Dear Parents …

The Strenuous Life

It’s us, the teachers of your children again. We hit the ground running once that first school bell rings, but we hit our groove after Labor Day. Thus, this note almost a month into the new year.

In this, our first letter home, we want to say something inspiring. We want to use lyrical or poetic words to describe the coming months. We want to romanticize, to describe education as the larger-than-life experience that it is. However, we know words lifted from a page can tell a story, but the real need is to show, to demonstrate.

We know that raising a child is a lot of work. It’s a lot of meditation and prayer, a standard for high expectations, and a heavy dose of redemption, particularly with those brave souls currently raising teenagers.

We know that we won’t be mistake-free this year. We know that we will have to correct ourselves time and again and we will have to appreciate the consequences of those missteps. We will beat ourselves up and will try to do better and we will wish those mistakes never happened.

Then we will remember that, with those mistakes, we learn. By learning, we become better. By becoming better, we gain satisfaction. In satisfaction, we find the happiness of a well-lived life. This is exactly what we want for your children.

Education has never been about reinforcing where our students are right now. While we appreciate the individual aspects of each child, our job is to challenge our students so that wherever they go becomes better. To us, education is a salve for the wounded, a vitamin for the growing, and a reward for those who work hard and advocate for themselves and others. It is the most sustainable commodity. Education is the first step in finding the remedy to any ill of society and is thus a right afforded every child within the community. Every child deserves this.

You see, school is particularly suited for providing the environment whereby a girl or boy can learn the value of integrity. It’s perfect for learning the importance of doing one’s duty. It’s uniquely suited for feeling the glory of being part of something greater than oneself. It is the place to learn to live a noble life. When was the last time you heard the word noble in reference to a youngster? You don’t have to look far, just follow him or her to school one day, and in small, almost unnoticeable ways, you will see the decision to do right instead of wrong, to build instead of knocking down, to embrace differences instead of placing a hateful spotlight on them. That’s noble. And it’s in your child’s school.

The most important aspect of school is that it’s the place to learn from those aforementioned mistakes as school (particularly high school) is the proving ground for a well-lived adult life. Yes, your sons and daughters will falter from time to time, and the school environment is the place to do so. Which leads us back to redemption. None of our children were born with little horns sticking out of their heads. And, none of our children were born in mangers. We have no lost causes, we have no perfect beings. To allow our children to own their education, to own their school experience, to walk into the light from the shadow of well-meaning parents and guardians helps in that growth. This concept becomes sharpened, more pronounced, as kids advance in education. By high school, independence to deal with shortcomings is among the best teachers of all.

Please don’t misread our intentions here. Yes, we want you involved and engaged and asking questions and pushing forward. But, when your child makes a mistake, we don’t view it as failure or a damning event. We view it as the first step on that beautiful path of learning. We view mistakes as opportunities to advance.

There are old-school-type schools that embrace the foundational approach to education. There are stateof-the-art schools that employ the latest philosophies of academics. The in-between schools outnumber both with their adherence to tried and true educational practices while always looking for something better, a way to improve. But a constant through generations is the value that we, as teachers, place on doing more than just meeting state standards; it’s the value we place on giving each child the tools to thrive in life. We can boil that down to one word: character.

Without character, life is a ship without a rudder. With character, there is no destination out of reach. We have simple policies, class rules, and expectations that are more than just the rudiments of gold stars on a report card. They are the building blocks of character.

We revel in being part of that process, part of the winding path that helps you lead your child to the adulthood you imagined. It’s something to behold. It’s a lump-in-the-throat realization.

As the new school year picks up speed, our wish is that you have the opportunity to step back, to appreciate your child’s accomplishments and understand your child’s mistakes. Our wish is that you bear witness to the process and embrace the experiences that are honing your kids into adults.

Upon doing so, you’ll see that education is indeed lyrical, poetic and romantic.

Without question, it’s inspiring.