I know that as educators, we often speak about the importance of prioritizing skills beyond academics, particularly when we look at the Early Years. As a huge advocate for the Kindergarten Program Document and the pedagogy highlighted in this document, I can tell you that Kindergarten is definitely about more than reading, writing, and math. Yesterday, I had a personal experience that reminded me about why these other skills are so important.
On my way home from school on Friday, I decided to stop at a local bakery to pick up some bread. I was seeing my parents right after, so I texted my mom from the parking lot to tell her that I just arrived at the bakery and would then be heading over. Between this text and the one that I sent to her next, 8 minutes elapsed. Walking to the bakery and then walking back out to my car, was probably about 2-3 minutes in total, so I was likely inside the store for five minutes. In those five minutes, this is what happened and what I sent my mom in my second text.
My car was in a hit-and-run. Thankfully nobody was hurt, and the damage, while overwhelming to look at, seems primarily structural. The car does drive, and I will be getting it fixed. As upsetting as it was to walk out of the bakery and see this, what upset me the most is that the person responsible took off. From witnesses who saw the accident take place, the driver knew that he hit me, and he sped out of the parking lot to get away fast. I get that accidents happen, and I can understand how the vehicle that he was driving can be hard to maneuver in a busy parking lot. But I’m a teacher. Every day, I work with children on learning to take responsibility for their actions and owning up to their mistakes, even when both can be hard to do. This doesn’t mean that every mistake has to be punished harshly (quite the opposite), but it does mean, that sometimes we all need to learn to do difficult things, and admitting that you did something wrong, is one of those things.
- I can be understanding. I just want to get my car fixed and back on the road again.
Thankfully, I connected with many other people, who reminded me that there is so much good in this world.
That Uber driver was one in a million, and deserves the biggest shout out today! He didn’t know me. I didn’t even see him outside at the time, and he could have left the scene without doing anything else. But he didn’t. Even into today, he worked on viewing the license plate, so that I might be able to figure out the driver of the vehicle. Regardless of if I ever do, I have to thank this remarkable human being, who was truly all about people first.
There is such an important “people component” in education and in life. Likely one day, many of our students will be in the position to help someone or walk away. I hope they choose to help. Don’t you?
Aviva