When I went to register Luke for kindergarten at our neighborhood school (which will almost certainly not be where he goes to school, but we had to register him there anyway, just to get him "into the system,") one of the questions on one of the (many, many) forms asked, "What do you want your child to learn in school?"
I jotted down some ill-formed answer about learning age appropriate things in a group context or some nonsense, but that question creeps back to me sometimes, when the house and my mind are still for a minute.
What do I want my children to learn?
I want them to learn that there is more than one answer, always. That there is more than one way to get to those answers. That the thinking and the questioning you do on your way to the answer is where learning lives.
I want them to learn how to communicate effectively with those around him. How to set boundaries firmly and respectfully. How to enforce those boundaries in a way that requires the least amount of force. How to compromise when flexibility is called for and how to stand strong when resolve is needed.
I want them to learn that they will come across people who have different stories and different values. Regardless of those differences, they are still people and deserve compassion and respect.
I want them to learn how to look past people's actions, to their intentions. How to be grateful when good things come their way and how to be happy for others when those others get good things. How to be patient, how to wait, how to plan. How to deal with their disappointment constructively in the instances when their patience and planning still don't get them the results they want.
I want them to learn that our actions and choices affect the world around us, often in ways we don't ever see or understand. I want them to learn how to be mindful, how to sit quietly with a decision, how to weigh their choices. I want them to learn how to compose themselves, how to consider the evidence, how to create a coherent argument, and how to present it confidently.
I want them to learn that it is more important to be kind than to be right.
No matter where they go to school, I'd better plan to teach this stuff at home.
I jotted down some ill-formed answer about learning age appropriate things in a group context or some nonsense, but that question creeps back to me sometimes, when the house and my mind are still for a minute.
What do I want my children to learn?
I want them to learn that there is more than one answer, always. That there is more than one way to get to those answers. That the thinking and the questioning you do on your way to the answer is where learning lives.
I want them to learn how to communicate effectively with those around him. How to set boundaries firmly and respectfully. How to enforce those boundaries in a way that requires the least amount of force. How to compromise when flexibility is called for and how to stand strong when resolve is needed.
I want them to learn that they will come across people who have different stories and different values. Regardless of those differences, they are still people and deserve compassion and respect.
I want them to learn how to look past people's actions, to their intentions. How to be grateful when good things come their way and how to be happy for others when those others get good things. How to be patient, how to wait, how to plan. How to deal with their disappointment constructively in the instances when their patience and planning still don't get them the results they want.
I want them to learn that our actions and choices affect the world around us, often in ways we don't ever see or understand. I want them to learn how to be mindful, how to sit quietly with a decision, how to weigh their choices. I want them to learn how to compose themselves, how to consider the evidence, how to create a coherent argument, and how to present it confidently.
I want them to learn that it is more important to be kind than to be right.
No matter where they go to school, I'd better plan to teach this stuff at home.
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