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An
Inside view
into Virginia
Public Schools
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| The moose card from the kids. |
I found myself in Cullen Warren's second grade classroom reading a story about a moose and a boy to the kids. (After all, when you are a second grader, what is better than a story concerning a moose and a kid their own age?) The story built slowly and then reached a critical point-right where the boy became lost in the woods and tangled in a long piece of string he had brought with him to mark his place in the forest-it was here I paused and said to the class, "Should we just stop now and finish the story later?" A chorus of "NOOOOOOOO," rose from the kids. With this endorsement, I continued and-after a few nip-and-tuck scenes-the moose saved the boy in the forest. All ended well. Later, I received a thank you card signed from everyone in the class-with, of course-a picture of a moose on the front cover.
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My trip was well-rewarded. |
I was watching one of the volleyball games Thursday night in the Roosevelt gym when I decided to try to find the gym in the technical building where the seventh and eighth graders were playing. Naturally, I got lost. [Note: finding your way from one gym to another gym in Virginia is not dissimilar to the feeling Marco Polo must have had while first trying to find Asia from Italy. He knew the continent was somewhere East of Constantinople, but where? That was the question.] Fortunately, a young trumpet player getting ready to play in the pep band found me and said, "It's this way."
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Keith knew everyone's name. |
It was 6:20 in the morning and I found myself standing outside the Virginia bus garage. "Are you ready to go on Bus 13?" said a voice behind me. I turned and found myself shaking hands with Keith, the drive of Bus 13. "Sure," I said. Quickly I boarded his bus and found myself traveling through the rural countryside in and around Buhl and Mountain Iron and then Virginia, picking up students. The seats on the bus eventually filled with students. The bus driver knew the name of every kid boarding his bus. "Good morning (name of student inserted here)," he would always say. The students who were awake usually replied with a "Hi," and the kids still in the process or waking up often replied with a grunt of "huh," or some other unintelligible variation on the word, "hi." I turned to a kid sitting in the seat across from me. "Are you excited about school today?" As he worked out a problem with his backpack and lunch box, pulling on straps and adjusting things within his lunch box, he replied, "Yah, I really like my teacher. She makes learning fun."
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Sometimes it's nice to be kind. All kinds of smiles.
The proud author.
I had a meeting away from school and when I returned, I parked my vehicle across from the public library. Several ladies were looking at something on the sidewalk. Quickly I discovered the sidewalk was covered in positive sayings scrawled into the concrete with washable chalk. I looked up and then noticed the sidewalks around the school and on the courthouse side were also filled with sayings and slogans exhorting everyone to be nice to one another and not be a bully. One of the fourth grade teachers explained it to me. "We wanted our kids to write positive messages about not bullying and being nice to one another, so the entire school is coming out today and writing on the sidewalks. It's a fun project."
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Random School Forest Moment
It was Friday afternoon and I was walking through the Virginia School Forest, north of town, following Chris Holmes, fifth grade teacher at Roosevelt, and Zach Fairchild, industrial technology teacher in the high school. Chris, the main architect of the school forest, was discussing ways to improve the learning centers the kids use while at the location, and Zach was there to determine how his students could help make some structures which might be used in the school forest. For over an hour I stomped through the woods in my suit and dress shoes, learning about how Virginia kids studied archaeology, history, water clarity, biology, survival skills, and bridge engineering problems while visiting the school forest. The site is absolutely incredible as a learning environment for kids. (Note: Chris gets most of the credit for this.) "This is where," said Chris while waving his hands over his head, "the early land owner had the horse barn." A little while later, Chris pointed to an odd wooden structure on the banks of a small creek, "And here the kids learn about engineering and trusses and how to construct a bridge to cross the water. But we could use a few more of them." Zach nodded his head, "I think we can help out there."
Zach and Chris in the old horse barn. Discussing a future project.
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It is homecoming week in Virginia Schools this week and kids are in a frenzy with the activities going on. Here are a few random shots I took with my Associated Press un-like iPhone camera-of some of the activities.
Selling baked goods. A wave of pink at the volleyball game.
  The royalty court. Why wouldn't you put a cone on your head?
Would you like to buy a pink shirt? Don't try this at home: Mummy wrap contest.
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Tips for parents
My child doesn't belong to any group or participate in any school, church, or community activities. Is this a problem?
Yes--this is a big problem. The research is crystal clear that kids who don't belong to groups or participate in activities--even if they get higher grades--are more likely to:
- Be depressed
- Be lonely
- Be anti-social
- Not graduate from high school
- Suffer a lifetime of lower wages and poorer jobs
- Struggle with social skills
- Have a more negative, sarcastic, and cynical view of life and other people
There are almost no benefits to raising a child who doesn't participate in some type of school, church, or community activity.
Kids who belong to groups or participate in activities--even if they get lower grades--are more likely to:
- Be happy
- Have friends
- Graduate from high school
- Earn more money and have better jobs as adults
- Have good social skills
- Have a positive, proactive, and uplifting view of other people
Consequently, as you might suspect, there are lots of benefits to raising a child who participates in school, church, or community activities.
If you have a child who is reluctant to participate in activities, here is what I suggest you do:
- Model good behavior for your child by belonging to groups and participating. It doesn't matter whether the activity is volunteering through church or helping groom snowmobile trails through the local association or belonging to a card club. Walk the talk.
- Sometimes take your child with you when you participate in groups. Let them learn and observe how adults work together for a common cause.
- Expect your child to participate. It doesn't matter what the activity is.
- Give them options. For example, tell them, "I want you to participate in something this winter. You can choose from wrestling, basketball, band, theater, choir, karate, speech, or math team."
- Let your child select the activity. (Important: You do not select the activity--they do.) If they want to be a swimmer, let them join swimming. If they want to be on the cross-country team, let them run. If they want to sing in the choir, get them to the building.
- Don't force your child into an activity they hate doing because you like it. Live your own life. Don't live your life out through your child and expect them to love everything that you do. Unless you get lucky, they won't.
- Don't let your child quit, unless it is the end of the season or a normal break in the activity. Not everything associated with their chosen activity will be fun. Teaching your child to continue and finish events through persistence and discipline is one of the most important traits you can instill in them.
If you follow these seven guidelines, you will have a child who wants to participate in groups and effectively work with other people.
No one does it alone.
Dr. Noel Schmidt
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