​WHAT DID YOU LEARN IN SCHOOL THAT MATTERED? By Pennie Hunt

The stores have been busy with back-to-school shoppers. Backpacks are filled with notebooks and new pencils. Finally, this is the week. The week when all the first day of school photos are sent to grandparents and pasted on social media.

Sending my oldest child to school was a day I won’t forget. There were tears. There was fear. There was uncertainty. None of those were from my son, but I was a mess. I walked him to school the first day, filled with fear and uncertainty​. ​Walking home alone, I cried all the way.

He, on the other hand, was excited. He wore his new first-day-of-school outfit and bounced as he walked in his new shoes. He loved his new backpack and couldn’t wait to go to school like the big kids. He gave me a quick hug and ran into the classroom filled with anticipation.

Honestly, I thought one sign of not wanting to leave his mom would have been nice, but I was proud of his bravery and enthusiasm.

Over the years, I have watched my kids march through all the levels of education with that same bravery and enthusiasm. And this week, I have been receiving photos of my smiling grandchildren holding signs that say what grade they are beginning.

The photos are similar. The first-day-of-school new outfits, new shoes, new backpacks filled with notebooks and laptops, -- okay a few things have changed.

All of this has brought back to mind memories of my own school years. The books, the bus rides, the classrooms and teachers, and the lessons learned. I wondered, what did I learn that made a difference in my life? What did I learn in school that really mattered?

I can tell you a few odd facts from school that have somehow lodged in a wrinkle of my brain that haven’t changed my life. I have not played recorder or square danced since 4th grade, and I can recite most of Paul Revere’s Ride. 

I do realize that learning to read, write, and do arithmetic has held a valuable role in everyone’s life.​ But what did we learn that mattered?

I learned how to share and cooperate. This worked in kindergarten and has worked throughout my life.

I learned that those group projects that I hated at the time taught me how to work as a team. Whether it is in the workplace or in a family, working as a team has value.
I learned how to meet and talk to people. The skill of communication has gotten me further than almost anything else in life.

I learned how to be kind. In school and in life, it was (and is) easier to be gentle and kind than it is to be mean and hateful. Life goes smoother,​easier, and happier if you are.

I learned that showing up matters. In college, I learned quickly that if I read the assignment and showed up for class, I would pass. Of course, if I did a little more work than that, I passed with a higher grade, but showing up mattered. Throughout my life, that has remained true.

The years of school are a process. A rite of passage that trains us for life. The new clothes, the photographs, and maybe even the square dancing are all part of the ritual that brings with it the true lessons we are meant to learn.

To all you smiling students out there… be kind and show up. It matters!
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                                                   Pennie’s Life Lesson:
        Success in school, work, and life often begins with simply being present.
                                        Be kind and show up. It matters!
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YOUR TURN...        
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                                                                 Thank you!  ​
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