Grateful for Good Beginnings

As we head into the Thanksgiving season, gratitude is much on my mind. Thinking back over all that I am grateful for, I recall a small book I once read. You might remember it -- All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten by Robert Fulghum. In it, he says the following.

Share. Play fair. Don’t hit people. Put things back where you found them. Clean up your own mess. Don’t take things that aren’t yours. Say you’re sorry when you hurt somebody. Wash your hands before you eat. […] Live a balanced life -- Learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some. 

He goes on to talk about wonder and learning to truly see. It’s a great little book to reread occasionally as a reminder of how much the kindergarten experience shapes who we become as adults and to remember the joy and simplicity of childhood. 

I am so thankful for our kindergarten teachers who are the guides for our youngest students on their journey from preschool to 1st grade. We strive to help these young children find what fires their joy in learning. It is the burning curiosity, the perseverance to learn when it doesn’t come easily, the passion for a favorite subject -- these are the things students will carry with them throughout their lives.

James River’s program builds lifelong learners of good character, and it begins with an excellent foundation in kindergarten. Next Thursday (Nov. 11), it is this foundation and pattern of excellence that area preschool parents will hear about during our Preschool Parent Open House.

I’m really looking forward to the Open House. Whenever I have the opportunity to talk about our school and my colleagues, I am filled with an overwhelming sense of gratitude. There is truly no better place to educate a child and no better place to work as an educator.