School is out for the summer
10/06/08 05:59
School is out for the summer. Does that mean that the
students are done with learning until fall? Not at all.
Some, including students from Good Shepherd Lutheran
School, are going to summer school (through District
77) to keep working on reading or math skills. Others
will not be in classes, but the teaching and learning
continues at home. As Martin Luther noted in his
introduction to the Small Catechism, parents are always
their children's primary teachers. This is true,
whether they intend to be or not.
Parents can help their children keep learning by encouraging them to keep reading, reading to them, and taking them to the library regularly. Vacation travel is a great opportunity for learning about geography, history, art, science, etc.. Beside making visits to historic sites, museums, national parks and other informative visitor centers, parents can encourage children to simply be observant and inquisitive and model this themselves.
One of the most important things children learn from their parents is not just information but attitudes. Parents who encourage continued learning and show an interest in reading and learning themselves teach in a powerful way that these things are important. I still remember being on Christmas vacation from school when my mother had to go to her room and do her homework for a college class she was taking. Modeling speaks volumes and teaches valuable lessons that are hard to teach in any other way.
This is not just true of academics. Lutheran Schools teach about the Christian faith and what we believe, but children learn most about how important this really is when their parents not only send them to school and Sunday school but also take their children with them to worship. This includes finding a place to worship or taking time for family worship while on vacation trips. It also includes having regular family devotions. This is how children learn from their parents what is truly important and what has lasting value for adults as well as children.
While school is out for the summer, there is still much work to be done at the school, work being done by the teachers and school leaders, learning being done by students, and much important teaching being done by parents.
Parents can help their children keep learning by encouraging them to keep reading, reading to them, and taking them to the library regularly. Vacation travel is a great opportunity for learning about geography, history, art, science, etc.. Beside making visits to historic sites, museums, national parks and other informative visitor centers, parents can encourage children to simply be observant and inquisitive and model this themselves.
One of the most important things children learn from their parents is not just information but attitudes. Parents who encourage continued learning and show an interest in reading and learning themselves teach in a powerful way that these things are important. I still remember being on Christmas vacation from school when my mother had to go to her room and do her homework for a college class she was taking. Modeling speaks volumes and teaches valuable lessons that are hard to teach in any other way.
This is not just true of academics. Lutheran Schools teach about the Christian faith and what we believe, but children learn most about how important this really is when their parents not only send them to school and Sunday school but also take their children with them to worship. This includes finding a place to worship or taking time for family worship while on vacation trips. It also includes having regular family devotions. This is how children learn from their parents what is truly important and what has lasting value for adults as well as children.
While school is out for the summer, there is still much work to be done at the school, work being done by the teachers and school leaders, learning being done by students, and much important teaching being done by parents.