In the Beginning

It is Commencement Week. If you read the Ebytes article from last week, you saw the college matriculation list for the Class of 2015. We are mighty proud of the 84 seniors! I am also appreciative and proud of the hundreds of parents and teachers who have taught, guided and supported them over the years. (Pictured at right is Kathryn B. Class of 2015 - Alpha Class photo, Senior photo.)

 

Thirty six of the soon-to-be graduates started Shorecrest in first grade or earlier. 75% of the class has been together since Middle School. While it is a little easier to quantify the success of our Upper School students and graduates, any parent or teacher knows that if it were not for the foundation provided when children are young, the results in high school, college and beyond can be limited.

 

The Class of 2015, like classes before them, is a testimony to the importance of great preschool, elementary and middle school educational experiences. Learning how to work and play with others, learning basics, developing habits of heart, mind and body, and learning that learning is a lifelong process are much easier to ignite when one is young. Our teachers in The Experiential School set the table for all teachers who follow them. Our kindergarten teachers can tell you at the end of the first hour of the first day of school who learned how to learn in preschool. This is not to say children from less than ideal backgrounds are doomed. Clearly, great teachers at any stage can inspire, nurture and support students to find their passions. But when given the choice, the sooner children can be with talented teachers and in an environment that is instructional and inspirational, the better off the children will be.

 

A perspective I have developed over the years is learning that education truly is a process. You can bet your last dollar that there are parents who have children who will be attending wonderful universities who at one time or another (probably in middle school) thought their children were not being prepared and would forever be unable to write a simple sentence or balance a check book. I am sympathetic with the impatience some parents experience. At the same time, over and over, I have observed the body and mind clocks of “late bloomers” kick in during middle school or high school or even later. When that time comes, all of the efforts by parents and teachers who supported those children are rewarded.

 

On Sunday we will celebrate the Class of 2015 and their families. Today I want to celebrate all those teachers who taught, nurtured, supported and inspired our graduates and our younger students. Without the combined expertise, patience, perseverance and love shared by teachers and families, our results would be very different. To all the educators who work with our younger children, I extend a special thank you and Cheers to you. Today is your Graduation Day!

 

Cheers!

 
Mike