Dear Parents,On Tuesday morning I found myself fighting a raging cold. I had the usual runny nose, scratchy throat, throbbing headache, and stuffed sinuses. After calling a couple of teachers, waking them up, and arranging for a substitute, I found myself with a book I had been given from my grandfather. He was a wonderful man that I admire very much. He never attended high school; instead, after graduating from the one-room school in Govan, WA, he helped my great grandfather with the farm.
The book I was reading, The Pleasures of Life written by Sir John Lubbock, was published in 1890. Chapter 10 is titled "Education" and of course that caught my interest. I found it fascinating that the author was presenting his side of an educational debate that, with a few subjects changed, could easily be mistaken for being a part of today's educational debates. I also found it interesting that I was in complete agreement with him. A couple of quotes from page 130 seem appropriate here.
"Philosophy, says Aristotle, begins in wonder...""Education ought not to cease when we leave school; but if well begun there, will continue through life."
Sir John Lubbock was arguing that education, especially during a child's early years, needs to be more about engendering a love of learning than about gaining a memory from a long list of subjects. He also argued that once a person leaves school with both a love of learning and the tools needed to continue learning, that person will be happier, better adjusted, and able to easily gain new knowledge and skills as well as continuing to learn simply for the joy of it.
That describes my grandfather to a tee. Throughout his 93 years, he never stopped learning. His favorite subjects were history and politics, and he loved books. His basement and office were filled with them, and every time we had a chance to sit together, our conversation would always be a mix of memories, books, history, and politics. Whoever his teachers were, and I wish I knew their names (I suspect my great grandfather was one of them), they did a wonderful job instilling that love of learning and helping him acquire the learning tools he needed.
Well, I knew that I should be napping, reading, and consuming tons of vitamin C while I was home sick, but I just couldn't resist getting a little work done as well. As you know, our school's open house is this Friday. It gives us a chance to "brag" a bit, showing many of the things that make Swan School so great. One of the things I'm in charge of is compiling a slide show using pictures of some of the things that happen at Swan School. While viewing the hundreds of pictures of Swan School kids, I found myself smiling and laughing (in fact I'm sure it was "good medicine" for my cold). I also found myself reflecting on the educational experiences of our students; and of course I made the connection between my grandfather, Sir John Lubbock, and the Swan School. So much of what we believe childhood and education should be about emanates from the happy faces of our students. It is obvious to anyone who visits our school, sees the pictures of our students happily engaged in learning, or talks with one of our school's enthusiastic parents or staff members, that Swan School is all about giving children the tools and skills for life-long learning as well as embracing education as "a pleasurable pursuit."
If you get a chance, please bring a friend to the open house on Friday. It runs from 4:30 to 6:00. Also don't forget to schedule a parent/teacher conference for next week (isn't it hard to believe that our second term is already at a close).
Well, it's time for some more vitamin C.
Russ