Life’s Common Core-10 Things Every Student Should Do Before Graduating High School

Life’s Common Core-10 Things Every Student Should Do Before Graduating High School

Recently, I read article in Time magazine called, “Life’s Common Core” by Kristin Van Ogtrop.  I thoroughly enjoyed this article and found it applicable to students and to all of us.  She listed these 10 life lessons she thought every student should complete before graduating high school.  I would add that these aren't just 10 things students should do, but everyone should do.

Here is a list from the article:

1.       Write a letter, an actual letter that does not begin with “Hey” and is hand written on real paper.

2.       Learn to cook a good meal that can feed the entire family, no matter what size family you have.

3.       Hold down an unpleasant job that makes you hate your parents a little because they won’t let you quit.

4.       Go somewhere for the weekend without your phone to learn solitude.

5.       Every time you get a new toy, give an old toy or gadget away to someone who doesn’t get new things very often.

6.       Take care of someone or something other than yourself.  A pet does nicely here.

7.       Write a heartfelt thank you note to someone over 70.  Even if this person hasn’t given you anything, find something to thank them for.

8.       Read a book for pleasure.  If you start one and still hate it at page 50, find another book.  Repeat as needed until you find a book you really love.

9.       Do something nice for a neighbor without expecting any credit for it.  Rake the leaves, shovel the walk, put the newspaper on the front steps.  Keep your identity secret.

10.   Don’t race to the top.  Never race to the top.  If you want to aim for the top, good for you.  But try to get there slowly, deliberately, without knocking everyone else out of the way, or missing the beautiful view.

        

On another subject, here is a link to a short 3 minute video that has celebrities, including Jack Black, Steven Tyler from Aerosmith and even
Snoop Dog, talking about how “cool” science is and how important science is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYuOKb3gO7E

Quote to end blog from Aristotle-

“Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.” 

Memo from our Children/Students

When I was visiting my Mom, she gave me an old Girl Scouts Calendar from the 1980s.  I looked over it quickly, not expecting to find anything, but came across the following powerful and useful memo from our children/students:

Memo from our Children/Students

“In this adult world of ours, we sometimes grow impatient over the struggles of our children to make themselves understood.  If we don’t take the time and every opportunity to listen to what a child really has on his or her mind, we can completely miss our calling as parents and teachers.  If our children could put their needs into words, these are some of the memos they might send us. 

PLEASE:

1.      Don’t protect me from my consequences.  I need to learn the painful way sometimes.

2.      Don’t be too upset when I say, ‘I hate you.”  It isn’t you I hate, it is your power to thwart me that I hate.

3.      Don’t correct me in front of people if you can help it.  I’ll take more notice if you talk quietly with me in private.

4.      Don’t put me off when I ask a question or I will stop asking them and seek answers elsewhere.

5.      Don’t take too much notice of my small ailments.  Sometimes they get me the attention I need.

6.      Don’t spoil me.  I know quite well that I should not have all that I ask for.  I’m only testing you.

7.      Don’t be afraid to be firm with me.  I prefer it.  It makes me feel more secure.

8.      Don’t let me form bad habits.  I have to rely on you to detect them in their early stages.

9.      Don’t make me feel smaller than I am.  It only makes me behave stupidly “big.”

10.  Don’t nag.  If you do, I will have to protect myself by appearing deaf.

11.  Don’t forget that I cannot explain myself as well as I should like.  This is why I am not always accurate.

12.  Don’t make rash promises.  Remember that I feel very let down when promises are broken.

13.  Don’t tax my honesty too much.  I am easily frightened into lying sometimes.

14.  Don’t be inconsistent.  That completely confuses me and makes me lose faith in you.

15.  Don’t tell me my fears are silly.  They are extremely real and you can help reassure me if you try to listen and understand.

16.  Don’t ever suggest that you are perfect because it will disappoint me when I find you are not.

17.  Don’t think it is beneath your dignity to apologize to me.  An honest apology makes me feel surprisingly warm to you.

18.  Don’t forget how quickly I am growing up, so be present for me as much as possible. 

19.  Don’t forget I love experimenting.  I wouldn't grow without it, so please encourage it.

20.  Don’t forget that I will not thrive without lots of understanding love.  But I don’t need to tell you that, do I?”

I would update #18 and add-“Please put down the cell phone and get off the internet because you are missing so much of my life.”  Recently, at a local park with my son, I saw another boy had just conquered the climbing wall and was pleading to his Dad to watch him, but his Dad would not take his eyes off his cell phone.  The Dad said, “I see you.”  But the boy looked at him with great disappointment when the Dad could not take his eyes off his phone.

      Here is something else from the calendar that I enjoyed and wanted to share:

CHILDREN LEARN WHAT THEY LIVE

by Dorothy Law Nolte

If a child lives with criticism,
he learns to condemn.

If a child lives with hostility,
he learns to fight.

If a child lives with fear,
he learns to be apprehensive.

If a child lives with pity,
he learns to feel sorry for himself.

If a child lives with ridicule,
he learns to be shy.

If a child lives with encouragement,
he learns to be confident.

If a child lives with tolerance,
he learns to be patient.

If a child lives with praise,
he learns to be appreciative.

If a child lives with acceptance,
he learns to love.

If a child lives with approval,
he learns to like himself.

If a child lives with recognition,
he learns that it is good to have a goal.

If a child lives with security,
he learns to have faith in himself and in those about him.

If a child lives with friendliness,
he learns that the world is a nice place in which to live.

With what is your child living?

I was interviewed on a Podcast

Recently, I was contacted by a podcast, The Teachers’ Lounge Show, and asked if I would give an interview about utilizing gratitude in the classroom.  I did the interview and it has been posted on iTunes under The Teachers’ Lounge Show.  I would recommend the show.  It has some great episodes that cover just about every topic in education.  You may also access it by clicking on one of the links below:

http://ec.libsyn.com/p/e/6/4/e64ea1e093affeb6/TL-Gratitude.m4a?d13a76d516d9dec20c3d276ce028ed5089ab1ce3dae902ea1d06c98730d0cd5f84c3&c_id=7619521

http://teachersloungeshow.blogspot.com/2014/09/how-to-change-your-classroom-and.html

It was fun to go through the interview process and contemplate some of the ideas I have been writing about.  Thanks again for all the support.

Here is a fun quote to end the blog:

Growing old is inevitable, growing up is optional, growing spiritually is up to me.-Anonymous

Gratitude Ideas for Your Classroom, Your Family and You

As the new school year gets rolling, I am looking for new ways to teach and learn about gratitude.  One idea that I will implement this year is the idea of writing a “Gratitude Letter.”  In his research, Dr. Martin Seligman found that people who wrote a “Gratitude Letter” and delivered it experienced more joy, hopefulness and less depression for over a month.  He says the letter should be to someone who helped us, but we were never able to express our thanks to them.  Try to deliver the letter in person and experience the gift of giving gratitude.

Another idea from a student is to do a quick gratitude list at a red light.  This student figured out that his mom would always hit at least one red light in the way to school and the way home, so this would be a perfect opportunity to do a gratitude list with whoever was in the car.  I love that idea and I try to remember to do that at the red lights in my life.

The following article has creative gratitude ideas and is from a powerful web site, http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/

“Help students cultivate an attitude of gratitude.  Research shows that it’s really good for both them and their teachers!

Among other benefits, gratitude helps kids feel better about school and makes educators feel less emotionally exhausted.

Need some ideas on how to bring gratitude into the classroom? Here are some easy-to-implement activities, many of which can be adapted to fit any grade level.

·         Classroom Gratitude Book. Create a gratitude book to send home with a different child each week. Ask each student’s family to add a page of pictures and descriptions of what they’re grateful for. At the end of the year, be sure to celebrate your completed classroom gratitude book!

·         Gratitude Photos. Have each student write what he or she is thankful for on a large piece of paper and then take a picture of the child holding up his or her paper. Frame the photo and send it home as a holiday gift.

·         Gratitude Collage or Bulletin Board. Have children cut out pictures of things they’re grateful for and then use the pictures to create their own collage or to decorate a classroom gratitude bulletin board.

·         Gratitude Paper Chain. Have children write what they’re thankful for on strips of paper and use the strips to make a gratitude chain to hang up in the classroom.

·         Gratitude Pairs. Hold a “Special Friends Day” one or two days before Thanksgiving. Ask each student to invite a special person to class for a 45-minute period, such as a grandparent, nanny, neighbor, parent from another classroom, or family friend. Have each pair write and/or draw something they’re thankful for and post it on a bulletin board. Note: Scheduling this activity close to the holiday increases the likelihood of out-of-towners being able to attend.

·         Gratitude Spies. Play the “Spying for Gratitude” game. At the beginning of the day, have each child choose the name of another student out of a hat without revealing the name. Each student spends the day “spying” on his or her chosen person and then shares one thing that he or she is grateful for about that person during an end-of-the-day circle.

·         Gratitude Quilt. Give each child a 5”x5” blank piece of paper on which to draw something he or she is thankful for. Mount each square on a 6”x6” colored piece of paper and then piece the squares together to create a classroom gratitude quilt.

·         Gratitude Graph. Have each child write one thing that he or she is grateful for on a sticky note and then plot it on a classroom gratitude graph. Categories might include people, things, places, actions, animals, etc.

·         Gratitude Circle. Begin or end the day sitting in a circle with each person sharing one thing that he or she is grateful for and why. Note: Younger students will need a lot of modeling to explain why they’re grateful for something.

·         Gratitude Surprise Sticky Notes. Give each student one or more sticky notes to write something they’re grateful for about another person in the school community. Then have the students “deliver” the sticky notes by placing them where the person will see it, e.g., a locker, a phone, a cleaning cart.

·         Gratitude Letters for the Community. Write letters of gratitude and deliver them to people in the greater school community, e.g., janitor, food staff, school administration. Expand this exercise to include the local community, such as police, fire station, bank, grocery store, hospital, electricians, etc.

·         Gratitude Quotes. Give students their own gratitude quote and have them reflect upon and write about what their quote means to them.

·         Gratitude Discussions. Use gratitude researchers Jeffrey Froh and Giacomo Bono’s gratitude curriculum to deepen students’ understanding of gratitude. Have students think of something they’re grateful for and then re-frame it as a gift. Then ask students to 1) notice that someone saw they had a need and acted upon it; 2) appreciate the cost incurred by the person extending the gift; and 3) recognize the personal value of the gift they received.

·         Gratitude Research and Action. Share and discuss with your students the research that shows the tremendous benefits of practicing gratitude. Ask students to come up with ways they might incorporate more gratitude into their lives. After hearing about the research on gratitude from their teacher, one group of 8th graders from a high-needs school took it upon themselves to form “The Breakfast Club”—a secret club dedicated to performing kind acts for the school staff. After several months of clandestinely delivering Starbucks coffees (donated by Starbucks), pizzas, and other fun treats, the Breakfast Club members revealed their identities at a school assembly—and were hailed with loud roars and cheers!”

After reading this article, I am going to have the students make a gratitude book this year.  That is something anyone could do with their family.  So, try a new activity with your class, your family, by yourself or with friends and experience the power of gratitude.

Quotes to end the blog:

The purpose of learning is growth, and our minds, unlike our bodies, can continue growing as we continue to live.  ~Mortimer Adler

 “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” –Margaret Mead

Spirituality of Storytelling-Part 2

In my last blog, I wrote about the power of stories to teach and communicate profound life lessons.  Stories often express the “Language of the heart.”  Here are a couple more stories to piggy-back on my blog from last week.  Feel free to share any of your stories with us, in the comment section or email them to me, if you want to stay more private.

Story #2-The Deluxe Electric Nose Hair Trimmer

Here is a humorous story I tell my students that happened to me in my first year of teaching.  When I was teaching simple machines, I was putting together a PowerPoint and wanted to spice it up to grab the 7^th grader’s attention.  On one slide, I showed how simple machines may be put together to make a complex machine.  When contemplating what complex machines to show, I thought an Army tank would be a good example.  But, for another example, I remembered seeing a “Deluxe Electric Nose-Hair Trimmer” in a store and thought it was funny, maybe a little crude, but they would appreciate the joke.  Sure enough, when I ran that slide and gave those two examples, I got everyone’s attention.  It was a few weeks before Christmas, so I added, “Make sure you put an electric nose-hair trimmer on your Christmas list.”  The students all remembered complex machines from my example.

Then, the day before Christmas break, one of my quiet students, a student who really hadn’t said a word to me all year, walks into my class with his mom.  She is holding a big gift bag and says, “Mr. Griffith, thank you so much for teaching my son.  You are his favorite teacher and he is learning so much about science from you.”  I took the gift and thanked her and her son.  When I got home, I went into the house to open it.  My wife was home and helped me unwrap the gift.  In the box was a deluxe electric nose-hair trimmer.  I was surprised and laughed at the gift.  I told my wife, “He listened to me and got the joke.”  My wife said, “Or maybe you should take the hint.”  Regardless, it was hilarious and the student opened up after that in my class.  This comical incident enabled him to become a vital part of the class and helped me remember the power of not taking myself so seriously.

Story #3-The Magic Touchstone

Once upon a time, when the ancient library in Alexandria was burned to the ground, one of the men cleaning up the debris found a book that was charred but still mostly intact called, “The Magic Touchstone.”  In this book, a map was drawn showing the way to get the beach in Greece where the “magic touchstone” was located.  On a beach with millions of stones that all looked identical, one stone held the magical power that would enable the person who held it to have all their dreams come true.  The only way to distinguish the “magic touchstone” was to hold it in your hand because the magic touchstone would become warm when held.

So, the man sold everything he had and traveled to the beach.  When he arrived, he saw millions of the stones and he crafted a plan.  He would start at the very end of the beach and pick the stones one by one, hold it in his hand and if it did not get warm, he would know it wasn't the “magic touchstone” and he would throw it into the ocean.  He started and made slow progress.  Day by day, month by month and year by year, he worked his way down the beach, picking up stones and then throwing them in the ocean when they didn't warm up.  He barely ate or slept as the years passed.  Then, after 40 years and after throwing millions of stones in the ocean, one day, he reached past his long grey beard and picked up a stone, placed it in his hand and it actually did get warm. 

At this point in the story I stop and I ask the students, “What did he do with the stone?”  Usually, a student gets it, he threw the stone into the ocean because he had been doing that for 40 years and it was ingrained into him. 

We talk about this story, how we can get into the same kind of rut.  Any day could be the day when the magic touchstone is put into our hands in so many ways and unless we are present and aware of what we are doing, we will throw it away.

So, those are a couple stories.  I have a list of them and I add to them every year.  As my life progresses, these stories help it become more deep and rich.  I will share more stories later.

Here are a few quotes to end the blog:

Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere.  ~Chinese Proverb


All the world is a laboratory to the inquiring mind.  ~Martin H. Fischer

You can teach a student a lesson for a day; but if you can teach him to learn by creating curiosity, he will continue the learning process as long as he lives.  ~Clay P. Bedford

The Spirituality of Storytelling

Storytelling is an integral aspect of teaching and life.  We tell stories to communicate, to impart wisdom, to entertain, to amuse and to make sense out of our human experience.  We need it as much as we need food or love.

Recently, I heard E. O. Wilson, the great naturalist and writer, talking about how storytelling is one of the most human things we can participate in.  I agree.  He said that it feels like we are hard wired to tell stories, both personal and epoch, to share our human condition: the love, the humor, the sadness and the deep lessons that stories convey in a way that nothing else can.  Stories truly connect us and the lessons they impart stay with us well beyond the story.

Every Friday, as a reward to my students, I tell students stories from my personal life and stories I have heard.  The students are riveted and ask for more.  We discuss the meanings of these stories and how they apply to our lives.  A few parents have related that the students have gone home and related these stories word for word.  The best stories transmit wonder, something that we can always use more of in the classroom and life.

 Here is one of my favorite stories to tell the students.  If you like it, share it and feel free to change and adapt it to make them more meaningful.

Story #1-The House Builder

Once there was a house builder named Joe who had built houses for over 40 years.  He was ready to retire, but his boss told him he wanted him to build one more house.  Joe didn’t want to build the house, but told his boss that he would do it, if he could retire immediately upon completion of the house.  The boss agreed.

Joe worked quickly and sloppily with his crew, not laying enough cement for the foundation, only putting on one coat of paint, and cutting corners wherever he could to get the job done quickly.  He didn’t feel good about the shoddy job, but he just wanted to get it done.  He knew the house would look OK for a couple years, but then, all the poor workmanship would show, after he was gone.

He did finish ahead of schedule and his boss asked him to meet him at the work site the next day.  That next day, Joe approached his boss with shame, feeling that his boss had figured out what was going on.  Surprisingly, Joe’s boss had an enormous smile on his face.  He asked Joe to hold out his hand.  He pulled out a key, placed it in Joe’s hand and said, “Joe, I appreciate all the hard work you have done for me over the past 40 years, so I wanted you to build one more house so I can give to you.  Here is your house that you get to live in Joe.  Enjoy it.”

Many students see this story as an example of building their education and the importance of not cheating or taking shortcuts.  

I will end with a quote from Fred Rogers, the creator and star of Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood on PBS.  He carried around a quote in his wallet from a social worker that said, “There isn’t anyone you couldn’t learn to love once you have heard their story.”  We all have a story, we just need to take the time to listen and learn to love a little more.

I will share a couple other favorite stories next week.

Serenity Prayer for Teachers

As we start the school year, I wanted to give teachers a special adaptation of the Serenity Prayer.  As you have read in a previous blog post, I love the Serenity Prayer.  Every day, I say it and attempt to apply it in my life.  I found this prayer on a coffee mug a student gave me.  Parents may find this prayer useful also.

Serenity Prayer for Teachers

God, grant me the serenity to accept

Each child and appreciate their unique talents,

Courage to teach with patience and love, and

Wisdom to know that through it all,

You will be by my side.

My quote today is inspirational for everyone:

Do More

Do more than exist, Live

Do more than touch, Feel

Do more than look, Observe

Do more than read, Absorb

Do more than hear, Listen

Do more than listen, Understand

Do more than think, Ponder

Do more than talk, Say Something.

- John H. Rhoades

How to Change Your Classroom and Yourself with Gratitude-updated

I am posting my article that was published in June in Teacher’s Gazette so anyone who didn't get a chance to view it may now read it.  Also, here are a couple great stories of applying the principles of gratitude in our daily lives.  My sister said she got in her car after a long day and instead of automatically turning on the radio, she started to do a gratitude list, saying it aloud.  She said it made her feel much better than listening to the radio.  I am trying this and really feeling re-energized, when I do it.  Also, another friend now does an alphabetical gratitude list when driving, especially when stopped at red lights, trying to find a gratitude for every letter of the alphabet.  I have done this one and it is fun and a little mentally challenging.

How to Change Your Classroom and Yourself with Gratitude

By:  Owen M. Griffith

Would you like to improve the culture in your classroom and your life?   Try gratitude. Based on my nine years of teaching experience, this is the most powerful tool that I know.  

Gratitude has empowered me to teach more effectively, appreciate my individual students, grow in my profession, and enjoy life.  I am able to model one of the most important lessons in life, having a positive attitude, especially about the aspects of life that challenge me.  In fact, last year I was voted teacher of the year at my school, a direct result of practicing gratitude in my life and in my classroom.

The average adult has over 50,000 separate thought on a daily basis, according to estimates.  In itself, that is amazing.  But, more interesting, these may be the same thoughts as yesterday and tomorrow. Thus, many trudge through life thinking similar thoughts every day.  Now, if you feel satisfied, this is acceptable.  However, if you want to change your life and your classroom, you need to make room for some change.  Gratitude can help change some of those thoughts and lead to changing your life and in turn, the lives of your students.  

I recommend actually writing a list instead of just being aware of gratitude.  Gratitude seems to work like a muscle, and the physical action of writing a gratitude list helps develop “gratitude muscles.”  However, keeping a gratitude journal on your iphone as an app or your computer is also powerful.  In a recent study by Professor Phillip Watkins from Eastern Washington University, published recently in School Psychology review, those who are the least grateful seem to gain the most from making this effort.  This should be good news for people whose “gratitude muscles” feel weak.  As teachers and as parents, we know that we can only teach behavior that we practice.  As the saying goes, “Virtues are caught, not taught.”  As we grow stronger with an attitude of gratitude, it will be easier to share this virtue with our students.

As a 4th grade school teacher, my students and I start a gratitude journal the first day of the school year, listing 5 gratitudes every day.  By the end of the year, we each have 1,000 gratitudes.  We try to think of five new items to be grateful for every day, like feeling the abundance of love, or being healthy, or being thankful for friends, both old and new friends.  One girl said, “Thank you for all the bad stuff that happens to me.” 

We can be grateful for things that seem to be bad at the time, seeing the lessons we lean and new opportunities that come from them.  These are lessons in courage, wisdom, persistence and fortitude.  

I can really challenge the students by asking if they can be thankful for homework or chores. This challenge enables the students to see what is good about homework, that it helps them learn and prepares them for school.  In addition, I suggest that they be specific. For example, instead of writing “Thank you for lunch.” I can write, “Thank you for the tomatoes and lettuce in my salad and for the cool, sweet iced tea with friends,” or “Thank you for the nutritious lunch made by loving hands.”

To introduce the importance of gratitude, I ask the students, “Are there things in life that we do not control?”  Creative students come up with answers beyond the weather and the behavior of others.  We stop the list after twenty-five items.  Then I ask, “What do we not have control over?”  This is a little harder for some, but eventually they all get it – they only thing we can control is ourselves.  More specifically, we control our actions, our attitude and our awareness.  This exercise in gratitude will help us with all three areas.  When I am grateful for everything given to me in life, I will have a good attitude and my actions will be more positive.  When I focus on the positive, my awareness of the positive grows also.  

You might start your gratitude journal with being thankful for being alive, for having food to eat and clothes to wear.  Then think of what you get to do today and include that on your list.  The important word in the last sentence is “get.”  When I am grateful, I “get” to do things instead of having to do them.  I used to hate waiting in line.  In our fast-paced, technological society, with everything at our fingertips, many of us are impatient, as I was, with even a one minute wait.  But now, I “get” to wait in line and take that time to make a quick gratitude list.   

Recent research supports the idea that gratitude improves our lives and the lives of students.  Keeping a gratitude journal on a daily basis helps students achieve the following:

·         higher grades

·         higher goals

·         more satisfaction with relationships, life and school

·         less materialism

·         more willing to give back.

For adults, keeping a gratitude journal enables people to:

·         be more optimistic

·         experience more social satisfaction

·         exercise more often

·         have less envy and depression

·         have fewer physical complaints

·         sleep better.

I see these positive changes in my students.  One student saved her allowance and brought gratitude journals for her family. Her mom was in nursing school and very stressed. At the dinner table, they would share their gratitudes for the day and grow as a family.  The mom came to me and thanked me for teaching gratitude to her daughter and helping her family.  She said it helped her get through nursing school.

I challenge you to try it yourself and see how it works. My friends who have written a daily gratitude journal for at least two weeks speak positively of the experience.  Gratitude has transformed many lives.  It is true that our focus can stimulate growth.  If I focus on the good and I am grateful, more comes into my life.  Conversely, if I complain and focus on the negative, more of that is drawn into my life.  In my life, the fruit of the focus on gratitude is happiness.  As Dale Carnegie has said, “Success is getting what you want.  Happiness is wanting what you get.”

If you are interested in other resources to explore gratitude, please visit the following website: www.gratfulness.org 

Abraham Lincoln's Letter to his Son’s Teacher

As I prepare for my son to go to his first day of Kindergarten on Monday, I was reflecting on my son’s education.  His education began long ago with my words and lessons, but more importantly, by my actions and example.  Now, his education takes on a new life with formally beginning school.  I don’t know if being a teacher gives me insight or will make me be harder on my son’s teacher.  But, I do want to be supportive and work as a team to enable my son to be successful in school and life. 

I went back to a letter from Abraham Lincoln to his son’s teacher to get some guidance and found it in abundance.  It holds simple spiritual wisdom for us all to live by:

ABRAHAM LINCOLN'S LETTER TO HIS SON'S TEACHER...

 “My son starts school today. It is all going to be strange and new to him for a while and I wish you would treat him gently. It is an adventure that might take him across continents. All adventures will probably include wars, tragedy and sorrow. To live this life will require faith, love and courage. 

So dear Teacher, will you please take him by his hand and teach him things he will have to know, teaching him - but gently, if you can. Teach him that for every enemy, there is a friend. He will have to know that all men are not just, that all men are not true. But teach him also that for every scoundrel there is a hero, that for every crooked politician, there is a dedicated leader. 

Teach him if you can that 10 cents earned is of far more value than a dollar found. In school, teacher, it is far more honorable to fail than to cheat. Teach him to learn how to gracefully lose, and enjoy winning when he does win. 

Teach him to be gentle with people, tough with tough people. Steer him away from envy if you can and teach him the secret of quiet laughter. Teach him if you can - how to laugh when he is sad, teach him there is no shame in tears. Teach him there can be glory in failure and despair in success. Teach him to scoff at cynics. 

Teach him if you can the wonders of books, but also give time to ponder the extreme mystery of birds in the sky, bees in the sun and flowers on a green hill. Teach him to have faith in his own ideas, even if everyone tell him they are wrong. 

Try to give my son the strength not to follow the crowd when everyone else is doing it. Teach him to listen to everyone, but teach him also to filters all that he hears on a screen of truth and take only the good that comes through. 

Teach him to sell his talents and brains to the highest bidder but never to put a price tag on his heart and soul. Let him have the courage to be impatient, let him have the patient to be brave. Teach him to have sublime faith in himself, because then he will always have sublime faith in mankind, in God. 

This is the order, teacher but see what best you can do. He is such a nice little boy and he is my son."

So, I will give this to my son's teacher on Monday.  Actually, as a teacher, I know the first day of school can be like a tornado, so I will email it to the teacher and enjoy watching my son's journey begin.

Here is a quote to end the blog:

Do not train a child to learn by force or harshness; but direct them to it by what amuses their minds, so that you may be better able to discover with accuracy the peculiar bent of the genius of each.” – Plato