The Surprising Thing Schools Are Teaching

Our typical dinner table conversation with a family of 5 is loud and not always friendly. I am used to hearing “I don’t want to eat THAT,” “She/he is not passing the ketchup,” “Stop wiggling in your chair!” and “Can I have my dessert yet?“

However, just this last week, I enjoyed a family dinner that made me feel like I was in the twilight zone. I held my breath the majority of the time, thinking that if I moved, this wonderful dinner conversation would fade away… but it did not. The comments went something like this:  ”We cannot forget our canned foods,” “My teacher says tomorrow we find out if we have a boy or girl for our Crisis Nursery family!” “I’m going to learn about Hanukkah,” “Daddy why are you scruffy? Are you doing this for Movember?” and “Mom get your elbows off the table, that is not using your manners!”

This dinner made me pause; I had been going around in my head about packing for our cold Ohio Thanksgiving trip, worrying about getting the Elf on the Shelf in a spot before leaving (my daughter noted that the book implies he arrives on Thanksgiving, when we will be traveling), whether we should do a real tree or fake, and if I should shop Black Friday or do it all Cyber-Monday.

Instead, for a few hours, this conversation brought into focus the fact that my children were learning to value giving, being respectful, broadening their own cultural knowledge, and helping others. And I realized that our schools are teaching my children about moral character and cultural awareness – and for that, I am ever so thankful.

I listed in my head all the community outreach the school had nurtured. There is the Student Government Desert Mission Food Drive, a middle school holiday drive for Ryan House, NHS food drive for St. Mary’s Food Bank, elementary students adopting families from the Crisis Nursery, high school students participating in Movember by growing facial hair to show support for “male-related” cancers, and the recent autism walk all the elementary students participated in.

I remembered my first grader’s “Etiquette Lunch.” Tables were set with linen and flowers placed in vases, the boys took out the girls’ chairs, students concentrated on not “digging in” until everyone was served, and a conscious effort was made by 6-year-olds to to chew with their mouths closed and keep their elbows off the table!

My pre-K age son anxiously awaits the “Holidays Around the World” party when parents of different cultures educate students about different holiday traditions.  He is excited to learn about Mexico’s piñata, explore the significance of the menorah and Hanukkah, and sample a dish from India or Iraq. He wants to know what is different from his own sense of normal, and that perspective of an innocent child is refreshing.

I am sure the craziness of my life will return in the morning, but for this night I go to sleep proud of my children for receiving the message their teachers and school are sending. An academic education can only be a part of making a well-rounded person. As parents, we do our best to create a moral and ethical code for our children by introducing them to differences around them and encouraging them to embrace it. I am thankful for schools that supplement my efforts with all the wonderful community outreach, moral education, and character development programs they implement!

What has your school or place of worship done to inspire your children? I would love to hear about other experiences out there!