.
I wish legislators could learn to speak of school as investments instead of expenses. The right investment would help them with the prison costs down the road.
So be careful folks, school is open, allow a little extra time for your drive to work and be careful. As for me, I’m adding a special prayer for the schools and teachers each day. They are a blessing for which I am grateful.
Cinnamon Hill, the preschool that occupies our building, has added a second session on Tuesdays and Thursdays, bringing total enrollment to 99 3- and 4-year old students. There were a few tears as students experienced being left by parents last week, but those quickly fade to the gentle sounds of children learning and playing together. I take great delight in working in the building with the children. Their presence adds a gentle and powerful reminder why we do the work that we do. From time to time I get to listen to exchanges between students and teachers as I walk around the building. The brilliant minds and quick thinking of the preschoolers usually brings a smile to my face.
Out in Washington, yesterday was the first day of school for our grandson who is enrolled in a five-day-a-week, “all day” kindergarten this year. Our daughter-in-law sent pictures of him boarding the school bus for his first day of school with a wave and no look back over his shoulder. He is ready for this new experience and his parents did an excellent job of preparing him.
From my perspective, his school is big. My kindergarten might have had 15 or 16 students. We had no public kindergarten in our town and many children didn’t participate in the program. The private kindergarten met in the morning only. Our grandson’s school is at full capacity, with five kindergarten classes of 25 students each. That’s 125 5-year-olds to keep sorted out and heading in the right direction. First day must have been a workout for the adults who meet the buses and keep the kid traffic flowing in the right directions. They were well prepared with color-coded name tags issued in advance of the first day.
The “full day” program isn’t as long a day as older students study. Our grandson is finished with class at 2:30 pm and home shortly afterward, so there is some time for him to unwind and play with his sister before dinner and bedtime routines.His parents have some flexibility in their work schedules and have arranged them so that he is able to leave from and return to home rather than having to go to day care after school.
I was a bit surprised how emotional his going off to school was for me. I’m sure that if I had been his father, watching him climb up the steps into the big yellow bus would have left a lump in my throat. Just looking at the pictures had its impact. When our kids were that age, we lived within easy walking distance of the school and the departure into the building was pretty direct. We saw them in the hands of their teachers before we had to say good bye and we were there when they emerged from the building.
Our grandson is a veteran of two years of public school pre-school programs, so is not intimidated by the crush of other children and busyness of the school building. This year’s classes are at a different campus than his previous years, but having a new school is just part of the excitement for him.
His two-year-old sister isn’t old enough for preschool yet, but she is well into the business of imitation. She donned a backpack to walk him to the bus stop for his first day of school. She will be ready when her turn comes.
The work of our schools is critical to our society and culture. It sometimes surprises me how little support our schools and teachers receive. Listening to political rhetoric, you might believe that school rank pretty low on the priority list of policy makers. The funding of prisons seems to take precedence over schools in the South Dakota legislature most years. Some politicians are so opposed to taxes that they speak as if every tax is a burden and should be eliminated. I know it sounds a bit counter-cultural, but I think there is joy is some of the things that our taxes do and education is one of those sources of joy. I spend plenty of money in each year that yields little pleasure or joy of acquisition. I pay to have the oil changed in my car. I have a car before and I have the same car afterward. There is little joy of ownership in an oil change. I buy groceries and then eat them and buy some more. But our school yield intelligent, caring and well-adjusted children who bring hope and idealism to the entire community. I look at the high school graduates each year with a sense of awe. Their education is a far better use of funds than some of the discretionary purchases I make. I have a shoe box filled with charging devices for electronic gear that I once really wanted and now no longer use. Most of those devices became obsolete within a few years of their purchase. (I know I should just throw those things away, but that is a different blog entirely.) I don’t have the same emotional attachment to those devices as I have for the youth who have grown up in our church and graduate from high school each year. I’ll be paying attention to where they are going long after my electronic devices have been recycled and a new generation has replaced them.
I wish legislators could learn to speak of school as investments instead of expenses. The right investment would help them with the prison costs down the road.
So be careful folks, school is open, allow a little extra time for your drive to work and be careful. As for me, I’m adding a special prayer for the schools and teachers each day. They are a blessing for which I am grateful.