“Some other eyes will look around, and find the things I’ve never found.” –Malvina Reynolds
Spring is a symbol of new growth and possibilities. As a new gardener in Virginia, I find the spring to be humbling as I learn what grows and figure out the timing of when to put new plants in the ground. I love it when I am successful, but I also love it when my neighbors give me pointers on what to plant together or how to improve growing conditions. I am still a gardening work-in-progress.
This time of year, there is a lot of learning still happening in our classrooms, but we can also see our efforts to sow the seeds of character and responsibility blooming in our eighth graders. Just today, a teacher shared with our faculty that they were having a rough morning and spilled their coffee in class (a travesty!) when an eighth grader stood up and immediately began to help clean the mess without any direction. Other eighth graders were quick to join in and ask how they could assist with retrieving supplies to help clean. Our eighth graders are still a work in progress, but we love seeing them continue to grow into wonderful and responsible humans. As they look to move on from James River to their high school adventures, it is easy to get caught up in the checklists, assignments, and tasks. While we still have several weeks of school left and more learning opportunities ahead, I look forward to celebrating all of our students, but especially our eighth graders, over the coming weeks.
Let’s Fly!
Jenn