She'll have the same teacher as her big brother had 5 years ago, and he's been great about talking up the whole Kindergarten thing. "You'll love the teacher, she's so nice and fun. You get to play outside and read books and paint and go to the library and learn music and...." I'm not quite sure if he's actually that excited about school, but he puts on a good show for his baby sis. I hope that little Peanut loves school as much as Big Bro.
One of my favorite books is Robert Fulghum's "All I Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten." Great book. If you've never read it, I highly suggest it. In fact, I haven't read it in a very long time, and should do so again. I tried to get my 10-year-old to read it the other day, but he wouldn't go for it. I think he thought it looked like a boring book, and maybe for a 10-year-old it would be. (Like I said, it's been a long time.) I do remember that it had some funny anecdotes and some really thought-provoking things. It sort of helped change my perspective on how to look at things... and I think the last time I read it I was in either college or high school.
"Be aware of wonder. Live a balanced life - learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some. "
Life really can be broken down into very simple elements. Yes, there are complicated aspects to it, but if you really think about it, life is very simple. If we don't do our best to live a balanced life, things start to go awry. If we think too much, we get boring. If we play too much, we're not responsible. But if we do a little of both, things are ok.
"Play fair. Don't hit people. Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody."
Simple rules. Self-explanatory. I mean, really. Think about all the problems that just wouldn't exist if everyone followed these three simple things.
"Share everything. Don't take things that aren't yours. Put things back where you found them."
Whether it be toys, books, food, lessons learned, money.... everyone can benefit when things are shared. If you were out of something that you needed, wouldn't you want someone to share with you? So why shouldn't we share with others? Each year at Christmastime, I try to do Toys for Tots or some similar donation. I explain to the kids that there are children who don't get toys for Christmas like we do. This has also led to the kids wanting to have a yard sale ("so maybe someone else will play with the toys we don't want anymore") and offering to give away their outgrown clothes. It's truly amazing to me what little effort it can take to foster some big ideas.
"Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate-school mountain, but there in the sandpile at Sunday School."
We are a credential-happy society, I think. We need to go to college and graduate with a degree. A simple piece of paper with just a few sentences on it that is suppose to tell everyone else how smart we are. Whatever. I believe that anyone can have knowledge and wisdom, and they don't need to sit in a classroom to get it. Those who get out to explore the world can be just as smart than those who have spent half their lives getting degrees. Please, take no offense to this! I do not dispute or frown upon those who want to sit in a classroom and get degrees. There is definitely merit in that. We have to find a nice balance of the book smart and the street smart. Just because you have one, doesn't necessarily mean you have the other. Find the balance.
"And it is still true, no matter how old you are, when you go out into the world it is best to hold hands and stick together."
No one can take on everything alone. We all need support, a network, friends, someone to hold hands with. Even if that someone can't resolve our issues, it's nice to know that there are people who have your back in times of need. And it's equally as nice to know that we can be that supportive someone for another person when they need it most. That is the circle of life. Very simple. Pretty self-explanatory. Easy to follow. So the question becomes... why don't we? May you always remember the lessons we all learned in Kindergarten. And may you always remember to practice them.
:) :)
ReplyDeleteAw, I hope she's loving school!
ReplyDelete